Psychologist gave advice to Russians working with a "toxic" boss

If the boss is behaving "toxically" at work, then first of all you need to look at your official duties, employment contract, chain of command and job requirements. Daria Serebryakova, a clinical psychologist and deputy head of the rehabilitation program at Dr. Isaev's Clinic, said this on Wednesday, May 20.

"Try to separate personal experiences from the factual side of the issue.: what exactly is required of you, to what extent these requirements correspond to your position, whether your labor rights are violated, whether there is humiliation, pressure, manipulation, systematic devaluation or abuse of power," she said in an interview with Lenta.Ru .

The psychologist noted that in reality, the relationship between an employer and an employee always contains an element of conflict of interest.

"The task of a business is to increase efficiency and reduce costs, the task of an employee is to protect their professional and human boundaries. This is part of the economic and organizational reality," Serebryakova explained.

The specialist stressed that it is important to understand your value in the labor market: how much your skills are in demand, whether you have alternative offers, and how financially stable you are if you leave.

"Especially if we are talking about trying to defend our borders, for example, talking about overwork, unacceptable tone of communication, salary increases or the possibility of dismissal. Such conversations require internal support and an understanding of one's own resources," Serebryakova added.

If it is impossible to leave work at the moment, it is important to admit this without self-accusation. She noted that sometimes it is more useful to prepare the ground for changes: professional development, a change in professional direction, accumulation of a financial cushion, search for another company, than to waste energy on constant emotional confrontation.

Serebryakova noted that it is important to maintain psychological boundaries even within a difficult situation.

"As much as possible, we should translate communication into a business plan, record agreements in writing, not get involved in emotional provocations, and share an assessment of your work and an assessment of your personality," she explained.

The expert stressed that if we are talking about gross violations, such as psychological violence, humiliation, discrimination, threats or illegal demands, then organizational or legal means of protection can be used: support from colleagues, contacting HR, fixing violations, consulting with a lawyer.

At the same time, she stressed that the main thing in such a situation is not to act impulsively, it is important to assess the real risks, as well as your capabilities and the consequences of each step.

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Earlier, on May 6, psychologist Olga Romaniv told how to protect herself from bullying in the team. She explained that bullying in a team is usually not related to a person's personal qualities, but points to an unhealthy corporate environment where boundaries are violated and aggression becomes the norm. According to her, mobbing develops gradually — from inappropriate jokes and ignoring ideas to pressure and shifting responsibilities, which causes a person to doubt himself.

In turn, Irina Rogaleva, associate professor of the Department of State Law and Criminal Law Disciplines at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, said on May 5 that the term "toxic employee" was not fixed in the Labor Code, so the employer would not be able to dismiss a subordinate with such wording. 360.ru .

At the same time, she explained that the toxic behavior of an employee can manifest itself in specific actions that violate labor discipline. For example, he may show up at work intoxicated or absent from the workplace for more than four hours in a row, and for no good reason (absenteeism).

Psychologist Ekaterina Catalina said that communication with a toxic colleague should be minimized and only work issues should be discussed, NSN reports.