Toxicity In-House

On multiple social and formal platforms, I have seen people writing one or two posts on "toxic bosses and adverse work environment", expressing the toll it takes on their mentality, motivation, self-image, professional development & growth, work quality and a list of ongoing objective and subjective factors.

The most recent encounter that I had is with an old colleague who was still working with the organization I left a while back. He called me in an extremely depressed state and shared a warning letter that was issued to him soon after getting back to the office as the work-life started to pace up during the on-going pandemic. Since I was well aware of the toxic work environment of the organization, I couldn't have expected anything less but the judgment call was made on points that were meticulously subjective. The tone of the letter clearly expressed hatred and subjectively degraded the commitment of the person in the scenario. He was addressed as a culprit draining the financial of the organization and adding zero value over the years he has served.

To cut the long story short, please find below the list of some of the toxic characteristics that I have experienced myself:

1.      The blame game and Narcissism has been endless

2.      Rude and faithless attitude

3.      Constant turning down of the ideas

4.      No useful or constructive feedback 

5.      Never noticed or acknowledged accomplishments

6.      Focused on the numbers, not the people

7.      Always expected employees to be perfect, with zero room for error

8.      Keeping authority to approve of every single thing

9.      Criticizing or talking negatively about other people in front of other employees

10.  Also self-oriented, stubborn, overly demanding, impulsive and interruptive behavior

Toxic leaders can be verily called frightened leaders who have developed ineffective behaviors to cover their irrational fears. The organization views them as too important to lose sometimes because they offer a high level of competence in one area of expertise deemed as an essential asset. Consequently, the organization makes excuses for the behavior, and accepts that there will be a higher turnover rate, completely ignoring the fact that the loss, emotional tax and baggage of such implications are too heavy to carry in the long run.

To conclude, depending on one’s specific situation, it might be helpful to take inventory and evaluate if there’s still room to learn and grow and if there are other benefits to gain from staying. People only have as much power over us as we permit them to have, and unless the adverse impact is on the job security or career growth, their nonsense can be overlooked.

On the other hand, if peace of mind, physical well being, professional growth, or job security is being impeded, then it’s time to start a job search right away. There are so many other amazing institutions, with amazing bosses who love mentoring and supporting others. We don’t have to settle for anything less than what we deserve!