The buzzword “toxic” has been used to describe many health, social and environmental issues in the last few years. In 2018, it was named Oxford Dictionary’s Word of the Year. In human behaviour, toxic describes someone who causes distress in others through nega­tive words and actions.

In our workplaces, we have all spent time with someone who seemed friendly but left us feeling insecure and emotionally exhausted. Management surveys con­firm that some employees leave a good job as they can no longer tolerate toxic workplace cultures where some behave in unhealthy ways. Mana­gers are often too busy trying to achieve their financial objectives to find the time to address the cultural issues that impact the well-being of their employees.

Traits of selfishness, hostility and manipulation broadly charac­terise toxic behaviours. These traits manifest themselves in various ways. A lack of empathy for others is one obvious example. Toxic persons are so self-centred they can only focus on their wants over another person’s needs. They also struggle to understand other people’s feelings and thoughts.

Some organisations are very focused on promoting the social well-being of their employees. They have adequate policies to identify bullying and latent hostility by their employees. Some even offer counselling to employees with a low workplace toxicity tolerance. Training programmes of progressive workplaces invariably include seminars and workshops intended to promote beneficial collaborations among staff and training in soft skills.

Unfortunately, some employers fail to acknowledge the toxicity in their workplace. Organisations that de facto offer a job-for-life to their employees are more prone to unwillingly encourage a particular type of toxic person – the untouchable troublemaker with an excessive sense of entitlement.

Employees in the public sector are more likely to complain about the toxicity that exists in their workplaces. Toxic persons often feel encouraged by their political connections. They display unacceptable arrogant behaviour in a workplace where management fails to stamp out such behaviour.

Toxic persons lack self-awareness and have an inordinately high opinion of themselves. They are masters of sneakiness. They sabotage their colleagues’ work, spread lies, and use social media to anonymously destroy a disliked colleague. Their attitude manifests in two-faced behaviour and projecting themselves as victims of injustices. They often also wear a mantle of perceived integrity by pretending to be whistleblowers working for the good of their organisation.

Toxic persons are so self-centred that they can only focus on their wants over another person’s needs. They also struggle to understand other people’s feelings and thoughts

People with toxic traits may perceive themselves as more important than others. They place their ambitions over other people’s needs for safety and well-being. They often get away with such behaviour because they believe their political networking guarantees them impunity.

Organisations’ psychologists do not always agree on whether toxic employees can change their behaviour. Some workplaces riddled with endemic internal and external politics are unlikely to eliminate the toxicity problem effectively. Still, all workers must be prepared to handle the toxicity in their workplace by mastering tactics to preserve their mental well-being.

Toxic persons often resort to gaslighting tactics, blaming their victims for their distress. When someone else’s behaviour makes you insecure, you may feel tempted to blame yourself. Still, victims of workplace toxicity must understand that they are not the cause of the problem. Often, people with toxic traits reflect their struggles with insecurities. Toxic persons do not have a healthy acknowledgement of their limitations, making them jealous of their colleagues’ achievements.

Another good piece of advice to victims of toxic behaviour is to try not to react. When someone treats you poorly, reacting with anger, aggression or annoyance may worsen the situation. Some psychologists recommend using grey-rocking tactics. When you grey-rock someone, you act dull or emotionally unresponsive, making it harder for the person to engage with you.

Of course, no one should feel obliged to endure the toxic behaviour of others. One way of avoiding the impact of such behaviour is to set boundaries. Cutting ties with toxic persons in the workplace is not always possible. The next best thing is to avoid contact, limiting yourself to dealing with them only when necessary and in a formal way.

Many business organisations have a sub-culture of toxic persons with a dark core of persona­lity traits. These traits manifest in a tendency to put their goals and interests above all others while justifying their behaviour to avoid guilt and shame.

When workers experience the pain of toxic behaviour, they must use survival tactics to thrive. They must also resist trying to fix things, especially if their managers are oblivious to the problem or incapable of dealing with it.