Insights from an interview with Ofosua Daaku Ammah , Founder of Enosia’s Heart, on Just4WomenAfrica
Workplace toxicity is a phrase many professionals hear often — and sometimes dismiss — until they experience it personally. But for those living within it, toxicity is not a buzzword. It is a daily emotional, mental, and sometimes physical strain that quietly erodes confidence, performance, and well-being.
In a recent interview with Just4WomenAfrica, Ofosua Daaku Ammah founder of Enosua’s heArt, shared deep, practical insights into what workplace toxicity truly looks like, where it comes from, and how individuals can navigate it strategically — without losing their jobs or themselves in the process.
Understanding Workplace Toxicity Beyond the Buzzword
According to Ofosua, workplace toxicity is not defined by isolated incidents or everyday pressures. A broken printer, a tight deadline, or a stressful week does not automatically make a workplace toxic.
Toxicity is persistent. It is anything that repeatedly prevents you from giving your best at work while steadily damaging your emotional, physical, or social well-being.
“When going to work consistently makes you unhappy, anxious, disappointed, or emotionally drained, that is often a sign of a toxic environment,” Ofosua explained during the Just4WomenAfrica conversation.
While growth and hard work can be uncomfortable, toxicity is different. It lingers, compounds, and is almost always rooted in human behaviour rather than systems alone.
Common Signs of a Toxic Work Environment
From Ofosua’s experience working with professionals across different industries, toxic workplaces often reveal themselves through repeated patterns such as:
- Bullying, intimidation, or verbal aggression
- Constant undermining of ideas, skills, or contributions
- Gossip, backstabbing, and unhealthy competition
- Leadership that humiliates, shouts, or governs through fear
- Policies that ignore recovery and well-being, such as prolonged working hours with no room for rest
- A culture that disrupts family life, friendships, and social health
She emphasized that toxicity is also personal. Even if others appear to cope, your experience matters.
“If most workdays leave you emotionally unsafe or depleted, that reality should not be ignored or minimized,” she noted.
Where Workplace Toxicity Often Comes From
While many people instinctively blame their immediate manager — sometimes rightly — Ofosua highlighted during the interview that toxicity usually has multiple roots:
Leadership Silence
When leaders witness harmful behaviour and choose not to act, silence becomes permission. Toxicity thrives where accountability is absent.
Unaddressed Insecurity
Insecurity masked by authority, qualifications, or experience often shows up as excessive control, harshness, or abuse of power.
Misplaced Organizational Priorities
Some organizations protect toxic individuals because they generate revenue, hold influence, or are considered “too valuable” to challenge. In these environments, well-being becomes collateral damage.
Our Own Responses
One of the hardest truths Ofosua shared is that individuals can sometimes — unknowingly — contribute to toxic dynamics. Survival behaviours learned in past environments can escalate situations if left unexamined.
Why Leaders Often Avoid Addressing Toxicity
During the Just4WomenAfrica interview, Ofosua explained that leaders often avoid tackling toxicity because:
- Ignoring it feels easier and less disruptive
- They fear losing high performers or income
- They have normalized toxic behaviour from their own past experiences
- Addressing toxicity requires courage, consistency, and sustained accountability
In many workplaces, the unspoken message becomes clear: If you can’t handle it, leave.
Speaking Up Without Self-Sabotage
Speaking up in a toxic workplace is complex — and not always safe. Ofosua work with clients focuses on three foundational steps:
1. Being Truly Heard
People need spaces where they can speak honestly without judgment. Empathy — not sympathy — creates clarity and emotional safety.
2. Understanding Your “Big Why”
Clarity about your values, purpose, and long-term goals helps guide your actions. When you know who you want to become, you are less likely to react emotionally and more likely to respond intentionally.
3. Reading the Environment Realistically
Not every workplace supports open confrontation. Sometimes wisdom lies in strategic communication, documentation, boundary-setting, or quietly preparing for a transition.
The goal is not reckless confrontation, but informed choice — whether that means coping better, staying better, or leaving better.
Knowing When It’s Time to Leave
Staying too long in a toxic environment can become deeply traumatic. Ofosua was clear: once someone has done what they reasonably can — adjusting behaviour, seeking dialogue, and protecting their mental health — and nothing changes, leaving becomes an act of self-preservation, not failure.
Final Reflection
Workplace toxicity is deeply human. It survives through silence, denial, and fear. Overcoming it does not always require confrontation — but it always requires clarity, courage, and strategy.
As Ofosua reminded the Just4WomenAfrica audience:
“We are human. Our well-being matters.”
With self-awareness, support, and intentional planning, it is possible to navigate toxic work environments without losing your voice, your dignity, or your future.
