Tiago Costa, CEO, ParisimaWe are seeing an epidemic in the use of the phrase “toxic workplace” and as we mark World Mental Health Day on 10 October – we need to address why the overuse and misuse of this phrase hurts everyone in the long term.
I frequently log-on to Glassdoor and LinkedIn and see various comments from candidates or companies citing “toxic workplaces” – the same can be said for a marked increase on other social platforms, HR complaints and exit interviews.
What was once a term reserved for deeply dysfunctional, abusive environments has now become a blanket term for any workplace discomfort – from bad management or a demanding project to a simple disagreement or reason for under performance.
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As a clinical phycologist of several years before stepping into recruitment – I have seen first-hand the damage on the human psyche that a truly toxic workplace can bring about – and whilst I applaud and celebrate the shift reflects a growing awareness of mental health in the workplace and the importance of a healthy work life balance – I am now seeing the consequences of the phase’s overuse.
The overuse poses risks not only employers trying to build healthy cultures, but also for employees navigating the normal, sometimes difficult, realities of professional life and those looking for new roles.
Losing gravatas
Traditionally, and in my opinion, the term “toxic workplace” refers to a work environment where harmful behaviours such as bullying, harassment, discrimination, manipulation, or chronic dysfunction are persistent and systemic. These environments are psychologically unsafe – often leading to burnout, trauma, or mental health crises.
However, when everything unpleasant in a work environment is labelled as toxic, we dilute the meaning of the term to the point of uselessness. I saw something very similar a few decades ago when the spotlight was shone on depression.
A line manager or boss who gives negative or tough-to-hear feedback is not necessarily toxic; a fast-paced project with tight deadlines isn’t automatically a sign of a hostile culture and coworker clashes doesn’t mean the entire workplace is poison.
Overusing the phrase makes it harder to identify and take action against actual toxicity. It numbs our sensitivity to real red flags, much like crying wolf. If every negative experience is framed as a moral or psychological failure of the workplace, we risk ignoring serious abuses hiding in plain sight.
Weaponising discomfort
Work, by its nature, is not always comfortable or enjoyable. Of course – we all hope for the maximum about of comfort and enjoyment for all our candidates and employers, but we believe that it takes collaboration, compromise, accountability, and sometimes conflict to create a healthy workplace.
No one is naive enough to think that miscommunications don’t happen, that pressure ebbs and flows and can build, that you won’t always like people you work, but growth (both individual and companywide) often lies on the other side of these challenges.
I am frequently seeing any discomfort at work being reframed as evidence of toxicity. This creates a dangerous dynamic: discomfort becomes synonymous with harm, and the expectation becomes constant emotional safety rather than professional maturity. The phrase “toxic workplace” is being used to sidestep constructive criticism, justify disengagement, or even retaliate against colleagues and managers.
In extreme cases, employees use the label to discredit an organisation or individual without evidence or due process. Once that label sticks, especially in the era of social media, it’s really hard to unstick. Reputations are damaged, team morale collapses, and genuine feedback becomes impossible to give.
Smothering accountability and resilience
For employees, viewing every fractus situation as toxic may feel empowering in the short term, but it risks cultivating a victim mentality. Discomfort is frequently the signal that we’re learning, growing, or needing to adapt and not every challenge is a trauma.
Labelling all workplace stressors as harmful discourages personal reflection and resilience and can lead people to prematurely quitting roles that could have been transformative or avoiding conflict resolution in favour of flight.
I am not saying that employees should tolerate any form of true mistreatment – I am a champion of fair treatment in the workplace however, we need to distinguish between toxic behaviours and difficult ones. Confusing the two deprives people of the opportunity to develop crucial soft skills like communication, emotional regulation, and problem-solving under pressure.
Leaders who are scared to lead
Employers and managers, meanwhile, are increasingly concerned and often fearful of being labelled “toxic.” I speak with individuals in leadership positions who are now hesitant to give honest feedback or hold employees accountable, in case they end up in an anonymous Glassdoor review or viral TikTok takedown – and that’s just not right.
This kind of genuine leadership concern creates a watered-down leadership approach which in turn sees an environment where performance drops, mediocrity is tolerated and teams become conflict-avoidant and fragile. Ironically, this lack of clarity and direction can create the very dysfunction that employees call toxic in the first place.
Rather than encouraging healthy environments, the overuse of the term can freeze organisations in a state of inaction making them scared to set boundaries and flag employee issues or underperformance – making it impossible to recognise individual achievements and grow long-term success.
What we need instead: Precision and dialogue
It’s time to move beyond vague, emotionally charged labels and embrace more precise, constructive language when voicing workplace concerns.
It’s far more constructive for all parties when statements are made such as:
- I don’t feel psychologically safe to speak up in meetings.
- There’s a pattern of inconsistent feedback that’s affecting morale.
- We don’t have clear expectations or boundaries, which leads to burnout.
These clear assertions open the door to productive dialogue and improvement, creating space for accountability and change over shame and shutdown.
Workplaces should, of course, be safe, fair, and respectful – that’s a given. When they’re not, we need to call it out clearly and loudly, but we also need to save the word “toxic” for situations that truly warrant it.
Because if everything is toxic… then nothing really is.
By Tiago Costa, CEO, Parisima
