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Toxic work environments are often masked by productivity, discipline, and routine but underneath, they quietly chip away at employee mental health and well-being, says psychologist Ceaseria Mutau. Speaking to The Namibian recently, Mutau said the root of workplace toxicity often lies in poor communication, punitive leadership, and a disregard for employee well-being. “A workplace that cares more about its production than its people is likely to breed toxicity,” she warned. Mutau, the founder and executive director of Eureka Psychological Services, said signs of a toxic workplace include unclear communication, cliques, groupthink, and rivalries often encouraged by management. This, she noted, eventually leads to favouritism and division. “For people already vulnerable to mental health conditions, exposure to toxic environments can trigger anxiety, depression or even post-traumatic stress disorder,” she said. She stated that even those without a history of mental health challenges can experience low self-esteem, feelings of insecurity, self-harm tendencies, and inability to function normally under persistent toxic conditions. Mutau distinguished between high-pressure jobs and toxic ones, saying the difference lies in workplace culture. “A demanding job can still be healthy if the environment promotes psychological safety. But in unhealthy spaces, the pressure breeds disengagement, burnout, and unhappiness plays a critical role. “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad managers. And sometimes, they don’t leave at all, they stay and ‘quiet quit’,” she said. Mutau said toxic leaders often use discipline and control to manage teams, while avoiding meaningful engagement with employees. These behaviours, compounded by poor communication, result in conflict, mistrust and passive-aggressive conduct among staff. To counter this, Mutau recommended that human resources (HR) departments and leadership teams actively audit their workspaces for psychosocial risks and implement well-being strategies. “Train managers on mental health awareness, develop psychological safety, and lead with compassion,” she advised. For employees feeling trapped in toxic workspaces, Mutau urged them to recognise the signs early, set boundaries, and seek help be, it legal, psychological, or spiritual. “Don’t act on impulse, plan your exit. Build a support system both inside and outside of the workplace,” she said. Mutau believes companies can prevent toxicity by openly discussing mental health, conducting organisational culture assessments, and acting on employee feedback. “Leaders must be in touch with their teams. Mental health is the new workplace safety, there is no health without mental health.” Namibia Financial Institutions Union (Nafinu) general secretary Asnath Zamuee says toxic work environments are often driven by corporate bullying and victimisation, and in many cases those responsible are shielded by top management. The union, which represents employees in the financial sector, notes it has started pushing for employee wellness programmes to be formally included in recognition agreements with employers. “We took a decision last year to negotiate terms in our recognition agreements that involve employee wellness programmes, with particular focus on corporate bullying and victimisation,” Zamuee says. She adds that while some institutions act swiftly and provide leadership training to curb such behaviour, others protect toxic managers, leaving entire teams vulnerable. “Unfortunately, toxic work environments are mostly created by managers. The power they have over other employees leads to workplace environments that are intolerable,” she says. In cases where internal efforts fail, the union refers matters to the Office of the Labour Commissioner. Nafinu notes it also holds regular non-wage engagement platforms with financial institutions, where it addresses issues related to toxic workplace culture. On holding employers accountable, the union says it demands immediate intervention when workplace toxicity is reported. It notes that while most institutions in the sector have wellness programmes,and offer confidential mental health support, challenges persist particularly where mental health conditions are misunderstood or dismissed. “For example, a bank at Rundu, where top leaders created an entirely toxic work environment. We brought the situation to executive management and even visited the workers ourselves,” the union states. Ministry of Justice and Labour Relations spokesperson Maria Hedimbi says to address mental health in the workplace the ministry had a stakeholder validation of the occupational safety and health bill late last month ( 20-21 May 2025). “The bill, once enacted, aims to address occupational safety and health issues including employee wellness and prohibition of violence and harassment in the workplace. “The bill, prohibits improper conduct or behaviour at a workplace that constitutes a physical or psychological hazard to any person. It also subjects employers to take appropriate measures to prevent violence and harassment and to also develop workplace grievance procedures for violence and harassment,” she says. Hedimbi adds this anticipated legislation will be an addition to the national occupational safety and health policy (already in use) that aims to reduce the number of work-related accidents and diseases through a promotion of a culture of prevention and continuous improvement of occupational safety and health. Clinical psychologist Shaun Whittaker yesterday said toxic workplace environments in Namibia may be contributing significantly to rising mental health challenges among employees. He explained that in large organisations, conflict is almost inevitable due to in-groups, out-groups, and hierarchical structures that often leave little room for open dialogue. “You see it in all the large institutions. The more employees, the greater the chance for conflict, bullying, and dissatisfaction,” he said. Whittaker also highlighted that personal struggles, such as grief, depression, or family crises, frequently spill over into the professional sphere, exacerbating tension and lowering productivity. “Some people thrive on creating chaos, unfortunately. And generally, we still have a very autocratic culture in Namibia, especially in the workplace,” he added. To address this, he recommended regular staff meetings focused not only on tasks but also on emotional well-being, where employees can speak freely about their experiences. “Leadership should be about holding the team together creating platforms for open communication is critical.” The post Toxic workplaces are silent killers – psychologists appeared first on The Namibian.