9 Trial Lawyer • Summer 2022 killed in the workplace than ever before because of their inability to cope with the stress of a toxic work environment. In extreme situations, people suffering from severe workplace toxicity turn their anger and frustration inward by hurting themselves but sometimes they can also turn on their coworkers before taking their own lives. Employees like Brandon need to retain special status and power by controlling people. They maintain multiple personas throughout the organization, presenting each colleague with a different version of themselves. They gain their peers’ trust and use the confidential information they gather from them to quietly undermine them. They spread or encourage the spread of rumors about their colleagues to create resentment among them and later feign friendship with their affected peers, elevating their status with them. When people dislike each other at work, they refuse to work as a team and even can go so far as sabotaging each other’s work, which creates tremendous distrust, stress and anxiety at work. Success or suffering As attorneys, we come across clients who are victims of toxic workplaces, but we never stop to consider if we ourselves are victims of such toxicity. In the last 30 years, I have come face to face with at least two Brandons in my own practice, one early in my career and one in recent years. On both occasions, I wholeheartedly trusted and relied heavily on these individuals. I gave them credit for my firm’s success and a substantial financial reward for allegedly being the glue that kept my business going. Each time one of them left on their own accord, I braced myself for a difficult transition but instead, my practice thrived, and the emotional roller coaster stopped. Although I never connected the dots at the time, I now realize that I have twice been a victim of workplace psychopaths. It is impossible to calculate the damage or the opportunity costs associated with these individuals, but, nevertheless, I am grateful for their departure. Perhaps you have been lucky and never had to work with a psychopath, but maybe you have, and just like me, had no idea. Psychopaths are smooth talkers who initially charm their way into your heart while doing severe damage to your practice and, if allowed, can even jeopardize your reputation or your license. Managing or working alongside a psychopath could also take a serious toll on your or your staff’s mental and emotional well-being. Being proactive about your approach in detecting them can help reduce some of the damage. The following are some signs to watch for in detecting this personality trait. • Psychopaths are experts at presenting themselves well. They are charming and great conversationalists who can easily engage in chit-chat and witty comebacks. They always share relevant, convincing stories to make themselves look good and more relatable. • They see themselves as the center of the universe and will go to great lengths to make you dependent on them by creating chaos that only they can control. They are control freaks! • They have an overabundance of confidence and often subtly or overtly boast about how great they are to others. At the same time, they will undermine and spread rumors about others to make them look bad while appearing to be supportive of them. • They are pathological liars and exceptionally good at it. They will convincingly lie and will easily cover up one lie with another. They will lie to you, about you and for you to gain your trust. They should never be put in charge of your trust account or your reputation. • They are single-minded. They only think of themselves and what would benefit them — like parasites. They may seem loyal and dedicated when it suits their needs but will not hesitate to turn their back on you without a moment’s notice. • They are masters of manipulation, deflection and deception. They’re very apt to accept credit for something when it goes right, but when something goes wrong, they look for a scapegoat to take the blame. • They don’t feel emotions like normal people but can adjust their responses accordingly when it suits their needs. They are often bored and restless when everything at work is running smoothly. They are risk-takers and thrive in chaos because drama excites them, especially if they can be the hero in the end. Beware and be aware Workplace psychopaths can do enormous damage to businesses, especially when they are in trusted roles. Their actions often cause a ripple effect throughout an organization and will have detrimental effects such as bullying, gas l ight ing, re l ent l es s gos s iping, conflicts, stress, low morale, high staff turnover, absenteeism and reduction in productivity. Toxic employees affect everyone around. When they spread negativity with a smile, other employees are affected, leading to emotional and physical illnesses, and overall loss of revenue. I encourage you to keep an eye out for this archetype. These carriers of toxicity can be anywhere — in your own firm or at the workplace of one of your clients. Because of their slippery nature, the Brandons can be difficult to spot, but once you find them, so much is explained. Mitra Shahri is an employment law attorney and founder of Laughter At Law™ CLE series. Her office is at 1500 SW First Ave., Ste. 800, Portland, OR 97201. She can be reached at 503-936-6127 or mitra@unlawfultermination.com.
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