More often than not, employees don't even realise that they are working in a toxic work environment until it's too late. Some who realise are too afraid to speak up or stand up for themselves. So, if you start recognizing the signs or if you realise that the experiences shared below are quite similar to yours, make sure you do something about it. 

In this article, Malaysians share some of their experiences of working in a toxic workplace:

"My boss always gives me extra work and even asks me to work extra hours and on weekends with the excuse that I'm single and have more time since don't have a family to take care of, unlike the other married employees.

"The head of my department hires all her relatives from cousins to cousins' cousins even though they barely have any experience and with only UPSR and PMR qualifications. They barely can speak English and they don't even know how to write emails. They also don't really have any tasks because all their jobs are given to us, the other employees!"

"I made a complaint to HR hoping that they would help rectify the issue but instead, they decided to go tell the person I complained about that I complained about them and even added some stuff that I didn't say which just made things worse! They are supposed to be professionals but instead, they acted like teenagers, gossiping and talking behind people's backs."

"One of the companies I worked for in the past had CCTVs on the desk! The managers also listened in on phone calls and even checked our chats. Everything we did was monitored and they would even check our social media profiles! Don't let them catch you partying on a weekday, you'll be fired, that's what happened to one of my co-workers."

"The seniors are always right even though you know for a fact that what they are saying is wrong. They don't take any suggestions from us juniors! Any suggestions to help make our tasks easier or more efficient will be laughed off. I asked them to start doing things online instead of using paper since it can go missing, can save the environment also, but they just said that's the way they have been doing things and they don't want to make any changes!"

"We are entitled to MC as outpatient 14 days but whenever I get sick and even go and meet the doctor and get an MC, they love saying "cannot always sick, sick like this." Excuse me?! Do you think I want to fall sick? Then when I ask for MC even though my last MC was like 5 months ago, they'll be like, "Wah MC again ah? Why do you always fall sick?" They even didn't give me my annual bonus because I always take MC. Just to clarify I took 4 days MC only."

"My boss's wife loves coming to the office and fighting with him loudly in his office. Then she comes out and always accuses me of sleeping with him, in front of the whole office! It's so embarrassing, I always try to hide in the toilet whenever she comes over because sometimes she will start questioning me about my whereabouts last weekend just hoping I would slip up and say I was with her husband? It's so weird and awkward with my boss and even the other co-workers after she leaves."

"I asked for MC because I was unwell, went to the clinic and sent them the MC, later they called my doctor and asked all my symptoms, then called me up and asked me how come I decided not to come work when I had no fever, only the flu and cough. They said that with that symptoms still can come to the office and work because can still walk around, only if have to lay down in bed then can take MC."

"I got COVID-19. They asked for proof, so I sent them the pink tag and the screenshot of MySejahtera app, and then I got transferred to the quarantine centre and was forced to stay there for 10 days. My boss requested that I sent them proof that I was in the quarantine centre every day. He wanted me to take a photo of me with my phone displaying the date and with the background of the beds in the quarantine centre with all the people in their beds in the background." 

"I am Chindian, so during CNY I applied for leave but later got contacted by my boss asking me to withdraw my leave and allow those who are fully Chinese to take holiday since they really celebrate CNY."