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There’s nothing worse than waking up every weekday wondering if your toxic boss or a workplace bully is going to make your day so much harder than it needs to be.
There are so many different types of toxic personalities in the workplace: the over-sharer, the emotional vampire, the victim, and narcissistic colleagues who often throw the type of indirect aggression that can make you feel like you’re going crazy, according to experts. The bad news is that dealing with difficult leaders or colleagues is pretty much up to you, especially if you’re a woman.
“Studies show only the luckiest employee will get help from management. Unfortunately, trying to force an unsupportive boss to act may actually cost you your job,” says Dr. Nancy O’Reilly.
Here are some other crazy facts about difficult workplace relationships:
- Workplace bullying affects more than 1/3 of employees, according to a 2010 online poll by the Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI), a Washington state think tank.
- Working women know from experience that 40% of those bullies are women, and that they overwhelmingly target other women with their abuse!
- Early results from an online WBI survey revealed 87% of employers reacted by denying, defending, discounting or rationalizing the abuse.
“Bullying has tremendous health harms,” says Dr. Gary Namie, WBI founder. “There’s cardiovascular issues, ulcers, and colitis. Now we know that stress also changes the brain, affecting memory and ability to concentrate.” (POLL: Are You Focused On Improving Your Sleep Habits This Year?)
According to O’Reilly: being called stupid will actually make you appear less competent to co-workers, which can be a huge legal issue for many employers if the bullied employee does take action to ensure their work competence is well documented. But one of the best ways to deal with toxic workplace relationships is simple: win.
Just win, win, win. Surround yourself with friends and family who support you, and bring their power into your job and do it so well that, if your toxic colleague keeps on at you, you’ll soon start to laugh at them. Why? Because they’re a loser who keeps picking on someone who doesn’t even care about their existence. (MORE: One Natural Hack Helped This Man Fight Insomnia)
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