I find it astounding that in the year 2024 I am writing about bullying in the workplace; but here I am.
As a woman nearing 50 I have experienced many different work environments over the years and different professional settings from stock broking to estate agency to accountancy, theatre, law firms and academia.
There are some wonderful and varied people in this world and some of them I have been lucky enough to work alongside and now call my friends.
But there are also a lot of arseholes. Yes, arseholes!
A-holes!
From the fearful arsehole nearing retirement, wondering how they will justify their existence without their career. To the stressed-out manager nearing a heart attack because they cannot learn to switch off. The critic, the micromanager, the sexual harasser and the narcissist – trust me I have seen it all! As a result, I have learnt to navigate these people, but very often it has resulted in me walking away. #toxicworkculture
But this is the question – why do we have to learn to navigate these people in the workplace? Why should we tolerate bullying in 2024. Aren’t we living in the age of kindness? Of self reflection and awareness?
There is an example I can give of a company with a senior person who handles stress very badly. They snap and shout and make people cry. Staff have left as a result of this toxic senior manager but the advice is still to “tread carefully and be wary of their moods”. Why?
Shouldn’t the bully be told to stop behaving like a grown-up baby and manage their stress and resultant outbursts? Shouldn’t the onus be on them to change and not us to navigate? Maybe I am being harsh. As someone who tends to over empathise then perhaps they should be offered assistance, therapy, counselling. But they certainly should not be enabled. Not in 2024.
I would be interested to hear your stories of toxic workplace cultures and what you did to deal with it? Are you an escapee like me or do you somehow manage to deal with it?
You can leave a comment below ⬇️ or contact me here.
