This post contains some of the best toxic workplace quotes.
Toxic Workplace Quotes
1. “There is something quite twisted and dangerous about glorifying busy-ness or burnout. Imagine if you were bragging to a friend, “You think you’re depressed? That’s nothing! I’m so depressed that sometimes I can’t even get out of bed, and I consider suicide on a regular basis!”” – Eva Selhub, MD
2. “Unfortunately, workplace friendships aren’t all flowers and rainbows. In fact, getting too close to people in the workplace can be so precarious that many people make it a point to set boundaries.” – Ken Kupchik
3. “And that’s what you’ll be doing: spending a lot of time with people whom you might not otherwise choose as your family or friends.” – Peter Yawitz
Related: Top 14 CBT Exercise For Anger Management (+FREE Anger Worksheets)
4. “Another person with a passive-aggressive style might nod and stare at you rather than say anything. Imagine going to a meeting attended by a bunch of passive-aggressive people. You could easily sit there thinking that you’re in the middle of some bizarro workplace. You might hear undercurrents of messages, notice discreet eye rolls and stares, and feel uncomfortable with the overall vibe.” – Peter Yawitz
5. “At a minimum, workplace drama causes inefficiency, frustration, and waste. The personal costs to those who work in organizations is immeasurable.” – David Emerald
6. “At work or at home, conflict is a part of life. How do we respond? Sometimes we suppress it by avoiding people, leaving jobs or ending relationships. When that isn’t an option, we may nurse grudges until we can’t stand it anymore, at which time we may explode and engage in fruitless and even embarrassing confrontations. Unresolved conflict takes its toll on us and on our relationships. We can all learn to resolve it better.” – Robert I. Sutton
7. “Emotions, especially in the workplace, often are minimized or disregarded. Most people are uncomfortable with them and find it far easier to assume they know how someone feels than to ask.” – Robert I. Sutton
8. “Even when positive change does take place, the initial atmosphere of success and freshness can quickly turn into an atmosphere of failure and discouragement once the drama resumes. And almost any experience of drama at work can be traced back to the impact of resistance to change.” – David Emerald
9. “Gallup research indicates that there’s approximately $500 billion in lost productivity annually, in the United States alone, due to negative behavior in organizations.” – David Emerald
10. “If you have ever experienced infighting, such as a team or a department pitting itself against another team or department; if you have ever worked for a micromanaging and overbearing boss; if you have ever navigated the changes that come with a merger or other significant restructuring process, then you have had a front-row seat to organizational drama.” – David Emerald
11. “If you listen to people complain about their workplace or family, you will hear much more about disrespectful treatment or lack of fairness than you will about money and safety. At the root of conflict lie unmet needs. Consciously or subconsciously, these needs drive us and motivate our behavior. And when we perceive that something or someone stands between us and fulfilling our needs, we cast them as the villain.” – Robert I. Sutton
12. “Many people in conflict feel hopelessly stuck. And the harder they push or pull, the deeper they sink, locked into viewing conflicts in terms of right and wrong, good and bad. Without realizing it, they had entered a “drama triangle” populated by victims, villains and heroes. Trapped in a world of winners and losers they find collaboration impossible.” – Robert I. Sutton
13. “So what’s the best way to work alongside coworkers with passive-aggressive communication styles? My advice is to always ask politely for clarification if messages are even slightly ambiguous.” – Peter Yawitz
14. “The cost of drama is tremendous, for any organization. Do a quick online search on “the cost of workplace drama” and you may be amazed at some of the hard dollars-and-cents costs associated with organizational conflict. These costs accrue due to lost productivity, turf battles, infighting, gossip, rumors, picking sides, blaming, faultfinding, absenteeism, turnover, and engaging in what Peter Block has called the politics of manipulation.” – David Emerald
15. “We often describe people in conflict as “acting like children.” Although such a comparison does a disservice to children and their ability to cooperate (most of the time), it can provide us with clues about what underlies conflicts in our workplaces and homes.” – Robert I. Sutton
Related: Top 19 Emotional Intelligence Activities (To Improve Low Emotional Intelligence)
