Former CEO Shares The 3 Things She Would Never Tolerate In A Workplace Again After Spending 30 Years In Corporate America
“Do not give your time, your energy, your mental health, your emotional labor to an organization like that.”
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A | Shutterstock Tolerating less than you deserve at work is pretty easy and pretty common. After all, that’s your job, and you shouldn’t just leave without a backup plan.
However, just like in any area of life, there are some things that simply shouldn’t be allowed to fly in the workplace. Mistreatment is never okay, and being around people who don’t make you a better person isn’t good either.
Here are three things a former CEO would never tolerate in the workplace again:
Former CEO and CMO Denise Conroy, who is currently an executive coach, knows all about the toxicity of corporate life. She spent 30 years in the corporate world and has experienced almost everything you could think of.
In a TikTok video, Conroy shared three things that she simply would not tolerate in the workplace if she did it all over again. Her wisdom is both thoughtful and valuable.
“These are the recommendations I give to my clients,” she said.
1. ‘Working with lackluster colleagues’
“I would never again work with a team of colleagues who are largely lackluster,” Conroy insisted. “Not good thinkers, not super competent.”
Being around someone who could be considered lackluster isn’t just annoying. It can actually really affect you. Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management found that having positive people around you at work can boost your performance and make you more profitable.
Meanwhile, having negative people around you can do the exact opposite at double the rate.
“Life is too short, and colleagues are really, really important,” Conroy said. “If you are the smartest person in the room, find a better room.”
The desire to be around people who build you up and make you a better worker is natural. Spending all of your time with colleagues who are less than ideal can be dangerous for your productivity and mindset. Surround yourself with the best.
2. 'Performative proving’
“Women, people in the global majority, anybody who’s a little bit different, we are required to prove ourselves, sometimes over and over and over again, before we even get a shot,” Conroy stated.
The phenomenon Conroy described is also known as “prove-it-again bias.”
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The Women Lawyers of Utah organization said, “Due to negative gender and racial stereotypes about competence and work commitment, women and people of color are often assumed to lack the competence and commitment to sustain a successful professional career. To overcome these assumptions, women and people of color often perceive that they must go above and beyond to demonstrate their fitness and belonging.”
This “prove-it-again bias” means that many people feel the need to prove themselves repeatedly and are sometimes told this by their superiors.
“If someone … keeps moving the goal post, keeps making you prove yourself over and over again for that title, that pay, that role scope, find somewhere else to work,” Conroy said. She acknowledged this is not easy but said it is worth it.
3. 'Bullying and harassment in any form for a paycheck'
“I did that for three years at HGTV,” Conroy revealed. “When I left, after being mobbed and bullied for three years straight, I was suicidal. I had an alcoholism problem. It took me years to get myself back on track to get mentally healthy again.”
Bullying is never okay in any form or setting, including by your boss at work. As VeryWell Mind pointed out, it’s natural to want to please your boss, so you might think it’s okay to put up with some mistreatment from them. This is simply not true.
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“No matter how much you like, or even need your job, do not sacrifice your mental or physical well-being by allowing yourself to be victimized,” they said. “It is just not worth it.”
Both Conroy and VeryWell Mind noted that this might be a situation in which you should file a lawsuit or at least threaten to do so.
“If someone wants to get rid of you, and they … just have it out for you, they will get rid of you. They will find a way,” Conroy explained. “Whether they make your life so miserable they make you quit, or whether they get you fired, they set you up. They make you a scapegoat.”
If you’re working at an organization that has any of these three things, it may be time to leave.
As hard as it is to leave a job and find a new one, it’s simply not worth it to sacrifice your mental and emotional health.
You ultimately have to do what’s best for yourself. If you’re recognizing these signs, it could be time to exit.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.