When I began my first fulltime job back in 1976, it became obvious on my very first day that my new boss was toxic. They didn't use that word for bad bosses back then, but this woman's behaviour sure checked all the boxes. She yelled and screamed at me, called me stupid, hit me and threw something at me. All before lunch.
Because I was young, inexperienced and afraid, I put up with it for almost two years. When I finally ripped up my time card into a million pieces, tossed them into the air and walked out for good, I swore I'd never work for someone like that ever again.
Easier said than done.
In my decades of employment, I've had more good bosses than bad--but sadly, my first toxic boss was not my last.
This week, after a scathing independent review of her conduct as Governor General of Canada, former astronaut Julie Payette resigned.
This seems to have come as no surprise to anyone, not even Payette herself. During her short three-year tenure as GG, it became known that she left both her previous positions with the Montreal Science Centre and the Canadian Olympic Committee amid allegations of mistreating colleagues and subordinates.
According to credible news sources, it appears the Prime Minister's Office did not consult Payette's former employers during the hiring process. Given the reluctance of all employers to give negative references out of fear of legal recrimination, it's not clear that even proper due diligence would have raised red flags--or if this knowledge would have prevented Payette's appointment as Governor General.
Multiple sources have told CBC News they were stunned by Trudeau's decision.
"A number of us were blown away when she got appointed," said a former board member at the Canada Lands Company (CLC), the self-financing Crown corporation that owns and operates the Montreal Science Centre. Payette was vice president of CLC and chief operating officer of the Montreal Science Centre from 2013 to 2016.
It's hard to understand why toxic behaviour is not only tolerated--but celebrated--in today's workplaces. Television shows like Hell's Kitchen come to mind, where hothead, verbally abusive celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay just keeps on keepin' on. His cookbooks sell millions. His restaurants are always booked.
And yet, he's a giant asshole. Talented? Yes. But kind? Considerate? Fair? Approachable? Understanding? A big fat no to all five.
I don't care what anyone says about it all being an act. I'd bet a paycheque it's not.
The toxic boss has coloured many a comedic book, television or movie plot (The Devil Wears Prada, we're looking at you), but as anyone who has really toiled in a toxic workplace will attest, it's demoralizing, discouraging, debilitating and highly stressful. Funny? Not in the least.
It's bad enough in the private sector, where toxic workplaces have existed for centuries.
And it's nothing new in the not-for-profit, political or public sectors either. True stories abound: after the CEO of a Canadian mental health charity was removed by the Board of Directors for fostering a toxic workplace, this individual then went on to contaminate a symphony and several other charitable organizations at the CEO level. For all I know, they're wreaking havoc on some poor, unfortunate employees somewhere.
A word to the wise: most organizations that enable toxic workplaces to thrive go to great lengths to justify keeping bad bosses. They get results. They make money. Somehow, that makes it okay if they treat people terribly.
Two of the most toxic bosses I ever worked for did not interview me personally or make the final hiring decision. In hindsight, I think this was strategic. It was well known by others in the organization that these bosses were bad. But by the time I figured it out, it was too late. I'd already quit my former job and started my new one. The thought of starting yet another job search and having to tell everyone that I was looking AGAIN--so soon--filled me with shame and dread. But if I'd met either of these bad bosses even for ten minutes, I'd have run from the interview room and never looked back.
Trust me, now matter how badly you want or need a job, working for a toxic boss is just not worth it. It's not easy to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and find other work. At first, it seems easier to tell yourself that you'll change, you'll do better, you'll figure out how not to make them so mad. Trust me, you won't. Get out as soon as you can.
How many toxic bosses will it take before businesses finally get it? An eternally unanswered question.
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