The Decay of a Toxic Workplace
A workplace that is completely rotten will exhibit numerous signs. The office is filled with an indescribable smell—not the sourness of overnight coffee, but the sense of emotional distance and indifference. Walking into such a place, you'll notice that the air lacks vitality and is filled with superficiality, like unsold rice balls in a convenience store—looking fine on the surface, but dry and tasteless when bitten into.
Interpersonal relationships are the primary issue. Between superiors and subordinates, smiles are plastered on the face, but behind the scenes, it's all acting. Managers like to hold meetings, pounding the table, leaving a pile of urgent tasks, yet never asking if you've stayed up until dawn with red eyes like a rabbit. What about the subordinates? They respond politely with “OK,” then procrastinate once turned around—changing a font size on a document can count as a day's work. As for colleagues, trust is nonexistent. In project teams, shirking responsibility is more active than working. Xiao Zhang clearly stayed up all night revising a proposal, but in the morning, Xiao Li dismisses him with a single remark: “I didn't receive the email.” The result? Everyone is calculating their own little schemes. Teamwork? That’s just nice words on a PowerPoint slide.
Management problems are even more glaring. There are always a few amateurs guiding the experts in leadership. Relying on connections, they sit in high positions, clueless about the actual business, yet obsessed with flashy activities. For example, at the annual meeting, they organize a corporate culture exhibition, making employees wear costumes and perform, take a few photos to report, but ignore real issues like outdated equipment and chaotic processes—who cares? In such places, form always trumps substance. Leaders chase after political achievements, while subordinates busy themselves with inspections. In the end, they run in circles but accomplish nothing.
Looking at the employees’ state, it’s practically a textbook of giving up. When good employees first arrive, they are full of enthusiasm, eager to make a difference. But soon, they realize they make more mistakes than progress, and promotions or raises depend on relationships. Over time, they grow disillusioned and decide to join the ranks of those just passing time. Xiao Wang used to be a workaholic, arriving early and leaving late; now? He spends mornings sipping tea and afternoons watching short videos, still earning his salary, but his dreams have long been thrown into the trash. The entire unit is like a broken car without fuel—still sputtering on the surface, but in reality, having lost all direction.
Strangely, some bizarre phenomena still occur in such places. For example, Lao Li always rushes to speak at meetings, spouting empty words, yet after the meeting, he sits idly in the parking lot for half an hour, muttering about how he’s good at nothing. And that classic line from Tang Sanzang in “Journey to the West”—do you know how pointless it is to talk? Here, it’s quite fitting: everyone is busy talking, but in reality, nothing gets done.
But the real question is: how did such a place gradually rot to its core? Is it a human problem, a systemic issue, or simply that no one wants to change? If one day you find yourself also stuck in such a place, muddling through days aimlessly, would you choose to stay or leave without looking back?
