navigating negativity

✍ How soon is too soon to leave?

Context: I’m a new HR professional struggling with the culture and lack of support from my direct managers and upper management. I entered this role with an eager attitude but my manager is an extreme pessimist and I’m having a hard time seeing a path to success. Our HR team is only myself and my manager supporting a company of 600+ employees and we have no plans of hiring more HR staff. I’m not afraid of hard work but recently my mental health is tumbling down. It’s been said to me explicitly that there is no room for a title or pay raise in the next two years. 24 y/o eager to learn but I don’t want to deter future employment opportunities as I’ve only been here 6 months.
Morgan Stanley, Head of People at Lithic:

This is tough – honestly, life is too short to be in a job that you hate or that beats you down. Your mental health is more important.

If you have been told explicitly that there is no room for growth in the next two years I can understand wanting to leave; the added burden of a small HR team supporting that many employees is a recipe for burnout…

My advice: Start looking, networking and/or change your profile to “open to work” on LinkedIn. You can still do good work at your current place and do your best to support your 600+ employees but that doesn’t mean you need to suffer or stick it out. 

Jessie Fields, Director of Talent Development and DEI at C2FO:

If part of your fear is the stigma around young professionals being seen as “job hoppers,” I hope you can let that go, because you deserve to work somewhere that doesn’t beat you down, ESPECIALLY at this stage in your career.

Patricia Wortham, CHRO at GridStor:

The 2 to 600+ ratio is not mathing. They are using you b/c of your limited experience so use them. Start quiet quitting while networking and searching for a better quality of life opportunity. I’m sorry that this is happening to you but it’s a great work-life lesson. No regrets.

Corinne Irwin, HR Consultant and Career Coach at PeopleThrive:

+1 to everything everyone else said. I was in a similar situation at 23/24 also. Essentially, if it is not a healthy environment for you it isn’t too soon to leave. Take care of yourself and try to put a plan in place to help take steps forward that feel right to you. If you ever want to talk it through with someone I’d be happy to chat.

Jessica Winder, Head of Talent at Tailscale:

If something’s seriously messing with your mental or physical well-being, bounce. There’s no such thing as leaving too early. When you realize it’s not the right fit for you, that’s precisely the moment to initiate change.

Here is what you could say to future employers: After six months in my previous role, it became evident that the organizational culture and lack of support hindered my professional growth and impacted my well-being. In prioritizing my career trajectory and mental health, I made the decision to seek new opportunities where I can contribute effectively and continue to develop.

Halai Shukran, VP of Talent & Culture at Pluribus Digital:

One additional tip: if you are concerned about perception to future employers, then I would also craft a thoughtful response to questions about your exit with your last enployer / reason for leaving. This would help you get comfortable with your search, nip any preconceived notions in the bud and allow future employers to see exactly what you value in the workplace.

Cassandra Schaffa, Director of People at Mixlab:

As everyone has said – It’s time to go! Get what minimal experience you can while you’re there while trying to find a more promising opportunity, but don’t let it burn you out! Speaking from experience, I was stuck in a job that made me miserable for 3 years – Started seeking other opportunities after only one month there but the hell I was in was so draining I believe I wasn’t presenting well in interviews. I ultimately left the job with nothing lined up and found an amazing opportunity within a few months. I know not everyone has that luxury, but I say that to emphasize the focus on you and your wellbeing – don’t let any job take that from you!

✍ I’ve had many employees bring up a specific individual in our quarterly 1:1 meetings as being the ‘worst part of the job’ because of their negativity. How can I tackle this without singling out the employee?

Context: They were asked what their least favorite part of the job was and the majority said working with this negative employee. We have a small team of 10 employees, not including myself. There isn’t a lot of collaboration, so the fact that anyone who has come into contact with this employee hates them is problematic. But the work product is solid. Not sure how to handle this.

Patricia Wortham, CHRO at GridStor:

If not already in place, consider developing policies that outline acceptable behavior and provide training on workplace conduct, including how to give and receive feedback constructively. Compile the feedback without naming sources. Ensure it’s clear, specific, and relates to behaviors rather than personality traits. This helps in identifying the exact issues. Implement or enhance team-building activities that foster a positive work culture and improve communication and collaboration among team members. Remember, a toxic rockstar will decrease productivity.

Ashley Nichols, Director of Operations at Shimmy Technologies, Inc.:

I agree with Patricia on gathering the feedback and ensuring it’s about actionable behavior – if approaching via feedback, it should be about what they do and avoid sounding like it’s about who they are. Ideally, their manager could discuss the feedback with them. If your company has a set of values or ethos around how you work, that can be a helpful framing. Their manager can frame the feedback as observations on the ways the team member may be working inconsistent with the company’s values.

If the employee doesn’t want to change or doesn’t see anything wrong with their behavior, I’m of the opinion that for small companies and teams there should be zero tolerance for these kinds of bad attitudes. Your team notices what the company is willing to tolerate and that really wears down morale and motivation. Even when everything is working well and the outcomes are good, if your company tolerates behavior that the majority finds to be toxic or negative then it’s only a matter of time before they start finding other opportunities because the company’s shown its priorities: business performance even at the cost of employee well-being on the job.

This isn’t an easy call especially if it’s someone who has been around a while. But if there isn’t a willingness from the employee’s side to grow, then this just may not be the right workplace for them anymore. Otherwise, you’ll add a lot of work to your plate managing this employee’s impact on everyone else. 

Jessica Winder, Head of Talent at Tailscale:

Since a bunch of folks have mentioned this same person in their chats with you, it’s pretty clear it’s not just a one-off gripe. How about having a team huddle to talk about keeping things positive? You can chat about how important it is to work together and keep the atmosphere supportive. No need to name names, just highlight how negativity can drag us all down. Then, encourage everyone to pitch in on making things brighter. Plus, consider having a one-on-one with the person to address the situation head-on and see if there’s anything bothering them that’s causing the negativity.