Toxic office syndrome

Genevieve Morton

Every office in Tasmania has a “toxic co-worker”, says  CareerOne.com editor Kate Southam.

They are people who are negative, whiny, manipulative or take out their personal issues on those around them.

Like harassment and bullying, toxic co-workers are fast becoming an occupational hazard not to be overlooked.

“Toxic co-workers are in every office and what frustrates everyone is how they are allowed to stay there, behaving badly,” Ms Southam says.

Bad behaviour includes rudeness, swearing and generally filling the space with “toxic negative energy”.

“These are the people who take up all the oxygen in the room,” Ms Southam says.

“They sometimes scream and carry on so everyone can hear them. They are telling the office they think they have the power to ruin the atmosphere.”

Relationships Australia is conducting an Adult Education course on Getting Along Better With People this week in Hobart and education manager Helen Scarr says co-workers are among those we struggle with the most.

As we work longer and longer hours, she says, we are spending more and more time with people we might ordinarily avoid.

“These are the people in many offices that have no clue on how to get on with others and they don’t seem to care because they feel that life just revolves around them,” she says.

“They operate regardless, they’re very self-centred, narcissistic and egocentric.”

To cope, we need to find ways to protect ourselves.

That may include being more aware of body language and taking care of our own needs before getting involved in office conflict.

“Note your body, your internal signals such as your heart racing or your head pounding and check yourself. Take a moment to chill out,” Ms Scarr says.

A recent study by psychologist Barbara Griffin from the University of Western Sydney found 90 per cent of office workers had encountered rudeness at work.

She believes rudeness is “the new bullying”.

“Even occasional rudeness can have an impact on whether you stay in an organisation, speak positively about your job or go that extra mile,” she says.

Unions Tasmania secretary Simon Cocker says toxic co-workers often go overlooked because it is people in management who are to blame.

“The toxic boss can be a massive problem,” he says.

“My worst experience was 18 months of management by this person that included playing favourites, deliberately misleading staff, playing staff off against each other and ultimately making the workplace dysfunctional and bitterly divided.”

If that’s the case in your office, he suggests keeping a diary of incidents.

Often one incident can be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, he says, but when isolated and viewed from the outside it can look petty and be dismissed.

Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce chief executive Damon Thomas agrees the fear of looking petty is a problem for workers trying to cope with a toxic co-worker.

“If your management thinks that conflicts among staff are a bit soft and not worth much trying to resolve then they will lose staff,” he says.

“People won’t always stay for money. They want to work in an office that has a good working culture without people who ruin the environment.

“Urge your management to put procedures in place that work for all staff and management and proceed obviously along that line and don’t waver.”

University of Tasmania sociologist and gender studies lecturer Louise North says toxic co-workers should not be “softened” with a night out or inter-office social activities.

“Alcohol and letting off work steam are a potent mix and often fuel divisive rants and rumours among co-workers,” she says.

“Nights out are often more trouble than not and rather than building relationships can often destroy them.”

Classic co-workers

The Chatterbox

The chatterbox is an affable co-worker but likes to share every last thought with the entire office.

But Dawn Rosenberg McKay of About.com Career Planning says there are ways to subdue the chatterbox.

“Tell your co-worker you have trouble concentrating while listening to their engaging stories,” she says.

“If you enjoy their company, have lunch together once a week for a proper chat.”

The Gossip

This co-worker seems to know everything about everyone and wants to share it.

“If the gossip being shared is of a very personal nature, like marital problems, change the subject or say you don’t feel right about gossiping behindsomeone’s back,” Ms Rosenberg McKay says.

The Complainer

This is the office worker who can’t see the positiveside to work, the boss, the company and even their family life.

Ms Rosenberg McKay says The Complainer generally isn’t looking for advice.

“It probably won’t do any good giving advice,” she says. “Change the subject whenever the bellyaching begins. Your colleague should get the hint if you do this repeatedly.”

The Delegator

These are not the official delegators, such as managers, but people who like to share their work unfairly with co-workers.

“If managers are the only ones who have theauthority to delegate and you already have yourhands full, then you have to turn down their request,” Ms Rosenberg McKay says.

“Tell your co-workers you have your own work to deal with.”

The Credit Grabber

This worker does not acknowledge the help received from others. He or she accepts all praise for a project without mentioning they didn’t do it alone.

“Ask them to let others know of your participation,” Ms Rosenberg McKay says. “If they doesn’t, make sure you let others know about the role you played in getting the project done.”

The Toxic co worker

This worker fills the space with negativity, is often rude and aggressive. They will scream or yell out complaints and show little regard for disrupting the rest of the office.

“Belittling a co-worker’s ideas, questioning theirjudgment and interrupting when they are speakingare all considered bad form,” says CareerOne.com editor Kate Southam.

Dealing with toxic co-workers

o Do not reciprocate. Reacting with similar actions can quickly spiral into increasingly aggressive behaviour.
o If you can, meet the person and explain why you find their behaviour offensive.
o Find out your organisation’s policies and procedures so you know how to makea formal complaint if need be.
o If your health starts suffering then seek help from a psychologist or via aconfidential employee assistance scheme.