Do You Have a Toxic Workplace Culture? How to Spot Toxicity and What to Do About It

Workplace culture isn’t just a buzzword - it’s the atmosphere your team breathes every day. It determines whether your organization is a place of thriving or a slow drain on energy, motivation, and health. And in some environments, that culture crosses a critical line from simply dysfunctional to toxic.

Toxicity is a word that gets thrown a lot these days because we can feel the difference between a supportive versus toxic workplace culture.

I’ve certainly experienced both, and the difference is night or day. When I feel supported I can bring up issues, ask for help, and have fun at work - but in a toxic environment? Good luck getting an idea out of me!

But what makes a culture toxic? How do we actually define it? Is it just bad management or annoying coworkers, or is there something deeper going on?

In this post, we’ll break down what toxic workplace culture really means, how to spot it, why it’s so damaging (according to neuroscience), and what leaders can do to turn it around - especially when it comes to burnout prevention. We'll also distinguish between toxic culture and job-related burnout, and provide tools to begin making positive change today.

What Is Toxic Workplace Culture?

In a landmark study by MIT Sloan Management Review, researchers analyzed 1.3 million Glassdoor reviews to understand why people were leaving their jobs during the “Great Resignation.” Compensation wasn’t the top reason.

Toxic workplace culture was.

(And we should also pay people fairly).

According to the researchers, five attributes consistently predicted a toxic culture:

1. Disrespectful behavior

2. Non-inclusivity

3. Unethical practices

4. Cutthroat competition

5. Abusive management

These five traits stood out because they weren’t just annoying, they were directly linked to employees quitting. Let’s take a closer look at each one.

The Five Attributes of Toxic Culture

1. Disrespect

Disrespect is more than just being rude. It’s the daily microaggressions, the dismissive tone, the lack of recognition. Disrespect erodes trust and psychological safety, both of which are essential for collaboration and innovation. It signals to employees that their voice, time, and efforts don’t matter.

One client—an HR manager—shared that she had spent weeks building out a new onboarding flow, only to have her director shut it down in a meeting with, “We’re not doing that,” without even looking at her proposal. No feedback, no curiosity, no appreciation. That kind of dismissal isn’t just frustrating—it’s demoralizing.

📎Want to know the difference between burnout and being disrespected at work? Check out this post on chronic stress and its role in burnout.

2. Non-Inclusivity

A workplace that tolerates exclusion, whether based on race, gender, age, or neurodiversity, fosters a culture of fear and silence. Inclusivity isn't just about checking a DEI box—it's about psychological safety, innovation, and retaining talent. When people don’t feel safe to speak up, they disengage or leave.

Neuroscience shows that social exclusion activates the same neural pathways as physical pain (Eisenberger et al., 2003). So when someone’s left out or ignored, it’s not just uncomfortable—it’s neurologically painful.

A leader I worked with realized she was being excluded from major decisions because the men in her office were often going for drinks together after work. As the only woman on the team, she wasn’t included. She said, “I wasn’t just excluded socially. I was excluded strategically.” That subtle form of gatekeeping sends a loud message about who belongs.

3. Unethical Behavior

Cutting corners, manipulating numbers, or ignoring compliance doesn’t just hurt your reputation. It creates a culture of mistrust. People know when something shady is going on—and that tension is a huge cognitive and emotional burden. Ethics and integrity aren’t just good PR; they’re burnout buffers.

When employees feel they have to compromise their values to succeed, it leads to what researchers call “moral injury,” a predictor of psychological distress and burnout.

One of the first places I worked was a gym where people would leave their phones at the front desk—often unlocked. The manager would go through their contacts and pull numbers to use as sales leads. I reported it, but it left a lasting impression: it’s one thing to work hard, it’s another to compromise your integrity to hit a quota.

4. Cutthroat Competition

Healthy competition can be motivating. Cutthroat competition is not. It creates an every-person-for-themselves environment where collaboration dies. In high-threat environments, the brain shifts into survival mode, relying more on the amygdala and less on the prefrontal cortex. This means less strategic thinking, less empathy, and more impulsive decision-making.

Studies in neuroscience show that chronic stress depletes the brain’s executive functioning resources—planning, impulse control, long-term focus (Arnsten, 2009). In short, cutthroat environments make us worse at our jobs.

A client in law once told me that she found her case notes bleeding with red marker one day. Yes, really - full grown adults scribbling on each other’s notes! Environments that reward or encourage practices like this erode trust at the foundation.

5. Abusive Management

Toxic leadership isn’t just tough—it’s abusive. That can mean gaslighting, yelling, micromanagement, passive aggression, or punitive policies. Abuse at work activates the stress response repeatedly, leading to exhaustion, cynicism, and eventually, burnout.

In fact, one study showed that employees who reported abusive supervision were significantly more likely to report symptoms of burnout and psychological distress (Tepper, 2000).

One client—a people leader—shared that her boss once berated her on a call so loudly that her partner in the next room could hear every word. This happened regularly, followed by silence from senior leadership. She stayed because she cared about her team, but by the time she reached out to me, she was completely depleted. If you’re in a similar situation, it’s not time to build coping skills - it’s time to polish your resume.

Toxic Culture vs. Burnout: What’s the Difference?

Toxic culture and burnout are related—but they’re not the same thing.

Burnout is defined by three dimensions:

1. Emotional exhaustion

2. Cynicism or detachment

3. Reduced sense of accomplishment

Toxic cultures can contribute to burnout, but burnout can also arise in otherwise well-meaning environments where job demands consistently outpace resources. That’s why it’s important to differentiate: are people burning out because the work is unsustainable—or because the culture itself is actively harmful?

In this blog post on the common causes of workplace burnout, I break down six job factors that contribute to burnout:

• Workload

• Control

• Reward

• Fairness

• Community

• Values

These are all addressable in non-toxic cultures. And they’re the focus of my Burnout Assessment Toolkit, which helps leaders pinpoint which job factors need attention and how to make meaningful change.

📎 If you’re a manager or HR professional wondering where to start, grab the free toolkit: Download the Burnout Assessment

Why Toxic Cultures Are So Hard to Spot from the Inside

Here’s the tricky part: if you’re in a toxic culture, it often feels normal.

Toxicity can be subtle. It can be masked by high performance, tight deadlines, or a “we’re all in this together” hustle culture. It can also be hard to acknowledge when you're part of leadership and helped shape the culture in the first place.

But the neuroscience is clear: chronic stress alters how we think, feel, and work. It dampens motivation, memory, and empathy, making it harder to solve the very problems we’re experiencing.

And when these patterns go unaddressed, the damage compounds. People disengage. Teams break down. The organization loses its best people—not because they don’t care, but because they do and can no longer tolerate the environment.

The Neuroscience of Toxicity at Work

Let’s zoom in on what happens in the brain, shall we? Just in case you needed more encouragement to address toxicity in your workplace culture!

1. The Amygdala Hijack: Toxic cultures activate the amygdala, the brain’s fear center. Employees operate in a state of chronic vigilance—watching their back, bracing for conflict, withholding ideas.

2. Prefrontal Cortex Suppression: High stress reduces activity in the prefrontal cortex, impairing executive function, working memory, and decision-making.

3. Decreased Dopamine and Motivation: Chronic stress reduces dopamine availability, which impacts motivation, reward-seeking, and focus.

4. Elevated Cortisol Levels: Long-term exposure to cortisol can impair immune function, increase anxiety, and contribute to emotional exhaustion.

All of these are precursors to burnout and are worsened by toxic workplace dynamics. Toxicity is often born out of competition, desire to win, and drive to get ahead that eclipses empathy. The irony is toxic cultures often mean that everyone loses, both personally and professionally.

What Can Leaders Do About Toxic Culture?

It starts with awareness, but it doesn’t end there. Addressing toxicity requires systemic change. And I will warn you right now, addressing toxicity isn’t easy. Honestly, any culture change is going to be a long game. If you want help, book a 1:1 call with me and we’ll develop a strategy to get started.

1. Run a Culture Audit

Look at turnover data, employee engagement, and exit interviews. Use anonymous surveys to ask about experiences of disrespect, inclusion, and psychological safety.

You can includes things like this Burnout Assessment to pinpoint specific job factors impacting wellbeing.

2. Train (and Screen) Managers

Many toxic cultures are made or broken at the middle management level. Do your managers know how to give feedback, manage conflict, and build trust? If not, training is essential. So is holding managers accountable for toxic behavior—even if they “get results.”

📎 More on why this moment demands serious action: Why Burnout Prevention Matters Now More Than Ever

3. Build Psychological Safety

Encourage speaking up. Reward dissent. Model vulnerability at the leadership level. Employees should feel safe to raise concerns without fear of retaliation. I have a really fun workshop available on psychological safety!

4. Address the Five Traits

If even one of the traits of a toxic workplace (disrespect, non-inclusivity, unethical practices, cutthroat competition, abusive management) is allowed to continue, it will shape your culture. The good news is, in some ways addressing these traits is easy - it’s zero tolerance.

The traits of toxicity aren’t like the job factors of burnout where you need some of them. You need to have workload otherwise no one has a job, but there is absolutely no reason to have abusive supervision.

The bad news is, actually making change is hard sometimes. Train your team and make reporting toxicity very, very easy (and as anonymous as possible).

5. Invest in Repair

If the culture has been toxic, acknowledge it. Don’t jump to positivity or pretend everything is fine. Repair requires naming the harm, listening to those impacted, and making clear, tangible changes.

Final Thoughts: You Can’t Fix What You Won’t Name

Toxic workplace culture doesn’t go away on its own. It festers in silence, disguised as “that’s just how we do things” or “we’re all under pressure.”

But naming it is the first step toward changing it.

If you’re noticing the signs—burnout, turnover, conflict, disengagement—it’s time to ask: Is this a burnout issue, or is this a culture issue?

And if you’re ready to do something about it, start here:

📥 Download the Burnout Assessment Toolkit — A free resource to help you spot and address the real factors causing stress on your team.

Your culture shapes your people—and your people shape your success.

References:

• Sull, D., Sull, C., & Zweig, B. (2022). Why Every Leader Needs to Worry About Toxic Culture. MIT Sloan Management Review. Read the study

• Eisenberger, N. I., Lieberman, M. D., & Williams, K. D. (2003). Does rejection hurt? An fMRI study of social exclusion. Science, 302(5643), 290-292.

• Arnsten, A. F. T. (2009). Stress signalling pathways that impair prefrontal cortex structure and function. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 10(6), 410–422.

• Tepper, B. J. (2000). Consequences of abusive supervision. Academy of Management Journal, 43(2), 178–190.