Tackling Gaslighting at Work
Understanding and Tackling Gaslighting at Work: A Quick Guide for Business Leaders
Introduction: Why Gaslighting is a Serious Business Concern
Gaslighting in the workplace isn’t just a personal issue—it can seriously impact your entire organization. This form of psychological manipulation, where someone causes another person to doubt their reality, can lead to decreased job satisfaction, lower engagement and even hurt your company’s bottom line. Did you know that 58% of employees have reported experiencing gaslighting at work? That’s a staggering number and a clear signal that this issue needs to be addressed head-on.
1. Spot the Signs: Recognizing Gaslighting at Work
What to Look For: Gaslighting can be tricky to spot because it often involves subtle tactics like downplaying someone’s experiences, twisting conversations, shifting blame, and isolating the person from their support system. This behavior is usually seen from people in power, like managers or supervisors, but it can happen among peers too.
Why It Matters: Employees dealing with gaslighting are more likely to experience anxiety, depression, and even symptoms of PTSD, which can seriously affect their productivity and engagement at work.
Tip: Create an environment that encourages open communication and ensures your team knows they have safe channels to report any concerns.
2. Understand the Impact: How Gaslighting Affects Your Business
The Bigger Picture: Gaslighting isn’t just bad for the individual—it can poison your entire work culture. It leads to a toxic environment, increased conflict, and higher turnover rates, all of which cost your business in the long run.
The Stats: Employees who feel unsupported or manipulated are more likely to leave. This affects team morale and increases costs related to hiring and training new employees.
Tip: Use tools like the Gaslighting at Work Questionnaire (GWQ) to regularly check in on your team’s experiences. Understanding the scope of the problem helps you address it more effectively.
3. Build Resilience: Creating a Supportive Workplace Culture
What You Can Do: Counteracting gaslighting starts with building a resilient culture where employees feel valued and supported. This includes offering training to help managers recognize and address gaslighting and ensuring clear policies against workplace abuse.
Why It Works: Companies with solid support systems and transparent communication experience higher employee engagement and loyalty, which are key to long-term success.
Tip: Invest in leadership training that focuses on emotional intelligence and conflict resolution. When equipped with these skills, leaders can help prevent toxic behaviors from taking root.
4. Celebrate Wins: Acknowledge Efforts to Improve Workplace Culture
Why It’s Important: Recognizing and rewarding positive behavior in your company boosts morale and reinforces a culture of respect and support.
It’s about building momentum and showing that your efforts are making a difference.
The Outcome: When you actively celebrate progress, you strengthen your team's sense of community and commitment, which leads to a more positive and productive work environment.
Tip: Implement a recognition program highlighting big achievements and everyday actions that contribute to a healthy workplace culture.
5. Keep Improving: Regularly Reset and Realign Your Practices
Why It Matters: After tackling gaslighting, it’s important to keep your workplace practices up to date. This might mean refining policies, offering ongoing training, or seeking continuous feedback to ensure your strategies are effective.
The Benefit: Companies that regularly reassess and adjust their workplace strategies are better positioned to handle new challenges and maintain a resilient workforce.
Tip: Schedule regular check-ins with your HR team and leadership to review your policies and ensure they align with your company’s goals and culture.
The Long-Term Benefits of Addressing Gaslighting
Taking steps to address gaslighting isn’t just about fixing a problem—it’s about creating a work environment where everyone can thrive. By fostering a supportive and resilient culture, you protect your employees and set your company up for long-term success. The R4 Framework is a great tool to help with this, and you can find more about it in the Dear Resilient Leader book by Jacqueline Twillie.