A reminder that I’ve moved to a once-a-month webinar format, held on the third Thursday of the month at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. The topic is different each month, and I jam-pack them full of content. To learn about the next webinar: https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.coThrough various groups I belong to and sites I visit regularly, there is a lot of talk about being in a “toxic work environment.” Today, I want to drill down on what actually constitutes a toxic work environment and what to do if you are in one. I also want to talk about what isn’t a toxic work environment and how to manage these situations.Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about a toxic workplace: It is marked by significant infighting, where personal battles often harm productivity. Here’s a quote: “It is reasonable to conclude that an organization can be considered toxic if it is ineffective as well as destructive to its employees.”Here’s what monster.com has to say about a toxic work environment:A toxic work environment is one wherein dysfunction and drama reign, whether it’s the result of a narcissistic boss, vindictive co-workers, absence of order, et cetera.In addition to harming your morale, this kind of climate can also be damaging to your health, says Paul White, co-author of Rising Above a Toxic Workplace. “Stress takes a toll on your body,” White says. Health problems stemming from a hostile workplace include hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and decreased mental health, and can lead to fatal conditions, research from Stanford and Harvard Universities found.“A toxic environment keeps people in a fight or flight mindset—the constant pump of cortisol, testosterone, and norepinephrine generates physical, emotional, and mental stress,” says Cheri Torres, an Asheville, North Carolina-based business leadership coach and author of Conversations Worth Having: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Fuel Productive and Meaningful Engagement. She says you can’t do your best work when you work in a toxic workplace, and your health and well-being is at risk.As I was researching for this episode, I saw a lot of things credited as contributing to workplace toxicity that simply aren’t. No boss, coworker, or CEO is perfect – and a boss who isn’t organized or a coworker who is chronically late doesn’t make a workplace toxic.Here are the signs Monster gives for a toxic workplace:1.    You are chronically stressed out. Take this quiz to find out how stressed you are: https://www.stress.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Workplace-Stress-Survey.pdf2.    You’re being overworked.3.    You’re being bullied.The Workplace Bullying Institute defines bullying as “repeated mistreatment of an employee by one or more employees; abusive conduct that is threatening, humiliating, or intimidating; work sabotage; or verbal abuse.”While 61% of bullies are bosses, 33% of bullies are peers with the same rank as their targets, and a surprising 6% of bullies are subordinates, a survey by the Workplace Bullying Institute found.4.    You’re a contributor to – or recipient of – office gossip.5.    Your boss is a hothead.6.    Communication is poor/nonexistent, and it is affecting your ability to do your job.Here are additional signs from Bustle.com:1.    An absence of work/life balance (or, as I like to call it, work/life blend)2.    You are constantly getting sick.3.    Family and friends are noticing a difference in your character.4.    Your employer culture is “competitive conflict.”5.    Your time boundaries are not being respected. (Think “Two Weeks’ Notice”)6.    Your boss encourages bad/unprofessional/unethical behavior7.    Your gut-check tells you that your ethics and morals are eroding the longer you work there – you are losing yourself. Here are clear-cut situations of workplace toxicity:1. Sexual harassment2. Bullying3. Illegal behaviors (stealing, cheating, misrepresenting results)4. Being asked to participate in or look the other way with illegal/unethical behaviors5. Workplace safety or environ