Asking for a Friend: Can I call out with mood poisoning? Dealing with a toxic work environment

Feeling sick with mood poisoning from your office is a real reason to call out, but taking a day off likely won't solve it. However, the data says people are doing it anyway. Toxic workplace culture can also lead to increased absenteeism, as employees may take more sick days or mental health days to cope with the stress and negativity of their work environment.¹

Low morale due to a negative atmosphere becomes a chronic problem that contributes to career burnout and is often triggered by one person influencing their mood on the entire office. However, the big picture suggests that the organizational structure that contributes to toxic workplace environments is not limited to a singular toxic person, but a cause-and-effect system between you, the individual, and management. When these entities can’t come together, will you stick it out or sick it out for good?

The toxic individual

A toxic personality in the workplace is an individual who demonstrates counterproductive behaviors that debilitate another person, team, or organization over the long-term.² These individuals can be difficult to work with, often pervading our thoughts and depleting our energy, contributing to company and even career burnout. Commonly, this becomes a chronic issue when a person knows they can get away with harassing, gossiping, abusing power, or behaving rudely or aggressively without confrontation or consequence.

While addressing this individual one-on-one may not seem worth the headache, it is usually the best place to start. If you fear you won't be supported by management in your confrontation or that the situation may become worse or misrepresented by a game of telephone, request to speak with the individual and have a witness present. You can start with an empathic approach, noting their behavior and asking what’s going on with them and if there’s anything you can do to help. If you have a colleague like this, you know that unfortunately it’s not always so simple. This is when you speak to your boss.

Management

Let's face it, some people would rather turn their cheek than reprimand, and it can be especially challenging in offices that don’t have human resources. Research suggests that management with authoritarian and laissez-faire leadership styles can create environments where toxic behaviors are either enforced or ignored, while ambiguous organizational structures can lead to confusion and conflict, further entrenching these behaviors.³

What your boss will have to face is one of the most immediate and visible effects of a toxic culture, which is reduced employee engagement and productivity. Staff can adopt an every-man-for-himself mentality, resulting in worn-out providers accomplishing the bare minimum in treatment.⁴

One reason this happens is that clinicians must reserve the allotted workday tolerance and emotional capacity for the patients. Dental hygienists are managing the fear, anxiety, and personal grievances of patients consecutively throughout the day. Clinicians can quickly become exhausted if they are also managing the negative moods and harassing behaviors of colleagues in their encounters. In turn, this can lead to reduced productivity and retention-enforcing interaction with the patients—and overall burnout for the clinician. If management is not willing to intervene to improve office culture or address boundaries with a toxic personality, a hygienist may want to call out for good.

You

Hygienists are less likely to remain in an organization where they feel undervalued, harassed, or unsupported.³ This is a fact. We know this. It is a difficult factor to overcome or change, but it is absolutely worth the effort to change the way we absorb negative influences. In fact, it can become a highly utilized life skill.

In conversation, you could try the brain pattern interruption technique. This may course-correct a person’s negative influence over time. For example, when the individual starts with their negative remarks, you can interrupt their brain pattern by asking them a question or by responding with something positive, even if it is unrelated, rather than engaging in their negativity or becoming upset. For instance, declare how amazing something went in your day in response to an unnecessary complaint. They're going to keep looking at you puzzled until, hopefully, they stop doing it.

The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins encourages a mindset of "let them, and then let me," recognizing that while we cannot control others, we can control how we respond to others and how we allow things to affect us. The idea is to foster a positive work environment for yourself by letting go of the need to control and correct others, and to set boundaries that protect your energy and allow you to focus on your growth and goals.⁵

We can attempt to achieve this with open communication, clear boundaries, and practicing not taking on someone else's energy. Is someone miserable again? Let them. If it crosses one of your boundaries, such as a rude display in front of a patient, address it afterwards. Let them know they have crossed a boundary in what you are willing to accept in a professional setting. Inform management of the incident and see where they are willing to intervene. There are times when these intentions may be fruitless or intensify a negative situation. By all means, "let you" seek employment in an environment that better deserves you. Minimize your stress to align with a staff that promotes a healthier work environment, one you won’t call out over.

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in Clinical Insights newsletter, a publication of the Endeavor Business Media Dental Group. Read more articles and subscribe.

References

1. Clarke S, Cooper CL. Managing the Risk of Workplace Stress: Health and Safety Hazards. Routledge; 2004.
2. Kusy M, Holloway E. Toxic Workplace!: Managing Toxic Personalities and Their Systems of Power. Jossey-Bass; 2009.
3. Sulaeman, Ridawati, et al. View of toxic workplace culture: causes and consequences. The Journal of Academic Science. 2024. https:thejoas.com/index.php/thejoas/article/view/69/78
4. Housman M, Minor D. Toxic workers. Harvard Business School. Working Paper Series, 16-057. 2015. https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%20Files/16-057_d45c0b4f-fa19-49de-8f1b-4b12fe054fea.pdf
5. Robbins M. The Let Them Theory. Hay House, Inc; 2024.