Take steps to avoid contributing to a toxic workplace. A toxic workplace typically has informal or unspoken rules or practices that inhibit communication, build distrustful relationships, and provoke unhealthy competition. They also undermine or inhibit attempts to practice healthier forms of communication or cooperation between employees, and they perpetuate primarily through fear. Employees struggle to be happy, healthy, and productive in toxic work environments, but developing a personal strategy can help. 

• Detach: Identify facets of toxicity and ways to detach. Is gossip common? Stop participating, and discourage others from doing so.
• Seek healthy inputs: Make friends with coworkers who seep supportive relationships. 
• Talk with the EAP to manage stress. 
• Lead: If you have a leadership position, advocate for performance reviews that measure both performance and treatment of others. 
• Build community: If your work unit is part of the whole, build a micro work culture with traditions (common ways of behaving toward each other) that reduce toxicity regarding communication, information sharing, and mutual support.