From the first hours of taking a new job, certain details give a very clear idea of the company culture, the ambient level of pressure and the way in which employees are treated…
Changing jobs is often presented as an opportunity, sometimes as a new start, but the reality quickly plays out in what we observe upon arrival. The issue is not only whether you like the position or whether the team seems likeable, because a toxic professional environment leaves lasting traces on mental health, sleep, self-confidence and, ultimately, on the ability to project oneself elsewhere.
This is also what makes these situations so tricky. Once installed in an organization that is tiring, stressful or trivializes unfair behavior, leaving is not always easy. Many employees end up doubting their own judgment, minimizing what they are experiencing, or hoping that change will come from above. Mary Abbajay, president of the consulting firm Careerstone Group, sums up this mechanism well: “Once you start working for a toxic culture, people are reluctant to leave because they think, ‘Well, maybe it’s just me,’ or… ‘Damn, someone’s going to do something about it eventually.’ The problem is that waiting often works against them. The more the discomfort sets in, the more difficult it becomes to find the distance necessary to say stop.
Furthermore, Mary Abbajay recalls that when the workplace is perceived as a threatening space, stress increases, sleep deteriorates and mental health suffers at the risk of burning out and considering retraining. Eventually, the effects extend far beyond the office. “If people stay in such a job too long, their self-esteem is destroyed and they doubt their abilities to do anything else.”she emphasizes. For his part, Jeffrey Pfeffer, professor of organizational behavior, has established that poor corporate management accounts for up to 8% of annual health care costs in the United States and is associated with 120,000 additional deaths each year. In other words, a bad working climate is neither a matter of susceptibility nor a simple temporary discomfort. It is a real risk factor, with measurable effects.
In this context, the first day is not a detail! This moment acts as a revealer, because it concentrates the way in which a company prepares the arrival of an employee – we often talk about onboarding -, organizes the transmission and treats someone who does not yet know the codes, the tools, or the faces. Gregory Tall, manager coach, specifies that this test also works remotely. When working remotely, lack of preparation, lack of presentations or starting a videoconference without a clear framework can send the same message as a failed on-site welcome. This message may reflect a broader malaise, collective fatigue or a form of disengagement already established in the team.
The most revealing signal, according to these specialists, is therefore not a big, clumsy speech, a failed meeting or a vague impression. It’s the fact of not being welcomed or included upon arrival, whether in the office or teleworking. When no one takes the time to welcome you, introduce you, guide you or even make room for you, the problem often goes beyond the organization of the day. Mary Abbajay warns: “If people say, ‘I don’t have time,’ or are reluctant to help you learn or introduce yourself, that’s a bad sign.” She adds: “We see it right away when people are stressed. Are they in a hurry, are they abrupt? This is not the sign of a healthy work environment.”
This lack of welcome reveals something very concrete about the state of the company, the pressure weighing on the teams and the space left, or not, for attention to others. And when this void is visible from day one, it deserves to be taken seriously immediately. Better to be warned.
