How venting about a toxic boss helped me — and could help you too

Early in my career, I worked for a horrible boss. He liked to create conflict between his supervisees. He was inconsistent and punitive. He didn’t know how to do his job well, and he didn’t know much about ours, either. 

Sooner or later, almost everyone encounters an abusive supervisor. It’s horrible working for someone like that. But does that supervision style actually have a negative impact on team performance? Surprisingly, the research on that topic is mixed. Some studies have shown a negative impact, while others have not. 

Research supports venting about a toxic boss

What might reduce the damage an abusive supervisor creates? A recent article from The American Psychological Association has a surprising answer. The antidote to the poison of an abusive supervisor seems to be — wait for it — negative gossip! When team members get together to share tales of leaders’ horrible behaviors and complain behind their backs, a couple of things happen. First, the gossip reduces the team members’ perception of the leader as a role model, so they are less likely to imitate the noxious behavior. Second, it increases their sense of similarity with each other and builds trust. 

In my experience, engaging in negative gossip may be great fun, but it rarely leads to socially positive outcomes. But this situation seems to be the exception. Back when I was working for Dr. Horrible, my colleagues and I would often get together to moan about his latest outrage. And looking back on that experience, I can clearly see how those conversations built our camaraderie, increased our tendency to support each other, and enabled us to do our jobs better. 

Of course, the ideal response to abusive bosses is to confront them or use other channels to initiate a change. But in reality, those paths are not always safe, effective, or available. So when you’re stuck working for nasty bosses, talk smack about them when they’re not around. It will make you feel better and probably help you do your job better.

For more insights on navigating work and leadership, follow me on LinkedIn.