There is a famous saying that goes “People don’t leave bad jobs; they leave bad bosses.” This is a statement that could not have been truer for us OFWs. We are known to be resilient and that kahit ano kakayanin, basta para sa pamilya natin. Even if we are homesick or even if we are doing a job that is below our pay grade or profession in the Philippines, we strive to earn that salary that we need to remit to our families back home every month. Most of us, our residence visas are also tied up with our employers and that we could not just leave when we want because we might be sued for not finishing our contracts and or we don’t have the money to pay for our visit visa and other expenses. So, we persevere, sometimes even to the extent of compromising our mental and physical health.
We’ve all had our shares of hardships when it comes to being part of a toxic work environment. Hell, you might even be in one right now and that is the reason why you want to read this article. Handling a toxic work environment is not easy and there would be numerous times when you must ask yourself what the point is or why are you even bothering. We keep on telling ourselves we don’t have any choice because we are the breadwinner, etc. Sure, we might not have a choice now, but we should not let this feeling of being helpless and taken advantage be the story of our OFW life. Things might be bleak now, but you must remember that you must strive to get out of bearing and tolerating your situation of being in a toxic work environment.
But, since we all don’t live in a perfect world and we could not just pack our bags when the situation in our workplaces are too much to bear, here are some few things we could do to help us buckle down, grit our teeth and endure the work week.
Limit your interactions with toxic work colleagues
As soon as you start reading this article, your mind automatically goes to that colleague that is the source of all your work misery. In order to handle them, try as much as possible to limit your interactions with them. Of course, this might not be applicable to all or most situations especially if the toxic colleague is your immediate boss. Nevertheless, just engage with them when you absolutely just have to. Avoid having small talks if you could and don’t divulge any personal information that might be used against you in the future. If your toxic colleague is already talking your ears off about work, imagine all the negative things they would comment on about your life. Their opinions should not matter when it comes to how you do your job so don’t give them any ammunition when it comes to your personal affairs.
If your colleague has this “habit” of blaming you for screw ups that aren’t your fault or they keep on claiming that you did not inform them about a meeting or a deadline for a report, make sure all your communication with them are in written form. Instead of telling them verbally over the phone or in person, send them an email. This would be your insurance if and when they start weaseling out of responsibilities and putting the blame on you. With this, you would also be able to limit your interactions with them by staying in your office and just communicating with them virtually.
Set visible boundaries
The thing with toxic colleagues is that they are not toxic at the beginning (or so it seems). They would hide behind a sweet or friendly façade until suddenly you would realize that you have already been taken advantage of for a long time. By then, you could not just say no because they might counter it by saying you have been doing that task for a long time now and it is already part of your responsibilities.
Helping a colleague is not bad but make sure that you have the time to help them out and you are not sacrificing your own tasks to help them. Figure out as well the colleagues that are just genuinely lost and in need of your assistance over those who are just on the lookout to find a patsy that would do their job for them. If you find yourself doing their tasks more often than them doing it, you are already being taken advantage of. To avoid this, set visible boundaries right off the bat. You could also discuss it with your line manager or HR head and ask them for a copy of your job responsibilities. The next time this colleague would come to you to make you do their work for them again, inform them that it is not included in the list of your duties. If they would go whining to your manager or HR, at least they have already been informed of what you have been dealing with. Hopefully, they would put this colleague in their place.
Don’t sacrifice your peace of mind
Okay granted there are numerous reasons we could name on why we could still not leave our work in spite of it being toxic, but you have to remember that your number one priority must still be your health. If you could still not resign and move to a better company, if you are not feeling it, don’t come to work. Don’t sacrifice your peace of mind thinking you could not afford to have an unpaid day of leave. Your mental health is not worth any amount of money in the world. (Read more about caring for your mental health here and here). You have to remember that when you get too sick because of overworking, not all company would care and most probably would just resort to replacing you with someone else.
Take a break
In addition to the point above, taking a break does not always mean going for a holiday or not coming to work even for a day. This could also mean stepping away from your workstation for a couple of minutes to stretch or to go outside to breathe some fresh air. If you find yourself eating and taking your lunch break at your desk, stop this now. A few minutes of peace and not being swamped with work or thinking about work would actually help your mind recharge. A change of pace or scenery would keep you from being overwhelmed especially if you have numerous tasks for the day. Don’t think that you could not afford to “waste” some time because if you are not at your optimal best, you would certainly make mistakes.
Avoid bringing work at home
If you need to finish some work but it is already past your working hours, finish it at work. Avoid bringing work at home because you would mess up the line that separates the two. When you are home, all you need to do is rest and relax. Your work environment is already toxic, don’t bring that negativity to your home too.
When you are home or during your break, turn off your work email’s notifications as well. Once you see these notifications popping, you would be tempted to open and read your email and you might find yourself responding. Once you responded even if you are already home or during your leave, your toxic colleagues would bother you and send you everything because they would think it is okay and you still want to work in spite of it being your holiday.
Lastly, be on the lookout
There really is no tip or advice that would make you survive or thrive in a toxic environment. The only way it out. Even if you are managing the day by day, the stress and negative vibes would take its toll on you. So, don’t forget to be on the lookout for better opportunities. This toxic work environment is just a steppingstone for you. Don’t shortchange yourself and don’t settle. You are worthy to be part of an organization that would look after your well-being.
For us OFWs, working in a toxic environment is nothing new. In fact, complaining to our friends or fellow kabayans working in the same company is a form of coping mechanism to endure our situation. This is well and good to have a support system since they are the ones who truly understand being pushed against the wall and having left without a choice but to carry the burden and count the days till our contracts end.
But, like the last point reiterated, we should not accept our situation and just roll with it. We could do something about it. We just need to be patient and remember that our time in the sun would soon come.
An Overseas Filipino Worker since 2008, Yvette is back in the Middle East after a brief stint in a first world country in South East Asia. She is a binge watcher and is part of numerous fandoms. She writes to keep her sanity (read her rantings on Wattpad @yvette_dc) and is happiest when she's in a bookstore. If given the resources, she would see the world.