My Department Is Toxic. WTF Do I Do?

Mar 4

This is an uncomfortable realization.

In policing, toxic work environments can be especially difficult because not only is your emotional health coming into play but in the back of your mind, your physical safety comes into question.

“Can I trust them to come to my aid if I’m in trouble?”

That is an added layer of stress that most people in an office do not have to think about when it comes to a toxic workplace.

So what do we do about it? Focus on what you can control versus what you can’t. A good example of this is the image below…notice any theme on things in your control?

It’s everything internal.

TRUST ME, I hate that freaking answer as much as anyone because if I could control other people, life would be a hell of a lot easier. However, I know that when I do focus on outside sources, I only make myself miserable.

Here are a few specific ways to turn your focus back onto what you can control:

Asking yourself if how you’re reacting to toxic behaviors is the way you ideally want to handle them. If the answer is no, make a plan to work on those reactions.
Get really good at regulating your nervous system through movement, deep breathing, and other body regulation techniques. These types of environments wreak havoc on your nervous system. Get hobbies that help you to rest, dive into family time, find things to be grateful for. De-invest from having policing be the main part of your identity.
When you talk about work, change your language to remain neutral and factual. These work environments are emotionally charged places, taking the emotion out of it can help you to remain balanced and get less sucked into the drama.
If you can change anything in your work environment, do. Maybe you focus on positive conversations with co-workers, bring in treats, work with peer support or a wellness team if you have one to come up with ideas on how to change things, or maybe you take a drastic approach and work with HR or the city administrator to fill them in on what’s going on.

At the end of the day, you might be led to one answer and that is to leave. Don’t get sucked into the trap of staying in a familiar hell. There will always be problems at every agency but will they be more tolerable than what you are currently in? Sometimes you just have to risk it.

Written by Mel Koenen

Mel is a licensed associate therapist that specializes in first responders and is the wife of a trooper. She is passionate about bringing good, practical wellness solutions to first responders.

Suicide is the #1 Cop Killer in America and TacMobility was created to lower the risk of suicidality while empowering the lives of law enforcement across America. Our summer 2024 calendar is now open and you don’t want to keep putting off quality wellness training for your agency. Contact us for a free consult or attend one of our upcoming virtual trainings on our event page.

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