Why Understanding Moral Injury Is Essential To Survive A Toxic Workplace
Do you feel as though you can't move on from your toxic workplace?
Sometimes you can leave behind a toxic work environment but still be there mentally and emotionally.
If you're struggling to get your life back after workplace bullying trauma, you may be experiencing Moral Injury.
While burnout has become synonymous with work-related stress, moral injury is rarely discussed.
Your sense of morality is fractured when the toxic workplace culture destroys what you believed to be true.
For example, you may have believed that 'if you work hard, you'll be rewarded' or that everyone will do 'the right thing,' only to have these beliefs dismantled.
When you realise that the company you once loved working at, has been overtaken by power-hungry bullies who feed off corruption, your morality takes a hit.
You may question your reality, feel disillusioned with the world or lost, wondering if everywhere will be the same.
This profound betrayal of your belief system and fractured sense of identity is an indirect impact of harassment and discrimination at work.
IT'S NOT YOU!
Many recovery practices focus on the individual rather than discussing broader issues.
Moral injury goes beyond the individual by acknowledging a conflict between our societal beliefs and the systems in place.
It's about challenging systemic issues rather than victim shaming or blaming.
Although this idea is traditionally associated with war veterans, the concept also applies to the battleground of toxic workplaces, as it's very closely interrelated with trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Understanding moral injury is ESSENTIAL to recovery because it enables you to validate the weight of the situation and contextualise its impact on your sense of self.
HERE ARE SOME ELEMENTS OF YOUR MORALITY WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY TOXIC WORKPLACE CULTURE
PERSONAL BELIEFS
Your perception of who you are and what you’re capable of, i.e. I’m a kind person who tries to do good.
FAMILIAL BELIEFS
Beliefs you have inherited from family and friends for example, always treat others the way you would like to be treated.
SOCIETAL BELIEFS
Subliminal messages that are fed to us through media, word of mouth and socially accepted behaviours, I.e. “quitting is for losers.”
4. CULTURAL BELIEFS
A belief system based on your culture, for example, success = money.
5. RELIGIOUS BELIEFS.
A belief system based around a particular religion or pratice.
6. WORKPLACE BELIEFS
Both implicit and explicate expectations, behavioural codes “ work hard and you’ll be rewarded”.
SOME MORAL INJURY EMOTIONS INCLUDE:
Guilt
Shame
Embarrassment
Alienation
Sorrow
Remorse
Outrage / Anger
Disgust
Contempt
Grief
Loss of trust
Disconnection.
When a workplace has conflicting beliefs with your concept of the world this can fracture your self-concept, and spark moral injury.
In order to recover from moral injury, it’s important to identify what beliefs you held that have been dismantled by the workplace and to recreate a new belief system that complies with your morality.
Reconstructing your belief system is not easy. This can be especially difficult to achieve with context, perspective and assistance.
Unfortunately, until your moral injury is address, these feeling will continue to reoccur in various aspects of your life, until you have fully healed.
Maybe you've wanted to get out of your toxic workplace, but you're self-sabotaging job interviews, or you feel like you're trapped in this vicious cycle of toxicity, and you're losing yourself in the process.
If you'd like to recover from a toxic workplace and finally move forward with your life, then this is for you.
I'm running a complimentary one hour workshop on how to overcome your toxic workplace.
Secure your spot here.
I NEED THIS
All artwork by CreatedByPatricia