Is Your Workplace Toxic? | Fearless Workplace

About This Assessment

This tool was developed by Fearless Workplace to help people evaluate their work environment across six dimensions identified in peer-reviewed organizational psychology research: power misuse and control, narrative manipulation, overt and covert hostility, social exclusion and isolation, values and moral conflict, and physical and psychological impact.

The framework draws on over three decades of workplace bullying, mobbing, and organizational harm research. It is designed to give you language for what you may already be experiencing and a clearer picture of where that experience sits relative to documented patterns of harm.

This assessment was developed by Kelly Abner, a credentialed counselor and organizational consultant with over 20 years of cross-industry experience, and founder of Fearless Workplace.

Important Disclaimer

This assessment is an educational tool. It is not a clinical evaluation, a psychological diagnosis, or a legal determination of any kind. It does not establish or document a legal claim of harassment, discrimination, or hostile work environment as defined under applicable law.

Results are intended to support self-awareness and informed decision-making. They are not a substitute for guidance from a licensed mental health professional, an employment attorney, or an HR professional with knowledge of your specific situation and jurisdiction.

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis or feel you are in immediate danger, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988, or contact your local emergency services.

Leymann (1990, 1996) Einarsen et al. (2003) Namie & Namie (2011) Sutton (2007) Shay (1994) / Litz et al. (2009) Lutgen-Sandvik (2006) Williams (2007) Simon (1996)

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What the patterns indicate

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Research References

Einarsen, S., Hoel, H., Zapf, D., & Cooper, C. L. (2003). Bullying and Emotional Abuse in the Workplace: International Perspectives in Research and Practice. London: Taylor & Francis.

Leymann, H. (1990). Mobbing and psychological terror at workplaces. Violence and Victims, 5(2), 119–126.

Leymann, H. (1996). The content and development of mobbing at work. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 5(2), 165–184.

Litz, B. T., Stein, N., Delaney, E., Lebowitz, L., Nash, W. P., Silva, C., & Maguen, S. (2009). Moral injury and moral repair in war veterans: A preliminary model and intervention strategy. Clinical Psychology Review, 29(8), 695–706.

Lutgen-Sandvik, P. (2006). Take this job and...: Quitting and other forms of resistance to workplace bullying. Communication Monographs, 73(4), 406–433.

Namie, G., & Namie, R. F. (2011). The Bully-Free Workplace. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Shay, J. (1994). Achilles in Vietnam: Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character. New York: Atheneum.

Simon, G. K. (1996). In Sheep’s Clothing: Understanding and Dealing with Manipulative People. Little Rock, AR: A.J. Christopher & Co.

Sutton, R. I. (2007). The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t. New York: Business Plus.

Williams, K. D. (2007). Ostracism. Annual Review of Psychology, 58, 425–452.