My journey began with excitement and eagerness as I joined a company lacking a solid workforce management foundation. Yahoo! That is one of my areas of expertise, so I was determined to make a difference. I approached the opportunity with passion, an open mind, and a positive conquering attitude, only to face discrimination and toxic niceness. As we soar through the heights of this adventure, let’s start with how to recognize discrimination and “Toxic Nice” Environments.

Recognize the Patterns: Despite successfully implementing staffing models, financial planning, and saving millions of dollars through innovative initiatives, my efforts were consistently overlooked. This pattern of being undervalued and not receiving deserved recognition was a clear sign. While my the feedback was always nice and positive the actions were lacking.

Trust Your Instincts: The environment was so toxic that I was asked literally not to talk to one of the known difficult employees on the team. This employee exhibited unreasonable behaviors, and it was clear that management was aware of it. Trusting my instincts, I felt that something was off, as it is not normal or healthy to avoid communication with team members you work with directly.

Look for Inconsistencies: The promotion decisions were highly questionable, although I will allow you to be the deciding factor. When a senior position was added to expand the team, I expressed my interest, believing my qualifications and contributions made me a worthy candidate. However, I was told that they were looking for someone with a focused finance skill set. This was inconsistent with my successful finance planning and the overwhelming positive feedback I had received. It became evident that something else was at play.

Reflect on Power Dynamics: It was disheartening to learn that someone else, who did not have a financial, workforce, or operational strategy background, was chosen for the position. I realized that power dynamics were at play in this decision-making process, as they prioritized hiring someone who would be the face of the department, rather than someone with a proven track record of success in the role.

Seek Different Perspectives: Despite facing these challenges, I decided to document instances of discriminatory behavior and toxicity, seeking support and perspectives from colleagues who understood my struggles. This allowed me to gain validation and perspective, helping me recognize that the environment I was in was indeed discriminatory and toxic.

Being mindful and utilizing the 5 ways to recognize discrimination in toxic nice environments, I was able to navigate the challenges I faced. It is crucial to trust your instincts, document instances, and seek different perspectives to have a clearer understanding of the situation. In the next part of this journey, we will dive into more details on how I handled each challenge and use it to carve a path towards personal and professional growth.