From ignoring your mental health to never saying ‘no’, we look at why toxic resilience could be holding you back at work
- An increasing number workers are ignoring their personal needs for the benefit of business
- Report shows employees are more engaged but more stressed than ever, leading to burnout
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If you’ve ever responded to emails from a hospital bed, refreshed your work messages at a funeral, or checked in with your team while on holiday, then you could be unknowingly participating in toxic resilience.
This new term categorises behaviour that is, unfortunately, familiar to too many workers around the world; the persistent prioritising of work over personal needs.
Of course, every workplace has busy periods where a certain amount of an all-hands-on-deck attitude is required, but this should only ever be short-term.
As many workers continue to work hybrid or remote, it’s not that work is taken home; work is at home
As many workers continue to work hybrid and remote, it’s not that work is taken home; work is at home. This blurring of boundaries makes it challenging for many of us to switch off even when we’re off the clock.
While the pandemic brought a whole host of positive changes to traditional working policies, a global 2023 report shows that although hybrid and remote employees are more engaged than ever, they’re also more stressed.
A whole host of factors can lead to toxic resilience, but common to many workplaces is chronic under-resourcing, misunderstanding by management on how long a piece of work takes, and a lack of boundaries protecting the personal time of remote workers.
The effects of toxic resilience
In your personal life, the effects of toxic resilience are obvious. You may have a more strained relationship with a partner due to a constant attachment to your mobile phone, maybe you’ve cancelled plans with friends due to work, or perhaps you never bothered making them anyway. Not making time for exercise or hobbies is another indicator.
However, in your work life, it can be more complicated.
It can be more difficult to read a person’s capacity while remote working – additional hours ‘in the office’ are not obviously seen. From your manager’s point of view, you’re smashing deadlines and targets, and they haven’t heard a peep from you about your concerns over the pace of your workload. To them, things seem hunky-dory.
A whole host of factors can lead to toxic resilience, but common to many workplaces is a lack of boundaries protecting the personal time of remote workers
How to combat toxic resilience
To address toxic resilience, some vulnerability is required. While there has been a push for more of this authenticity at management-level over the last decade, this leadership style hasn’t reached all organisations yet.
You may not feel safe expressing vulnerability at work, but a good place to start is one-to-one with your manager. You can insist on a weekly meeting where you can discuss workload and priorities, and be clear that introducing new priorities means shifting deadlines for other work.
Outline how long you predict each task to take and state that if something urgent comes up, you’ll flag it, and you’ll agree to new schedules. Follow up with a summary of your notes after each meeting, and you should both have a realistic and manageable plan of action for the week.
However, if you’re still clashing with the workplace’s culture, it could be time to look for a new opportunity elsewhere. If that is the case, check out the Mail Job Board, which features thousands of exciting new openings throughout the UK, including these three.
Job openings in the UK
Team Leader, CeX Ltd, Bristol
The Role: CeX, a games, movies and gadgets trading company, is rapidly expanding and seeking Team Leaders based in Bristol.
What You’ll Do: In this role, you will be supervising staff maintaining daily ops in customer care. You’ll report to your Store Manager ensuring customer service is attentive, and that store operation is of the highest standard.
What You’ll Need: The job listing states: “We knowledge test all our candidates and only the geeky ones make it through.” You’ll need to be proactive, love working with customers, and have ambitions to move into store management one day.
Apply Now: Find out more about this role now.
Site Supervisor – Facility Management, Babcock International, Shrewsbury
The Role: BaxterStorey is recruiting an Executive Chef to lead the BA Lounge team at Heathrow.
What You’ll Do: Supporting the head chef, you will successfully deliver client-approved food and beverage propositions within the agreed budget, monitor and manage costs and waste consistently, employ robust product rotation and stock take practices within kitchens and utilise your experience in creating original and innovative menus.
What You’ll Need: Applicants should have multi-site and volume experience along with a visionary, collaborative and positive mindset.
Apply Now: Learn more about this opportunity here.
Showroom Manager, CareCo UK Ltd, Croydon
The Role: Babcock International is seeking a Site Supervisor – Facility Management for an exciting role ensuring a training site for the next generation of military pilots and support staff is functional and compliant.
What You’ll Do: The successful candidate will manage a small onsite team providing a suitable environment for testing synthetic flight training devices, as well as live flying training. Responsibility for contracted services will fall under this remit, as will promoting a positive health and safety culture.
What You’ll Need: Team management experience is essential, as is strong communication skills, ability to read Risk Assessments, and excellent IT skills. An understanding of electrical and mechanical knowledge maintenance is desirable.
Apply now: See the full job description here.
UK Regional Sales Executive, Gateway Ticketing, UK Remote
The Role: Gateway Ticketing has provided software solutions to parks, museums, attractions, zoos and aquariums for over thirty years. It is currently looking to add an experienced UK Regional Sales Executive to its UK team.
What You’ll Do: Your primary responsibility will be consultative selling to promote and sell the organisation’s products and services. Collaborating with the corporate team, you’ll ensure timely delivery of these, and you’ll drive revenue with qualified leads and opportunities.
What You’ll Need: A bachelor’s degree in business admin, marketing, communications or a related field, or demonstrable equivalent experience and knowledge is desired, as is five to seven years in sales and marketing roles, with a proven track record of success.
Apply now: See the full job description here.
Search through thousands of job openings and find your ideal fit today on the Mail Job Board
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