02 / 2023
EpTalk
Employees who feel good at work are engaged, productive and rarely quit.
How can you recognize a toxic workplace?
8 signs which are good to know
The right workplace environment
creates opportunities for our
professional development. However,
this requires a healthy organizational
culture and a mental well-being. But
what happens when mainly the
negative effects prevail? If we are
mentally and/or physically depleted,
anxious, or exhausted during our
work?
Let’s start with the following questions.
What do we mean by corporate
culture? Why is it vital? What can
make it toxic? The organizational
culture includes the operation of the
company, the corporate strategy, the
management style, the concept, the
shared values’ system, and the
communication. It is a cohesive force
that includes both visible and invisible
elements. It affects the behavior and
motivation of the company's
employees and the effectiveness of
the entire organization.
As employees, we need to be
surrounded by an environment where
we feel good. The pursuit of safety is
not only a need as a child but is also
important in other stages of our lives.
All other needs come after that. If this
does not happen, our brain perceives
its absence as a threat. To develop
our sense of security, the most
important thing is to create trust, and
this is also true in our workplace.
Employees prefer a stable and
valuable company culture; a strong
bond can develop because they
identify themselves as part of the
company.
T o p i cs w h i ch m a t t e r
When a company treats high
performance and good results as
basic expectations, employees
become less and less motivated.
If the colleagues can no longer be
proud of their recognition, then
there is a big problem.
3. Injustice in the workplace
This point does not need further
explanation. According to a British
study, 98% of the respondents have
experienced it during their career.
4. Lack of leadership values
A fish rots
from head
down. The
actual
success of
the
company
depends on the management and
However, if calculations, deadlines, the representation of their preferred
reports, and meaningless values. Where empathy, respect,
expectations come to mind about and partnership are just words on
shared values, the employees' paper, we cannot expect a fair,
attachment to the company loosens mutually supportive community.
and they lose their trust. A mentally 5. Leaders who communicate poorly
toxic company becomes like a If the management's communication
termite castle. In the worst case, all is incomplete or does not contain
this happens without the employees the whole truth, it causes
noticing for a very long time. But uncertainty and confusion, and can
then the trouble has already lead to misunderstandings. The final
happened. Toxicity has become consequence is mistakes,
"legal" and a constant source of lengthening of work processes, and
stress. The corporate culture, and frustration.
thus the company itself, begins to 6. The presence of leaders
decline. characterized by the Dark Triad
The Dark Triad consists of the
A toxic workplace has at least 8
following: subclinical narcissism,
characteristics.
Machiavellianism, and subclinical
psychopathy. From the point of view
1. Feeling overloaded, excessive
of a company, they have many
control and lack of social support
advantageous qualities, which is
Unreasonably high pressure placed
why it is easier for them to move
on employees is a common
up the ranks. Under their
phenomenon. It can have many
leadership, however, the
reasons, e.g. achieving short-term
atmosphere deteriorates, and
results or for cost-saving reasons,
interpersonal aggression may also
they do not replace a lost workforce.
appear.
In this case, the employee's stress
7. Abuse, harassment, intimidation
increases, and the time spent on
The abuse of power can appear in
rest decreases. In short term, this
the form of disparaging comments,
leads to exhaustion and the creation
hurtful criticism, setting unfair
of a bad atmosphere, in long term
conditions, and excluding the
to burnout and resignation.
colleagues concerned from
2. Lack of praise and recognition
decisions.
There are several ways for managers
8. Gossips
to show their appreciation to their
Malicious,
employees. Such is praise,
continuous
promotion, or public recognition. The
rumors have
lack of positive feedback and lack of
a bad effect not only on the person
moral/material recognition has a
who is the subject of the rumor, but
negative effect on the work morale.
also on the company.

The road is wide, many people can fit on it.
Same abilities, different life paths
One succeeds … but so does the other!
Why do patrons support one
painter when another, equally
talented, is discovered only after
her/his death? How can someone
become a celebrated scientist while
her/his equally talented colleague
dies in poverty, forgotten?
No two people are alike. Despite
any similarities or knowledge, there
are countless factors in a person's
life that make them different from
others. Unique combination (click
on the word for more) – as John
Purkiss wrote in his book – is a mix
of those elements that makes
someone unique among millions.
Even the smallest moments are
included in this combination and
color further the overall picture of
us. So then what makes up the
alloy that we finally call
personality? And what determines
our career path? Of course, this
includes all our qualifications and
learned skills. Obviously, it is also
decisive who has talent for what,
what kind of abilities they have.
Language skills, professional
experience, and the milieu of the
area of responsibility play an
important role as well. The sports
we do, the fact whether we lived
abroad and where, if we worked for
a foreign company, all of them
matter. The kind of relationship we
managed to establish is closely
related to our professional past:
with whom we worked together over
the years, with whom we graduated.
2
02 / 2023
Celebrities are not the
same either, even if we think so
The two football superstars,
Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lionel
Messi could not be more different,
while - at least from a layman's
point of view - we see in them two
perfect players, keeping their
careers at the same level.
One of them is extroverted,
often appears in the tabloid press,
while the other, although he takes
on advertising roles, is more of a
quiet, introverted type.
You believe it or not, but it can even
matter what majors we attended at
school, whether we have any hobbies
or special areas of interest.
It is clear from the listed examples
that we all set out with different
"packages". This makes selection Life goal is like a conductor
processes after job interviews
complex and varied. The more factors All in all, the way to success is
we can use to stand out from the open to anyone. The point is to
other applicants, the better our find the paths of our career
chances are. where we feel comfortable and
can be efficient at the same time.
The life goal does not give itself
We are determined not only by
easily. There are a few people
quantifiable factors, but also by so- only who consciously see their
called internal motivations. The most future at an early stage of life.
significant is the personal life goal; Good for them! It is certain that
the mission that drives us. This helps a stable, persistent, unfading life
us through even the most boring, goal can shine in front of us like
soul-killing tasks. Our personal values a guiding star. If you come to a
crossroad, you can compare the
are also decisive. the end sanctifies
opportunity with the path marked
the means. But what is still okay? by your life purpose. So becomes
What do we find joy in, and what is our life goal our conductor.
no longer comfortable?
Let’s take 3 economists as an
example. All three are at the same
professional level, yet they differ in
what they consider important. One of
them goes from studio to studio.
She/He analyzes the economy in
morning and evening talk shows.
Everybody knows her/him thanks to
the TV. The second publishes
exclusively in professional journals; he
is known only to his colleagues. The
third one teaches, trains the
economists of the future, and does
not desire any fame.
They are all the same but still
different because of their internal
motivation.
 02 / 2023

What to celebrate or commemorate in November?

International Days to remember

1st of November – World Vegan Day

7th of November – Infant Protection Day
13th of November – World Kindness Day
16th of November – International Day for Tolerance
19th of November – International Men’s Day
25th of November – International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

If you would like to read more about their background, follow the link below.
https://www.internationaldays.org/

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 02 / 2023

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International days