Understanding Workplace Toxicity: A Netnographic Study of How Individuals Interpret, Cope with, and Seek Support for Toxic Workplace Experiences
(2026) MGTN59 20261Department of Business Administration
- Abstract
- Toxic workplaces have received increased attention in line with an increased focus on employee well-being and the psychosocial work environment. The complexity of the phenomenon, in combination with its negative impact on both individuals and organizations, makes it an important subject to investigate. Recent research shows that a toxic work environment is the strongest predictor of employee turnover, which further highlights the need to understand how
such environments affect individual well-being and professional sustainability. Despite this attention, challenges remain in understanding how toxic workplaces are experienced, interpreted, and defined by individuals in practice.
This study examines how individuals describe, interpret,... (More) - Toxic workplaces have received increased attention in line with an increased focus on employee well-being and the psychosocial work environment. The complexity of the phenomenon, in combination with its negative impact on both individuals and organizations, makes it an important subject to investigate. Recent research shows that a toxic work environment is the strongest predictor of employee turnover, which further highlights the need to understand how
such environments affect individual well-being and professional sustainability. Despite this attention, challenges remain in understanding how toxic workplaces are experienced, interpreted, and defined by individuals in practice.
This study examines how individuals describe, interpret, and cope with experiences of toxic workplaces in Reddit discussions, and how Reddit functions as an online forum for support and meaning-making. A qualitative netnographic approach was used, with Reddit selected as the empirical context due to its anonymous, user-generated, and naturally occurring discussions about workplace experiences.
The empirical data consists of comments from Reddit discussions in which users describe experiences of toxic workplaces. The study focuses on users’ own descriptions and interpretations, rather than objectively determining whether a workplace was toxic. The data was analyzed through inductive thematic analysis, where recurring patterns were identified from the empirical material and organized into three main themes: how toxic workplaces are defined, how
users describe coping strategies, and how Reddit functions as a supportive and meaning-making environment.
The findings show that users describe toxic workplaces at individual, relational, and organizational levels. Toxicity emerges through bodily and emotional impact, destructive everyday interactions, and organizational conditions. The findings also show that Reddit functions as an environment where users receive emotional support, practical advice, and collective help in interpreting, coping with, and preventing toxic workplace conditions.
The study concludes that toxic workplaces should be understood as an experience-based and socially interpreted phenomenon, rather than solely through predefined research categories. Reddit, as an online forum, plays an important role in enabling support, coping strategies, and collective meaning-making around experiences that may otherwise be difficult to express. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9246913
- author
- Abrahamsson, Hanna LU and Åkerlund, Fredrika LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- MGTN59 20261
- year
- 2026
- type
- H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
- subject
- keywords
- Toxic workplaces, workplace toxicity, netnography, Reddit, online forums, coping strategies, social support, collective meaning-making, psychological work environment.
- language
- English
- id
- 9246913
- date added to LUP
- 2026-07-27 10:41:47
- date last changed
- 2026-07-27 10:41:47
@misc{9246913,
abstract = {{Toxic workplaces have received increased attention in line with an increased focus on employee well-being and the psychosocial work environment. The complexity of the phenomenon, in combination with its negative impact on both individuals and organizations, makes it an important subject to investigate. Recent research shows that a toxic work environment is the strongest predictor of employee turnover, which further highlights the need to understand how
such environments affect individual well-being and professional sustainability. Despite this attention, challenges remain in understanding how toxic workplaces are experienced, interpreted, and defined by individuals in practice.
This study examines how individuals describe, interpret, and cope with experiences of toxic workplaces in Reddit discussions, and how Reddit functions as an online forum for support and meaning-making. A qualitative netnographic approach was used, with Reddit selected as the empirical context due to its anonymous, user-generated, and naturally occurring discussions about workplace experiences.
The empirical data consists of comments from Reddit discussions in which users describe experiences of toxic workplaces. The study focuses on users’ own descriptions and interpretations, rather than objectively determining whether a workplace was toxic. The data was analyzed through inductive thematic analysis, where recurring patterns were identified from the empirical material and organized into three main themes: how toxic workplaces are defined, how
users describe coping strategies, and how Reddit functions as a supportive and meaning-making environment.
The findings show that users describe toxic workplaces at individual, relational, and organizational levels. Toxicity emerges through bodily and emotional impact, destructive everyday interactions, and organizational conditions. The findings also show that Reddit functions as an environment where users receive emotional support, practical advice, and collective help in interpreting, coping with, and preventing toxic workplace conditions.
The study concludes that toxic workplaces should be understood as an experience-based and socially interpreted phenomenon, rather than solely through predefined research categories. Reddit, as an online forum, plays an important role in enabling support, coping strategies, and collective meaning-making around experiences that may otherwise be difficult to express.}},
author = {{Abrahamsson, Hanna and Åkerlund, Fredrika}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Understanding Workplace Toxicity: A Netnographic Study of How Individuals Interpret, Cope with, and Seek Support for Toxic Workplace Experiences}},
year = {{2026}},
}