Toxicity In The Trenches

Regardless of the company size, the business type or location, the workplace is an equal opportunity employer of toxic people.

by Mickey Goodman

January 1, 2005

I t's that dirty little secret every employee knows but no one talks about. Regardless the company size, the business type or location, the workplace is an equal opportunity employer of toxic people - the kind who poison the workplace with slander, gossip, innuendo and back-stabbing.

Sandra R. Riggin, M.Ed., LPC and principal in her Cleveland, Ga.-based career counseling firm, has seen the effect of toxicity in the workplace from both sides of the fence. She describes herself as a former toxic personality, resulting from years of childhood abuse. "We're only as sick as our secrets," she says. "We can't change without talking about it. Toxicity is not terminal. It is learned behavior - and it can be unlearned."

Toxic workers come in different packaging. Like Riggin, many have unresolved issues. If they didn't get their needs met growing up, they lash out to get the attention they lack or may act out to protect themselves from further hurt. Some are quiet and depressed - an often contagious condition. Others appear gregarious but plant seeds of discontent among co-workers, undercut their efforts or invent vicious stories.

"There is no doubt that toxic workers cause companies to lose money," she says. Instead of concentrating on their jobs, employees focus on the manipulative person who ruins morale, particularly if it's the supervisor." High turnover signals that a company may have one toxic employee or more on board.

From The Trenches
Fearing recognition by co-workers past and present, employees are reluctant to talk about their experiences. One successful professional left a lucrative position because she couldn't tolerate a toxic co-worker. Another was dismissed because she refused to falsify expense reports for the vice president to whom she reported.

Judy Giles, principal at Practical Financial Solution, Inc., in Sugar Hill, defines toxic workers as those with habits that interfere with others' work. She's worked alongside gossipers, backstabbers, whiners, time-wasters and hypochondriacs. She's also had more than her share of toxic managers.

"One owner of a mid-size company enjoyed standing employees up to public ridicule," she says. "The entire staff was paranoid, wondering when the ax would come down on their heads. Sometimes there's no other choice but to move on."

At another company the owner was obsessive that every item in the office had to be perfectly aligned. Employees were required to log in their daily activities, type a report at day's end and place it into a notebook, which he carefully read. "It was degrading," she explains.

The workplace is also tough at the top. Reva Ezell, former manager of WABE radio says the media industry is a hothouse for creative people, who often have massive egos. "I found myself supervising an employee with outstanding production and announcing abilities and zero personal skills," she says. "He intimidated co-workers with an ever-present scowl, insulting epithets and a frightening demeanor. He was so rude to listeners, he couldn't be trusted on the telephone."

Because the radio station operates under the umbrella of the Atlanta Public School System, dismissals had to be meticulously documented. "When I finally succeeded in getting this poisonous personality fired (after his threats of lawsuits, EEOC complaints and physical harm to co-workers), the staff rejoiced," she says. "Getting rid of the toxic employee raised staff morale immeasurably."

From the Counselor's Couch
"Women have a particularly tough time handling toxic people at work," says Mariette Edwards, strategist and coach at her firm, Star Maker Enterprises in Alpharetta. "Toxic people make us question our own sanity. Borderline personalities are like over-packed suitcases. You close them on one side and things start spilling out the other."

Edwards has dealt with her share of toxic personalities - both as an employee and a career strategist. As a new employee in a human resources department, she was introduced to another woman who had been hired to do exactly the same job. "We were both thunderstruck," she says. "Since [the manager] was going to be in a different location, we divided the responsibilities."

This kind of manager is the most toxic of all because you never know where you stand, she says, adding, "Figure out how to manage the situation." She advises clients to meet managers at their map on the road. If they are numbers oriented, fill your reports with data. If their idea of long-range planning is 'What are you doing for lunch today?' distill reports and get to the bottom line quickly. If they're visionaries who deal with possibilities and potential, give them the big picture.

Recently Edwards coached a top woman executive in a national advertising firm. At a meeting of the company's executives, she made an innocent comment that was misinterpreted by the top creative director as challenging his vision. By the time her plane touched down in Atlanta, she had already been demoted.

Edwards identified the creative director as a narcissistic personality. "It's all about him," she says. "I told her if she wanted to remain with the firm, she had to reposition herself in his eyes. It's never too late to get your power back."

Prior to the next executive meeting, they drafted a script praising the creative director's considerable strengths. In front of his peers, she complimented him enthusiastically. "She had one foot on a banana peel," says Edwards. "To rebuild her relationship with this power-maker, she had to learn how to manage the situation."

Emory Mulling, chairman of The Mulling Group calls on 18 years of experience to "guesstimate" that in a 10-employee department, one to three will be toxic. "There are two kinds - the ones who are in your face and the behind-the-scenes type," he cautions. Since the former likes an audience, be prepared, he warns: "When in public, fight with facts, not opinion. Don't back down. Behind the scenes, tell them in person that if they try [to undermine] you again, you'll cut their legs off."

Devious people are much more dangerous. "Confront them face to face with the threat of exposure," he says. "They're the same as playground bullies. If you hit back, they fall down and cry."
 
By the time toxic managers are referred to The Mulling Group, they are skating on thin ice. "I ask them to make a list of how many times they have [undermined others] and why," he says. "If they can't own it, they can't modify their behavior."

Terry L. Wynne, Ed.S, LPC at The Professional Edge frequently coaches employees whose managers are abusive, demeaning, setting them up for failure or denying benefits like earned vacation time. The problem has become so pervasive that some states are trying to expand sexual harassment laws to include these actions.

Many corporations deny that abuse takes place but the best indicator is high turnover. "Society talks about child abuse, elder abuse and spousal abuse, but they don't mention workplace abuse," she says. "Employees can't speak up against managers unless they are prepared to quit. Will companies set firm policies to protect workers from both peer and manager abuse or will we have to have laws to make people nice to one another at any age?"

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The Toxic Personality: Anyone You Know?

INSTIGATOR- thrives on chaos, pits people against one another, spreads gossip.
OBFUSCATOR- Negative, shoots down the ideas of others. Stands in the way of change.
FAT CAT- Lazy, avoids work.
NARCISSIST- Out for "Number One" at the expense of the organization. Doesn't take responsibility for mistakes.
MARSHMALLOW- Avoids conflict. Defers to persons in authority. Lacks backbone.
VISIONARY- An "idea" person but lacks ability to carry out plans. Doesn't communicate ideas well.
PERFECTIONIST - Inflexible. Not quick on his or her feet. Struggles with need for excessive planning.
- Dr. Kelly Schuck, Ph.D, Corporate Psychology Resources

Advice From The Experts
"Confront an abuser the first time it happens. If not, you're wall-to-wall carpet." - Mariette Edwards, Star Maker Enterprises

For Employees Dealing With A Toxic Team Member:
¥ Don't gossip or spread rumors.
¥ Pick your battles carefully.
¥ Are you looking at the situation objectively, making it personal or contributing to the behavior?
¥ Is the behavior a stress-related, one-time occurrence or a consistent pattern?
¥ Put things in perspective.
- Damali Edwards, founder, CEO, Edwards Consulting Firm Inc.

If The Manager Is Toxic:
¥ Observe management style and act accordingly.
¥ Change what you can change.
¥ Build a coalition of people at your peer level and above to be messengers of good will for you.
¥ Know when the toxicity can be managed and when it's time to get out.
- Mariette Edwards, Starmaker Enterprises

If You're An Employer:
¥ Set clear behavioral policies in an employee handbook. Spell out unacceptable actions.
¥ Hire an outside consultant to access workplace problems and do damage control.
¥ Nip problems with a toxic worker in the bud. If you let the issue slide, it will escalate.
¥ Determine the consequences for that behavior. If change is not apparent, terminate the employee.
- Jessica J. Harper, Esq., Ramsey, Andrews, Winograd & Wildstein P.C.

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Marietta-based Mickey Goodman happily avoids a toxic work environment by owning her own business.