Many people confuse sympathy with empathy, and both terms hold different meanings. A person showing sympathy means; he feels sorry about you or has piety towards you. Where else, empathy is an attribute, a quality to understand and feel what the other person is feeling or going through. Empaths are people who give other people a chance to share their feelings so the empaths can relate to them. While talking about empathy, it’s more like listening to others’ problems and feeling grateful for not facing such difficulties. Usually, it’s with empaths who face issues in corporate life. This article will brief you about the toxic empaths and workplace.
Toxicity at the Workplace and Empaths:
As mentioned earlier, empaths are people who feel what others feel. They put themselves in others’ shoes to feel; what the person is going through this at times becomes overwhelming.
Meanwhile, a toxic workplace is an environment that impacts employee behavior negatively. It’s an environment with no word of choice and has more controlling behavior. Moreover, a toxic workplace is not only where there is bullying and pulling another employee down instead, but it’s also where the employees are being exploited and paid poorly. Any workplace is toxic, where the employees feel that they are trapped, disrespected, they are humiliated, and not appreciated for the input they give. Employees in a toxic workplace do not get promoted for their efforts, but only those get promotion who have good terms with the manager.
Empaths absorb the energy of people around them, working in a toxic environment gets difficult for them as it drains their energy level. They cannot hold back the negative emotions in their surroundings, this impacts their physical health.
Workplace Environment Impact on Empaths:
It’s a famous saying, “Surround yourself with people who can help you improve to become a good person.” A slight criticism around you can make you criticize almost everything around you. It’s been researched that empaths mostly turn out to be entrepreneurs but empaths who end up in the job sector need autonomy in their life.
- NOT LOOKING AFTER YOURSELF:
Usually, empaths do not take interest in taking care of themselves because they think about others more and neglect their own needs and wants. Empaths take care of others more than themselves which becomes overwhelming for them. It is okay to feel for others but it becomes toxic when you neglect your problems for the sake of others.
Even when an empath has the burden of several tasks he offers his services and helps other employees which then becomes difficult to manage and an empathetic employee ends up with the late submission of tasks.
- GIVING A SECOND GUESS TO YOURSELF:
Being an empath the most difficult task is trusting your gut. An empath working in a toxic environment is no less than solving five math problems within 20 minutes. Even after realizing that they are surrounded by people who are draining their energy empaths give themselves a second thought. They do not immediately switch to other job places instead they try to spot the positive points of the workplace which already impacted them negatively.
This guessing for the second time reflects that an empath cannot understand his worth and value because if he would have been confident about his self-worth he would have left the toxic workplace there and then without waiting for a second thought.
- PLEASING EVERYONE
In a working environment employees usually feel the need to please everyone in the department to get promoted, and appreciated, and to get into the best employee’s book. This thinking of pleasing everybody drains out the real energy of an empath. Empathetic people face difficulty in saying no they find it tough to not listen to other employees.
Saying “yes” becomes the habit of the empathetic employees as a result their well-being and mental, as well as physical health, get affected.
- BEING ANXIOUS AND STRESSED:
Anxiety and stress are different emotions; stress is caused by external factors it happens by external triggers. Whereas, anxiety is caused by continuous stress and worry. Anxiety can lead to stress and stress can lead to anxiety both are co-related.
Facing anxiety and dealing with stress can lead to a bad day, and you can burn out physically and emotionally. A toxic work environment can give hard time for the empathetic employee to enjoy his job or be a part of the activities around him. It decreases work productivity and concentration level.
Tips to Deal If You Have Empathetic Employees:
If you are an organization that has hired empaths and knows that the work culture is toxic, then this part of the article will help you in dealing the empathetic employees. Running and managing an organization can be a lot of work, being a manager you may find an alternative to change the workplace environment for that as a manager you must know the ways to deal with the empaths in your organization so you don’t hurt them and that may result in non-toxic work culture.
First of all, give autonomy to the employees as empaths love to have autonomy, although they are advised, to be an entrepreneur. If any empaths select a job over a business, then they must have the autonomy to increase their work productivity. They need break during their tasks to get motivated.
Secondly, respect their boundaries and sensitivities. The empaths feel they are difficult to deal with as they are unique they see themselves as challenges for others. So if you spot an empath in a toxic workplace try to respect their boundaries and their sensitivities, and do not make fun of them for looking after, everyone. Do not call them boss pets just because they cannot disagree with their boss that is their nature to own them the way they are instead of pushing them off their limits.
Moreover, do not interrupt when they are working. Empath love to do work alone they get disturbed, and their concentration level decreases when someone else jumps into their work. It’s better to let them do their task on their own.
Protecting Yourself If You are an Empath:
If you are an empath and work in a toxic work environment, then this part of the article would be helpful and be a guide for you to do better in your corporate life even when the things around you are not up to your mark.
Usually, empaths can deal with the stress and anxiety they get from their job, but a lot of them face problems in handling the stress, and dealing with their mental health, if you are an empath and you find it hectic during your work, then the first thing you must practice is keeping yourself before others, now this does not mean to be mean to others or to give others a hard time rather it means to think about yourself and your workload before accepting to help others with their work.
Second of all, try to set your boundaries and donot just set them, but also practice the boundaries. This practice is not only for the empaths but also for every employee or person in the corporate world. Setting boundaries help you to have good mental health it also helps other to stay within their limits and not to invade your privacy.
Lastly, if you are an empath, try to care for yourself. Sort out time for yourself, an empathetic person feels drained when he neglects his desires, needs, his health, and focuses on others. It’s good of you that you think about others and help them with their problems, but it’s not okay if you are not looking after yourself. Try to go easy on yourself, and make your mental health a priority.
Conclusion:
In case your survival gets tough at the workplace then it’s better to leave that place and find a better job because earning is of no use if it is affecting your physical and mental health. Always keep yourself first in the corporate sector. It is to conclude that toxicity can affect you in ways that you wouldn’t have expected it to be, toxicity at the workplace can lead to serious mental problems and health issues. Thus, it’s better to observe the work culture before settling in n an organization.
