The American workplace is deteriorating, and it doesn’t have to be like this.
According to a recent poll done by Monster (2025 Mental Health in the Workplace survey) of over 1,100 U.S. workers, employees are increasingly reporting toxic work environments, poor well-being, and little faith that their employers are taking action to help improve the situation. In fact, 80% of workers now say they work in a toxic environment, which is significantly up from 67% in 2024. Even more troubling, 93% say their employer isn’t doing enough to improve the situation, a sharp increase from 78% just last year. More than half (57%) say they would rather quit than stay in a toxic workplace. 51% say that their work experience would significantly improve if employers removed or retrained toxic employees.
Here are the top reasons for their dissatisfaction:
- 59% toxic work culture
- 54% a bad manager
- 47% lack of growth opportunities
- 33% understaffed
I’m concerned about the rise in these statistics. And I see it in the resignation of both employees and employers. There seems to be a feeling from employees that their employers don’t care, aren’t confident to hold others accountable for their toxic behaviors or just don’t have the time to worry about it. From the perspective of the employers and managers, there seems to be a belief that the current generation of workers is whiny, thin-skinned, immature, and more comfortable blaming others than taking responsibility for their own state, results, and experience. Could both be somewhat right?
I do believe this is a two-way street. It starts with leadership—plain and simple. Owners and others at the top must be crystal clear about what the company is building and the behavioral expectations for those who decide to engage with this work. They must also be (or get) good at articulating this to their teams as well as developing the skills to coach them into more mature, empowered professionals. Managers must then carry this clarity through their coaching sessions, team meetings, and growth conferences with employees.
Employees also carry some of the responsibility to improve these dire work circumstances. They must be clear what kind of environment they expect and will accept. They must work to improve their own personal leadership skills and be able to monitor and maintain a positive, responsible, mature level of communication with leaders and co-workers alike. They should learn the skills necessary to solve their own issues and conflicts and to bring a collaborative spirit to their workplace.
If you want to be the business that people fight to work for and never want to leave, then you have to build it. If you want to be the person companies fight to get and fight to keep, then you must build that within yourself. If you want to have a team that outperforms most practices and has a great time doing it, then you likely won’t find them, rather you’ll build them.
At LionSpeak, we can absolutely show you how. We’re on a mission to turn these statistics around and prove to the world (or at least our industry) that it doesn’t have to be this way. You can have the work team of your dreams. You can have a boss and teammates who appreciate you and who you love in return.
If you’re seeing these terrifying statistics play out in your business, practice, or team, set up a complimentary call to learn how easily you could turn it all around. Don’t wait. Life is short, and the quality of your time at work impacts your happiness and feeling of fulfillment. Don’t settle. Be the exception to the statistics and decide now that you and those you work with deserve something better.
“In a world of constant change, the spoils go to the nimble and adaptable – those who can learn and unlearn with equal ease.”
~ Tom Flick
