We all know what a good day at work looks like. Maybe it’s a day with enough room to breathe between meetings or having something fun to look forward to after you leave the office, or a kind word from your boss. We’re also clear on what a bad day can look like: a mile-long to-do list, frustrating colleagues and the feeling that you’re barely keeping your head above water.

But what happens when your office environment becomes so unpredictable that you don’t know whether a day will leave you feeling energised and fulfilled or utterly exhausted? A place that is not necessarily ‘toxic’ but is full of volatile characters, changing goalposts and mixed messages.

Whether you worry about your relationship with your boss, constantly feel micromanaged or are dealing with unrealistic expectations, worrying about whether you’re doing a good job is increasingly common.

“I hear often from leaders and executives who I’m coaching, especially through exit interviews, that one of the biggest reasons they want to leave a position is because they feel their personal values are not aligned with the organisation and their colleagues, which stems from mixed messages and poor communication in the workplace,” explains Sarah Hernon, a career expert at Right Management.

“One reason that mixed messages may be more prevalent at work right now is because we’re operating in a volatile world, with increasing uncertainty leading to people feeling more insecure,” she says. For some, working in this volatility is energising and they thrive on it. For others, it can be a source of anxiety. “It’s important to identify the working style and environment that is right for you,” she adds. “If you have been experiencing discomfort in the workplace for a long period of time and you’ve tried the empathetic approach without success, you have to ask yourself: Is this the right environment for me?’ And it’s OK to say it isn’t.”

But is leaving your role the only way to deal with it?

Understandably, most people wouldn’t want to work in an environment where a boss’s behaviour is unpredictable or they feel like they are never fully achieving what they want to. However, before throwing the towel in, Hernon says it’s important not to forget that it is possible to adapt and to thrive under different styles of leadership.

“It’s about being patient and professional – detaching and unplugging from the raw emotions, so that you’re not taking everything personally,” she explains. “To do that, you need to bring a great deal of empathy. Think about what is going on around your boss to make them behave in certain ways and to miscommunicate. Are they under huge pressure and passing on stress-related behaviours? There may be other things going on in your bosses mind and other things they have to deal with that you aren’t aware of.”

“We all deal with pressures differently and some may pass on their emotions in how they communicate,” she continues. “Always remember that you are not responsible for somebody else’s behaviour, only your own. Deal with only what you can control and try not to worry about what you can’t; detach from it, and don’t allow it to trip you up. At times of less pressure and when you feel more relaxed and comfortable, raise any concerns and make points calmly in an open and transparent discussion with your manager.”   

Images: Getty; Adobe