The Toll of Workplace Harm
A difficult workplace experience can affect much more than your job.
It can affect your sleep, focus, confidence, relationships, health, finances, and sense of who you are.
You may feel like you're carrying work with you everywhere.
You aren't weak for feeling the impact. A harmful workplace can take a real toll.
This page can't diagnose what you're experiencing. But it can help you understand why support, rest, clear information, and professional care may matter.
Research consistently associates workplace bullying with later mental-health problems and physical or somatic symptoms. One longitudinal review found significant associations with subsequent mental-health problems and somatic symptoms, though workplace experiences and health can also interact over time in complex ways.
Six ways workplace harm can take a toll
Read these in order, each page leads to the next, from understanding the toll through to recovery.
Psychological toll
Anxiety, fear, self-doubt, shame, grief, anger, and moral injury.
ExplorePhysical toll
Sleep, headaches, fatigue, stomach issues, tension, and concentration.
ExploreWork and identity
Loss of confidence, career grief, and a shaken sense of purpose.
ExploreRelationships and family
Withdrawal, conflict, exhaustion, and secondary stress at home.
ExploreFinancial and practical toll
Leave, benefits, disability, job loss, legal costs, and career change.
ExploreRecovery and hope
Support, meaning, values, rebuilding trust, and future choices.
ExploreNot sure where to start?
See a simple guide to the kind of support that may help most right now.
When you may need more supportIf you're going through a really hard time
If things feel overwhelming, or you're struggling to cope and don't feel safe, you don't have to carry this alone. Please reach for support now.