Dear Career Coach

The atmosphere in my office is really starting to get me down. A lot of the staff in my department are long servers and don’t seem to have any enthusiasm for what they do. When I suggest new ideas I get a lot of negative comments from colleagues, even for things that will improve our work. Although I enjoy my job and it is a good opportunity for me to experience a new industry, after only six months in this job I already dread going into work every day. How do I cope with this atmosphere or should I just quit?

We spend so many hours of our lives at work that being surrounded by difficult people and situations for most of the day can become overwhelming and very stressful. Negative people can drain our energy and create a toxic environment that, if not handled properly, can lead to us getting angry, demotivated and depressed.

Your new ideas and apparent desire to change their status quo – no matter how miserable – is leading to resistance from your colleagues who sound like they are well and truly stuck in a career rut and have no intention of jumping out.

Before you give in to the temptation to hand in your resignation letter, take a step back and think strategically about what you want and need from this job. You wanted an opportunity to branch out into a new industry and to learn new skills; with this job you have the chance to do just that. I would imagine that you need to stay in the role for at least one to two years to embed the knowledge that you are gaining and to demonstrate a good level of competence to your next employer or for your job role. If that’s the case, then ask yourself what strategies you can employ to enable you to get through the next 18 months or so to achieve your objectives. Allowing your negative colleagues to derail your ambitions and spoil your enjoyment of your job would be a wasted opportunity.

Here are a few ideas:

There are ways to improve your own situation even when surrounded by a bad work environment. It’s a great opportunity to learn new ways of managing difficult people, which is a constant in any work place. Once you recognise what you want from your job role and feel more in control of how you are dealing with the situation, your positive mindset will help you feel less engaged with the backbiting and toxicity around you.

That said, while every job comes with down sides, if your mental well-being is really at risk from the stress and anxiety of staying, then you should of course take steps to find a new job. If the company really isn’t the right one for you, then it probably is time to move on before your unhappiness spirals out of control.

But if you can stick it out, your negative colleagues will still be there when you have moved on to bigger and better things. Aim above all to keep your own agenda in mind and do everything you can to rise above the toxicity to breathe in fresh air.

All the best!