Conflicting People Sow Toxic Environments
Conflicting, demanding and not at all empathic people create toxic environments around them, environments in which negativity is contagious and sometimes makes you sick. It is a reality that characterizes many family and work scenarios, where the air seems stale, the stress is physical, the fear palpable and unhappiness an implacable virus.
Business or work climate experts distinguish in any organization what is known as a “toxic environment” and a “nutritious environment”. Strange as it may seem, it is an aspect that is noticeable almost instantly. Clearly there are standard variables to evaluate the working climate in an objective and rigorous way. However, sometimes it is enough to walk through the corridors of a company to breathe the tension, structural discomfort and pressure that marks the faces of the employees of the various departments.
The same happens at the family level. The type of language used, the tone and even the attitude of the various family members reveal the emotional complexity that permeates the environment and any dynamic. Toxic environments exist and transcend the tenants themselves to the point of infecting other people, because the climate of such a scenario is contaminated by adverse feelings, uncertainty, aggressive language and systematic stress from which it is difficult to defend oneself.
We invite you to deepen the topic. Read on to learn more!
The empire of unhappiness in toxic environments
We know that the term “toxic people” is very fashionable nowadays. However, we must be careful to use it because we often risk abusing it. Sometimes, behind this label, a person with depression, anxiety disorder or some other clinical problem may be hiding. We must be cautious, prudent and sensitive on the subject.
On the other hand, it is clear what climate is created around these people characterized by conflict, abuse and lack of empathy or interest towards those who are part of the same environment.
A few years ago, Fortune business magazine , which specializes in rankings, compiled a list of the best companies in the world to work for. To make this assessment, no variables such as salary or company benefits were considered. Only the level of employee satisfaction was assessed. Curiously, this study revealed that most businesses have toxicity virus, a virus that is chronic, in their facility DNA.
Sometimes it is not enough to replace managers. The structure itself and the policies of certain companies are based on a by now deep-rooted environment dominated above all by control and the achievement of objectives to the detriment of the well-being of workers. It is the culture of the “low profile”, better to keep quiet and bear rather than lose your job.
Little by little, the empire of unhappiness, fear and uncertainty grows in the minds of all the human capital of these toxic environments, limiting true productivity, innovation, creativity and above all health.
The need to create “nutritious” environments
In the course of our life we will come across conflicting profiles in any ecosystem. Clearly we cannot always put distance, it is not always easy to break ties and walk away in a healthy silence and with the certainty of never seeing those people again. Sometimes, that conflictual core is within the family or at work, toxic environments that cannot be easily abandoned.
Years ago, more out of curiosity than anything else, the figure of the “director of happiness” or “wellness coach” spread in the working world. It is a person trained and expert in the subject whose task is to create an environment of trust and adequate communication, in which employees feel truly happy and valued. Such a simple thing would undoubtedly guarantee the productivity of the organization itself, an aspect that is often not noticed. At least now.
We try to change policies, mindsets and perspectives. In fact, it is not just a question of improving working environments, but also of the need to create new dynamics in schools and institutes: the first scenario in which future generations are formed. The “nourishing” environments are characterized by a sense of permanence, where respect and personal dignity are defended, where creativity, personal growth and a real and palpable empathy are favored.
Let us therefore commit ourselves to be architects of more human scenarios, obviously starting with those closest to us, those in which we find ourselves every day. It is a job that is undoubtedly worth doing.
Images courtesy of Nicoletta Ceccoli
