From Lawyer to Artist: 5 Red Flags of Toxic Workplaces
(Iâm trying to find Obi-Wanâs âhello thereâ meme, but tumblr isnât helping me)
So, I did a little *huge* post ranting about my last job that caused one hell of a burnout on me and itâs taking me forever to get better + now I have a huge existencial crisis that I want to transition from being a lawyer to an artist.
As I was thinking about it, I also noticed that I didnât know back then how to identify red flags of possible toxic workplaces. Also, I didnât want to admit I was in a toxic workplace/I thought it was normal to the profession.
Therefore, Iâm here to list a few red flags I picked up on this horrible experience :D
(I should add that this list is NOT exhaustive, nor itâs absolute: some red flags listed might be âfake red flagsâ - and Iâll get into that as I write)
1 - The company markets itself as âout of the boxâ, âwelcomingâ, âinclusiveâ, âworried about diversity and representationâ, âeco-friendlyâ, âworried about indigenous endangered societiesâ and the list goes on
This is a red flag, but it can be a fake one too. There might be companies that are genuinely worried about those things and are really out of the box and couldnât care less about how you dress or identify yourself.
BUT. There are many studies out there that identify that newer generations (such as Millenials or Gen Zs) care a lot about social impact and expression of their individuality. Companies pay heavy money for studies and insights on how to attract new talents - and this is the catch for newer generations. The youngest the work force, the more theyâll mind about this (at least for now). So, companies need to reinvent themselves and market themselves correctly to attract new talents.
It sounds like conspiracy theory talk, but itâs true (unfortunately). I was caught on something like this. I saw this company that was based on being trustworthy and forward thinking - dealing with news and technology - and I thought âhey, this might be my thing!â. I was so wrong. First day they were already forcing me to fit the grey box of corporate life I despised so much and had to endure for 2 years.
So donât be scared of this, but heads up. If they are marketing themselves so much to look good, something might be wrong.
2 - You canât voice your own opinions
This one is kinda tricky, because it isnât always obvious.
On my case, for instance, I could voice my opinions, but I knew I shouldnât. Politics in Brazil is a very sensitive subject. People are cutting out relationships because of Politics. So, letâs say my whole department had a rather extreme view on it and I knew if I talked about my points of view - usually a lot more flexible and considering all sides - Iâd be bashed for it.
So I had to keep quiet - and people criticized me for being âopinionlessâ. Keep an eye for this sort of behaviour.
Oh, and not only on Politics. There are many subjects, likeâŚ
3 - They donât respect you (additional points if itâs because youâre young or a woman)
I was fresh out of college - 22 years old, my first job as a Labour Counsel. Iâd get to meetings and people would ask âWhereâs the lawyer? Did they send their intern?â and Iâd be like âDarling, Iâm the lawyer.â
Once they mistaked me for the underage apprentice.
Itâs fine as long as they start respecting you after they know who you are. But I had people in my own team who didnât respect me - both for looking to young AND being a woman.
I was on a meeting with my Manager and Director one day, we needed to solve a problem. Both were men, both over 40. I gave them an idea on how to solve it, the Director goes âThat wonât work, itâs too much trouble and it doesnât solve the problem. We need a better ideaâ so I just stood there. Thinking. Then, my Manager says the same idea I said before, with different words, and the Director goes âThatâs it, we could go that way. Itâs not ideal, but fineâ. And I couldnât stop thinkingâŚ
âMaybe if I was a man, he wouldâve listened to me the first time.â
And that wasnât the ONLY time I thought that - it was a constant âI wish I was a man so people would respect me moreâ kind of thought. If that EVER happens to you, red flag.
4 - Someone is humiliating you through e-mails
Oh, boy, this was one of my MAIN issues.
There was this woman at my job that simply hated me. She wanted to see me suffer. But I didnât know that at the start - she was always so kind and friendly, but when I started doing things on my own and not following the rules⌠I was doomed.
It all started with e-mails. She would copy the Director to point out everything I was doing wrong - even though I had just started and I had a Manager she should talk first. Sometimes, I kid you not, it was something like âI told her to write in Times New Roman 12 and she delivered 14. I canât work like this. Tell her to do it ALL OVER AGAIN and know that MY WORK will be delayed because SHE couldnât follow a simple rule even a child would understandâ.
(Iâm not joking, this is real)
Once she copied the freaking CEO to bash me on e-mails. The guy didnât even know who I was.
Keep an eye on it. If someone is showing their power and doing their best to make you feel bad, dumb and plain humiliating you on e-mails with copies to a lot of poeple: this is a HUGE RED FLAG. This IS abuse and you shouldnât take it.
5 - Thereâs nothing you can do against abuse
When you know youâre being abused but you know you canât talk about it without suffering retaliation - youâre in a toxic workplace.
I knew I was going through a stupid situation, but there was nothing I could do. Because if I filed a complaint at the Reporting Channel, it would be sent over to the local compliance team for investigation and solving the matter.
The only problem is that the âcompliance teamâ on my office was my Director - the same one I had complained so much about being bullied and verbally abused constantly and he did nothing because âthatâs life, though upâ.
Thatâs not life and you donât have to though up. Itâs your employerâs duty to protect you as an employee. And if they refuse to do so, that is the hugest red flag.
Goes hand in hand with not being able to voice your opinions, but this is a whole new level.
For now, Iâll finish this one here. Iâll keep thinking about other red flags or other things I can talk about, so other people wonât fall into the same trap I did.
Honestly, I donât want people to go through what I did. You have the right to be treated like a human being.
See you in the next post,
