Psychological Safety at Work: Why Employees Quietly Leave Toxic Workplaces

Safe workplaces don’t allow trauma events to continue unchecked. They proactively address them — whether it be in a team environment, corporate meetings, or on a lease location in the oilfield.

I’ve decided to hone in on trauma because, as a leader, mother, and grandmother, I am seeing concerning things happening in the world.

Several months ago, I was on a construction site in Edmonton, AB, and then again in Calgary, AB. In both situations, I was yelled at by a worker. Yelled at.

In the first instance, I forgot I was a 135-pound woman. My shoulders drew back, I felt my jawline harden, and I stepped into it. In my mind, I was a prize fighter hearing the “yaaah, let’s go” echo in my head. Fortunately, I was with someone else, and they quietly talked me down. Within a few seconds, I regained my composure on the outside.

In the next incident, when I was sidelined and yelled at, I kept my composure and stayed quieter. Self-preservation kicked in.

Another instance involved a female surgeon discussing male anatomy in the most derogatory of terms in a surgical environment, and it went completely unchecked.

What happens in work environments where poor or utterly abusive behaviour is allowed to continue?

The best employees leave quietly and never look back. They will, however, communicate quietly to others the stain of the company and encourage others not to step foot inside.

Toxic company culture continues. Safety issues increase. Insurance costs rise. A constant revolving door develops because the leadership team refuses to buy into the notion of creating a safe workplace for both men and women.

My first-ever job at seventeen? It was for an oilfield service company where I worked as a swamper, and where my boss also told me I was the hardest-working employee on his entire crew of 60 guys.

It was also the same workplace where I was chased down by Conrad — brandishing a four-foot metal pipe — a man with severe mental health issues whom I had to continue working beside after my boss refused to address the problem in any way.

I was young and naïve, not realizing how traumatic it was to continue working beside someone who seemed intent on ending my life.

Observing bad behaviour in workplace settings gets me pretty amped up, especially because it is often so easy to fix.

So what gets in the way of fixing dysfunctional employee behavior?

Sometimes it’s a lack of knowledge. Other times, it may be fear — because hiring someone to come in and address their culture or personnel issues may open the door to feeling inadequate in realizing they have not been following basic workplace best practices.

Best workplace strategies trumps being sued, or having a toxic work environment, every time.

Enjoying coming to work each and every day, knowing what to expect, brings such a sense of stability and well being. And knowing what to expect also brings a sense of trust in your leadership team. It makes life just so - pleasant and worthwhile. This is why people stay.

My name is Nancy Riegel, and I provide practical, science-based tools on workplace behaviour, communication, and leadership skills — because safe workplaces do not happen by accident.