Toxicity

In this post from I Hate Your Job, Chuck writes:

It only takes a few sips of strychnine to ruin a good thing.

Have you ever had a co-worker or boss bring you down with their own dissatisfaction?

To which I answer a resounding *YES*!!  It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately.  Maybe because I’ve been out of the office so much lately.  But the people we work/interact with definitely affect the quality of our working lives.

I have one co-worker in particular. . .  I used to consider her a “friend,” but I’ve recently come to the realization that she’s toxic in the worst possible way.  She intentionally buddies up to people solely for what she can “get from them”–not for collegiality, not because of shared interests/projects, simply because she wants something.

I’ve been dealing with her for years and thought I “got” her.  I thought she was essentially a good person who was misunderstood by everyone else in the company.  I befriended her and trusted her.  Until she threw me under a bus. 

Since I’ve stopped communicating with this toxic employee, my work life has improved.  Yeah, there are still plenty of things that annoy me.  I’m still forced to work with her on projects, and I still get residual ramifications from her toxicity.  But I’m not allowing myself to get bogged down by her unrelenting negativity.  Or her constant complaining.  Or her nonstop blame-pushing.

She can sink or swim on her own.   I have a feeling I know which one it will be.