Toxic Work Environment: Warning Signs and How to Transform Workplace Culture

How do you recognise a toxic work environment and what does it cost? Read the warning signs in workplace culture and concrete steps employers can take.

"Everyone here talks behind everyone else's back." "If you make a mistake, you're finished." "Leaving at seven in the evening counts as leaving early." If you hear your employees saying these things among themselves, the problem may lie not in individuals but in the culture of the organisation. The phrase toxic work environment, widely used in the business world in recent years, describes a working climate that systematically erodes employees' health, productivity and commitment to the organisation. In this article, I look at how business owners, managers, HR and occupational health and safety (OHS) professionals can recognise a toxic workplace, what feeds it, its legal and economic consequences, and the steps that can be taken to transform the culture.

What Is a Toxic Work Environment?

A toxic work environment is neither a scientific diagnosis nor a legal term. In everyday language, it describes an organisational climate in which employees work for long periods amid insecurity, disrespect, unfairness and constant tension. In this climate, the problem is not a single incident but repeated patterns of behaviour that have come to be accepted as "normal."

An important distinction needs to be made here. Not every demanding workplace is toxic. Busy seasons, tight deadlines, difficult clients or high performance expectations do not in themselves mean a poisonous culture. What matters is how the difficulty is managed: Can problems be talked about openly? Are employees treated with respect? Are the rules applied equally to everyone? In a demanding but fair and supportive environment, employees may get tired but they recover. In a toxic one, fear, resentment and helplessness are added to the fatigue.

The psychosocial risk literature also deals with this subject under the headings of "organisational culture" and "interpersonal relationships." Two of the ten categories of psychosocial hazard listed in the Turkish Ministry of Labour and Social Security's 2024 Psychosocial Factors Information Guide relate directly to these (ÇSGB, 2024).

What Are the Signs of a Toxic Work Environment?

Culture is hard to see from the outside because the people living in it get used to it over time. The signs below can help managers and HR look at their own organisation from the outside:

In communication and relationships

• Information being deliberately withheld, and gossip spreading faster than official communication
• An "us and them" divide between teams or departments, and a habit of blaming one another
• Reprimands in front of everyone, mockery, humiliating jokes
• Problems being discussed in messaging groups or in the corridor rather than through official channels
• Silence in meetings, but heavy complaining afterwards

In management and perceptions of fairness

• Rules that change depending on the person; some employees being seen as "untouchable"
• Lack of transparency in promotions, rewards and the distribution of work
• Mistakes being seen as grounds for punishment rather than as opportunities to learn
• Successes being claimed at the top and failures being pushed down the hierarchy
• The person who complains being labelled a "problem employee"

In work patterns

• Constant overtime being treated as a sign of commitment
• An expectation of being reachable outside working hours, with messages in the evenings and at weekends
• Chronic understaffing being brushed aside with "just manage"
• Unclear roles and contradictory instructions

In outcomes

• High staff turnover in particular departments, especially new starters leaving quickly
• Frequent short-term sick leave and absenteeism
• The name of the same manager or department recurring in exit interviews
• Very low reporting of near misses and errors

One or two of these signs may appear in any organisation from time to time. What should raise concern is several of them existing together, for a long time, and being accepted with the attitude of "that's how it is here."

Why Does a Toxic Culture Develop?

A toxic work environment rarely springs from a single ill-intentioned person. It is usually the product of habits built up over years, the wrong behaviours being rewarded, and problems being ignored. The most common sources are:

• Leadership behaviour: Culture is shaped by what the person at the top tolerates. If outbursts of anger, humiliation or micromanagement are normal at senior level, they spread to lower levels. This is covered in detail in the article on toxic management.
• A reward system focused only on results: If no one ever asks how a manager who meets their targets treats their team, the organisation may be unknowingly rewarding harmful behaviour.
• Chronic workload and insufficient resources: People who work under constant pressure become more impatient, more defensive and more prone to conflict. In Europe, 46% of workers report severe time pressure or excessive workload, and 26% report poor communication or cooperation within the organisation (EU-OSHA, 2022).
• Punishing people for speaking up: If problems are silenced rather than heard when raised, they go underground.
• Uncertainty and insecurity: In periods of economic fluctuation, downsizing or restructuring, competition and distrust among employees can rise.
• Rules that are not written down: If respectful behaviour, complaints and disciplinary processes are not defined, everything is left to individuals' discretion.

In the Turkish context, to these can be added hierarchy-based management habits, the blending of work and family roles in family-owned companies, and employees avoiding raising problems out of a fear of losing their job because of the high cost of living. According to Gallup's 2026 report, 66% of employees in Turkey say they spend much of their day under stress and 36% say they spend it feeling angry (Gallup, 2026; 2025 data). These rates are markedly above global averages.

The Cost of a Toxic Work Environment to Employees and the Business

Employees pay the price of a poisonous culture first: sleep problems, constant tension, anxiety, burnout and physical complaints. But the bill soon reaches the business too.

• Loss of staff: In one analysis in the UK, around 40% of the costs of staff leaving were attributed to mental health problems (Deloitte, 2022). Losing an experienced employee brings with it the cost of finding and training a replacement.
• Presenteeism: Employees come to work but mentally check out. In the UK, the largest item in the annual cost of poor mental health to employers is people attending work but being unable to work at full capacity (Deloitte, 2024).
• Loss of engagement: The cost of low employee engagement to the world economy is estimated at about 10 trillion dollars, or 9% of global GDP (Gallup, 2026).
• Safety: In a climate of fear, errors and near misses are not reported, which increases the risk of accidents at production sites.
• Reputation: Today, employees can share their experiences on social media and employer review platforms. An organisation known as toxic struggles to attract talent, especially young talent.

The most expensive part of a toxic culture is not the visible losses but the problems that are never fixed because no one speaks of them.

The Employer's Responsibility Under the Law

Although a toxic work environment is not a legal concept, some of the behaviours within it have clear legal consequences. Article 417 of the Turkish Code of Obligations (Law No. 6098) requires the employer to protect the employee's personality, to maintain a workplace order in line with the principles of good faith, and in particular to take the necessary measures to prevent employees from being subjected to psychological and sexual harassment (TBK, Art. 417). Prime Ministry Circular No. 2011/2 likewise treats combating psychological harassment as primarily the employer's duty and calls for all necessary measures to be taken.

In addition, the Occupational Health and Safety Law No. 6331 requires the employer to develop a prevention policy covering the effects of factors related to work organisation and social relationships (Art. 5/f). The Risk Assessment Regulation provides for psychosocial sources of hazard to be identified and recorded (Art. 8).

The international picture also shows how widespread the issue is: according to the ILO's 2026 report, 23% of workers worldwide have experienced violence or harassment at work at least once, the most common form being psychological violence at 18% (ILO, 2026). In Europe, 55% of workplaces with 20 or more employees have a procedure for cases of bullying and harassment (EU-OSHA, 2025). For obligations relating to mobbing, you can read the article on workplace mobbing and employer obligations.

What Can Employers Do to Transform Workplace Culture?

Culture is not changed by a poster or a single training session, but it does change when the right steps are taken consistently. Practical steps include:

1. Acknowledge and name the problem. Senior management should be open to data and employee experience, rather than defending with "we don't have anything like that here." Culture change begins when the person at the very top shows that they take the problem seriously.

2. Put acceptable behaviour in writing. Principles of respectful behaviour, communication rules (including messages outside working hours), and complaint and investigation processes should be defined clearly and made accessible to everyone.

3. Set up safe reporting channels. Create a system that protects confidentiality, guarantees protection against retaliation, and ensures reports are handled within a set time. Protecting the employee who reports determines the credibility of the channel.

4. Assess managers on both their results and their behaviour. Add indicators such as team climate, employee feedback and staff turnover to performance evaluations. A manager who meets their targets but loses their team should not be considered successful.

5. Invest in manager training. In the World Health Organization's guidelines on mental health at work, the recommendation with the strongest evidence is to train managers in mental health (WHO, 2022). Giving feedback, managing conflict and talking to an employee who is struggling can be part of this training.

6. Review workload and resources realistically. Identifying departments under chronic pressure and adjusting staffing, shifts and the distribution of work is the structural pillar of fixing the culture.

7. Make small but visible changes. Giving everyone a voice in meetings, solving a reported problem quickly and announcing it, and applying fairness openly all rebuild trust.

8. Offer employees support. Confidential individual counselling allows employees to talk safely, outside the organisation, about the difficulties they are experiencing. This should be thought of alongside organisational changes, not instead of them. The International Labour Organization also stresses that individual measures should complement organisational ones, not replace them (ILO, 2026).

Suppose that in a mid-sized logistics company a significant share of the warehouse department's staff has left in the past year, and the same shift supervisor's name comes up again and again in exit interviews. At this point, simply warning the supervisor or dismissing them altogether may not be enough. The department's workload, the supervisor's competencies, and why senior management tolerated this behaviour for so long all need to be examined together. Even if the problem appears to sit with one person, if the conditions that feed the culture do not change, the same picture can repeat itself under another name.

How Do You Get Started in Your Organisation?

For organisations that want to transform a toxic work environment, a three-stage roadmap works well:

Needs analysis: Data on staff turnover, absenteeism, sick leave, complaints and exit interviews are examined by department. Confidential employee surveys and focus groups run by an external expert make visible what employees cannot comfortably say within the organisation. The aim is not to find someone to blame but to understand where and under what conditions the problem is most concentrated.

Programme: Based on the analysis results, policy and process adjustments, practical training for managers, team-level work and individual support for employees are planned together. Culture change is a process that spreads over months; regular reinforcement sessions and individual feedback for managers are far more meaningful than a one-off seminar. You can see how such programmes can be structured on the corporate services page.

Measurement: The baseline surveys and indicators are repeated at set intervals. A rise in the number of complaints and reports in the first months can be a sign that trust is increasing, so indicators should be interpreted together and in context.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a toxic work environment and a busy one?

In a busy work environment, pressure is usually seasonal, and employees experience respect, support and fair treatment. In a toxic one, insecurity, disrespect and unfairness are constant and accepted as normal. What matters is less the workload itself than how difficulties are managed.

How long does it take for organisational culture to change?

It is not possible to give an exact time; it depends on the size of the organisation, the depth of the problem and the determination of management. The first positive signs can usually be noticed within a few months if senior management takes consistent and visible steps, but lasting change takes longer.

What should be done about a manager who displays toxic behaviour?

First, the specific behaviours and their effects should be documented, and the manager should be spoken to with clear, written expectations. Coaching and training support can be offered; but if the behaviour continues and employees are being harmed, more decisive steps may be needed given the organisation's legal obligations.

How can employees be supported if they are struggling because of a toxic environment?

It is important to offer confidential counselling, to enable managers to notice signs of strain and start a respectful conversation, and to address organisational problems at the same time. If there are serious signs such as thoughts of self-harm, the person should be directed to specialist support, and in an emergency 112 (Turkey's emergency services) should be called. Seeking professional support is always an option for both your employees and your managers.

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• #workplace culture
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Eda Erkan Alapala

Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.

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