This is so true. Employers: Don’t take this information lightly. Keep in mind people don’t quit their jobs, they quit people.

Ironically, the ones who are targeted are the most talented.

I am unemployed right now because I left a toxic workplace with a bullying boss.

Being bullied at work is absolutely terrible. I've experienced it, and I had to leave my job to protect myself mentally and physically.

Psychopaths are rewarded, make the most pay, and are promoted. That's what business wants. It's corrupt, and we live in an utterly corrupt society at the moment. Just the way it is. Until the decent people demand better, we will never be treated better.

These people are toxic. It just takes one to infect the entire office

Bullies crush your passion and motivation for the work that you do. They’re toxic on so many levels and are often pathetic excuses for human beings.

I was mobbed by a gang of narcopaths who bullied, harassed, smeared, sabotaged and otherwise made my life miserable. They almost drove me to suicide. They destroyed my career. I tried to report them many times, but the management dismissed it as "personality conflicts". Damn right, they enjoy it. The ones who went after me bragged about what they'd done and laughed about it among themselves. They clearly got off on it. And ignoring them doesn't work at all. They just intensify their attacks. You can't talk to anyone because they will just call you "paranoid" (or they may be in on it). This is far more widespread than many want to admit.

I'm going through this right now... it's the most horrific thing... but it's all done subtly with a smile.... like gaslight ing. ..

Sadly enough, this man is right. The bullies and sociopaths rise to the top, and those who promote them are too weak to see it

How many "natural deaths" are caused by people being harassed and bullied at work? My guy died of a heart attack, and he had been having daily panic and anxiety attacks BECAUSE of people he worked with. He wasn't shot, or poisoned, or beat up. He was killed by words. He was born with disabilities which made it difficult for him to walk, he was short, and he was an amazing soul that loved and forgave. The people responsible will never realize what they have done because they simply don't care who they hurt or how their behavior affects the world around them.

Psychopaths do have feelings. Envy, rage and jealousy!

The lecturer made an excellent point, bullies are very political and have excellent social connections, they use these connections to destroy people they envy or find vulnerable.

I'm mentally and spiritually scarred from working in Corporate America. My personality and personal values have never matched with that culture.

Ted should talk about the unwillingness to train new employees. This is a serious issue that needs to actually be discussed

This was an excellent presentation of corporate bullying and explains why so many employees who were working from home in the lockdown did not want to go back to the workplace.

That`s a reason why I quit a marketing job. I was bullied, undermined and ignored. I was suffering in silence. Depressed. Crying everyday. Now, working in medical field. Its amazing. Great team and energy. I found a purpose in my life.

This is one of the reasons why people get sick from work: burnt out and PTSD

So glad people are finally acknowledging this is a thing.

The job is easy, but these psychopathic managers and supervisors make it more difficult and complex than it needs to be.

You gotta become cold blooded to crush bullys, get rid of that kindness. In order to fight the devil I had to become a demon.

Being nice won't fix bullies. That only works for "regular" people. Bullies see nice as a fantastic target. Have to push back, hard. Make them choose some other way to get their jollies - they're addicted to hurting others - give them some antabuse.

I think a law needs to be created around toxic management. If companies got sued for mental distress, I’m sure they would start caring more

HR in the US is a joke. They are there to protect the company and laugh off the worker who is being bullied, which in turn makes the problem worse. So, the only thing left is to leave.

I have experienced this with many employers that I have worked for. I have made up my mind to work for myself. Corporations will quickly fire an employee but will take forever to fire a manager/supervisor despite many employee complaints. What's wrong with this picture? Yes these asshole corporations love to sweep it under the rug. I know this very well!

Corporate psychopaths are the lowest of creatures and should be flushed out of every workplace!

I have quit my last 2 jobs as a result of bullying... This is a very real thing in the workplace. Very hard to get away from, and such a huge effect on your mental health. It takes time to heal.

Currently leaving my first ever job because of workplace bullying. The bit where he said they don’t have a conscious is 100% correct. I thought in May if I talk to her about how she’s making me feel she’d back off. Nope, things have only gotten worse. Thankfully I’m going to a better job with a higher title and more money but now I’m so scared I’m not even excited about my new job because I’m scared that every workplace is like this. It’s so annoying to know that I’ve had days crying and sleepless nights over this and she’s fine tucked away living her best life. I hope karma gets her, she’s a vile piece of work!

I've been through this a few times and unfortunately my resume has suffered as a result with short work histories. I'm amazed how grown adults are allowed to act like children in the workplace. it definitely helps to have a strong ally so you would be left alone. otherwise defend yourself and you will soon be packing. also they resent you if you're not of their fans.

The best tactic I know to deal with these people is to play the long game, wear the mask of the fool (they under estimate you), make friends with as many people as possible (you need all the allies you can get), and always hold the moral high ground. In the mean time you're waiting for the right time to strike (when their mask slips)in exposing these people to the group/company and make it look like you are doing it for the benefit of others and the company and not about you.

I beat the workplace psychopaths by acting like I didnt know that I was being targeted although I went home and cried and was depressed. I ignored their silent treatment, avoided eye contact, and walked around with a smile on my face. Since I knew that they were stalking me on social media, I bragged about how much I loved my company and boss. That threw them off and didn't give them the pain from me that they were looking for. Eventually they stoppef since it didn't work in their minds.

Where ever bullying exists so is corruption.

Psychopaths are not only found in business . They are in all areas of life , especially the justice & education sectors , where they can have power over others & enjoy inflicting suffering .

Takes away your confidence you feel low uncomfortable scared to say anything and hate walking in the office.

This isn't just a corporate issue this is all-around issue in all jobs.

Great message. Bullying is notorious in the healthcare industry! It's quite ironic. This fact is definitely swept under the rug.

Makes sense that bullies/psychopaths are attracted to positions of power. I know I've come across many of them.

I've met these bullies, Narcissist in all fields of life, Pastors, Police, Family, doctors, dentist, neighbor, teachers, there are WAY more than 1%, it's about 20 who score high on the Hare scale.

That was brilliant! Most people don't delve into this subject because it shocks normal people to their core - its hard to wrap your head around such atrocious behaviour and seems almost like a conspiracy theory! I discovered narcissism about 5 years ago - I goggled "why does my husband keep raging and giving me the silent treatment?". Long story short, it explained what was wrong with my mother, my 2 ex-husbands, friends, other family members and, of course, past bosses. I got rid of the lot and my life is so much better without their crazy-making manipulations. I think the percentage of these people is a lot higher as I have only come across a handful of normal people in my life and I'm 58 years old!

My young niece handed her notice in due to bullying by a female at Cambridge University. Thank goodness a top researcher heard about this and employed her. She travelled all over the world because of him. Bliss.

I feel traumatized and beaten down because of the last two employers, (I don't DO unethical or put up with bullies) and was fired. My therapist says to pick my battles... How do they expect me to comply with things that ask me to compromise my own integrity? I'm broken.

I have never had corporate bullying from men, but I have experienced bullying from several female managers who were above me. It's not uncommon for females to be tortured by other female workers or female bosses. The male bosses were typically nice to me. I actually had 2 different female bosses at two different companies tell me upon hiring me that since they were very secure in their own self worth, they didn't need their bosses to praise their work so not to expect them to do much in the way of praising my work. What I found out was what they really meant was the only communication you will get is negative. Indeed they never said "Good job.'' They found every minute thing they could possibly find to criticize and nagged me all day long daily. They both also micromanaged. I try to avoid female bosses. They tend to treat everyone like 8 year olds.

When I was being bullied in my workplace by my managers and a bunch of manging dogs it actually made me feel empowered. It made me question why so many people were going out of their way to belittle me and/or fire me. Anyways it just totally boosted my confidence even more which was like a backlash on them.

I've been with 3 corporate jobs since I graduated college. In all 3 places, you'll always see the sociopaths leading a team or holding a director level role. It's the sad truth that bullies know how to excel in the corporate world, because after all, it's all about the looks, the glamour, and the money at the end of the day. But if there's one thing I learned in my 9 years of working in a corporate world, bullies seem to be very unhappy with themselves. I've learned that the best thing to do if I'm getting bullied is to show little to no effect of what they say to me. It seems to work since I've been able to get promoted and also get a higher pay along the way, and at the end of the day, it's how we react to the situation. It's easy to get caught up with emotions, but if you look at the bigger picture, bullies only have power over you if you allow them to do so. So refreshing to hear this Ted Talk since I deal with a bully day to day. But it's not letting me down or affecting me, it's just a reminder that I'm equally capable of going to the top without the expense of others.

I worked with a psychopath who eventually became my boss. He was disarmingly charming and a total snake.

True story: One day the police came to escort the 'bully' away for fraud. Keep your head up, The law of karma is in full effect.

I dealt with so many of these types of people for years until I finally decided my mental health was far more important and I got the fk out of the corporate world. I am so much happier now.

I am a women and I refuse to have a woman for a manager, supervisor ect.... woman do not judge you by your work and are the biggest bullies towards other woman in the workplace.

just emailed this to a former supervisor

As a 30 year veteran educator, I can attest to teachers who ignore bullying in their classrooms and on the playground in public AND PRIVATE schools.

These psychopaths exist in all walks of life; Not just in the corporate world. Even in volunteer organizations, we see this. It's the most emotionally draining thing I have ever had to deal with.

He said it in a nutshell- criminal minded psychopathic individuals entering the corporate world to continue their crimes. What a mess they make!

I have been through this I thought I was going to lose my mind but I got through

His example about the boss looking down on all of this from the top down and seeing the psychopath as the only level headed individual is probably the most important part of this whole talk. What these people do is they create a reaction in othes. Their mindgames and covert cruelty and sabotaging behaviors eventually cause level headed people to snap - the psychopath then uses that reaction to prove to outsiders looking in that the victim is actually the crazy one. It's perverse and this doesn't only happen in a corporate setting, it can happen in families, romantic relationships, etc.

I suspect one of the other reasons psychopaths don't get fired is that sometimes, the bosses are afraid of them.

Workplaces are difficult no matter what. Favoritism, politics, nepotism...I've been through them all. If you don't talk at work, you're unsociable. If you do talk, you're labeled a goof off. You're always told "Don't get on her/his bad side" You're constantly called in to the Head Office and accused of having something to do spreading rumors. You say "I had nothing to do with it" and he boss says "I'm not saying you did" Really?!! I've worked with bullies, wet blankets, drama mamas, generally people who hated their jobs and took it out on you. I was bullied by upper management and targeted by middle management all because I was raised to work, to be responsible and that was the expectation of me. After 20+ years of this, I quit offices, took advantage of technology and started working from home . Lesson learned!

Its so sad that there are such cruel people in this world. How do you find joy in hurting people 💔

i have experienced this my whole life in work forces... It destroyed my self confidence working with other people. i rarely work with people now...

My workplace bully resigned, he was the store director, all the other managers reported to him. It was simple, I took notes for 3 months: Dates, times, events, names, witnesses. I made copies and sent them to HR, I was even prepared to hire a labor attorney, however, that was unnecessary. He loved the security cameras, he watched them often, I bet he never would have guessed they'd be so useful in contrast with my notes.

I literally just quit my job on the spot. I was hired as a Code Compliance Specialist 3 months and 1 day ago. I have an extensive background in law enforcement so this position was something I knew I could do with the right training. My first day was August 15, 2022 with the Town of Oro Valley (I also happen to live in Oro Valley too). On my first day, I was told the person who was supposed to train me, and who had been with the Town for 18 years, had just been placed on administrative leave. In addition to that, I also learned that my new team were currently teleworking and only coming into the office on rare occasions. However, my position would be field-based and would require in-field training. So now, the person who was consistently in the office and available for training was out on leave for an indefinite amount of time. By August 18, 2022, I was told that my would-be trainer had resigned in lieu of termination. In addition to that, I was also told that the position I had been hired for, Code Compliance Specialist, was being re-imagined as a hybrid of both my position and the recently vacated commercial and residential Zoning Inspector position; a job that I have zero previous experience doing. When I brought my concerns to my manager, I was told that I can contact anyone on my team via Microsoft Teams and that Teams was an adequate and appropriate training methodology for an in-field position; I do not feel this to be the case. Adding additional confusion to my new position was the fact that I was listed as a Building Inspector on the Town's internal portals. In my attempt to adapt and overcome, I took on the new hybrid position and tried my best to learn the position goals, duties, and expectations. I attempted to maintain communication with my manager, even though he also was teleworking, and express to him the tools, training, and resources I needed in order to be successful. He told me that the department was not going to hire an additional position to support the vacancy and that instead, my salary would be re-negotiated to support me doing both positions. However, I was still expected to take on both positions without any existing SOPs, training manuals or in-person field training. I continued to communicate my training needs and desires to my manager but was met with frustration and downright furiousness when he and I would speak about the subject. On three separate occasions, he even went so far as to yell at me both via Teams and in person; one time was even witnessed by a fellow team member but nothing was done or changed. Three months later, after proverbially treading water, fighting for training, and only receiving pictures of what I should be looking for while performing duties in the field, I was able to perform about 25% of both positions but every day was filled with uncertainty and confusion. During the second incident of verbal harassment by my manager, I actually told him to calm down and that he was being unprofessional. At that point, I felt like I had had enough so I handed him my ID and told him I was done. He started scrambling when he realized that I was ready to walk and convinced me to give him a two week notice rather than leaving immediately. During my exit interview with the Director of HR, I explained exactly why I was leaving my position. The Director told me that what I had experienced was not how the Town operated and that there were clearly mistakes made in multiple areas. He told me that he didn't want to accept my resignation but rather would appreciate the opportunity to get things back on track. I agreed and he asked me to give him 48 hours to work up a plan of action. However, a month later, nothing had been presented to me. At that point, my manager yelled at me for the third and final time. Our conversation had been going just fine during a routine one-on-one but when I began expressing how I felt it had been difficult to navigate both positions with no training manual or resources of any kind, he began raising his voice at me and stated, "We can't give you what you need. We can't give you what you want and this isn't going to work because what you want, we don't have." Hearing that message and the manner in which it was delivered, that was it for me. On November 16, 2022, I walked out of his office, packed my personal belongings, and walked straight to the HR office where I again met with the Director. I handed in my ID and explained to him what exactly had just occurred and what had been said. The HR Director didn't even fight what I wanted to do. I was surprised to be met with tears and sympathy from many of the people in my joining department, they felt bad for the circumstances I had been hired into and lived with for the past three months. This manager forced me to resign a very good paying job and opportunity. I can't help but feel that because of his 25 years with the organization, there is unjust loyalty to him for fear of losing his historical knowledge. The Town never investigated any of the three incidents of verbal aggression, they never interviewed any of my co-workers, and they never provided any real training to me. They lost a solid, hardworking employee with character and integrity who would have retired with the organization if it weren't for my narcisstic and uncontrollable manager. Please never allow yourself to be bullied or abused by anyone in the workplace. My onboarding experience and what followed at the Town of Oro Valley was witnessed and acknowledged by around 20 long-term employees but nothing was ever done to stop or prevent what took place due to the fear of retalliation. I am not a quitter but I love my self enough to say no, I won't tolerate this bullying, hostile, and threatening person any longer.

I went to management about bullying, he turned it on me and defended the bully ! But I did take one good thing away from that which was his words ! Hard evidence ! So now I record all my interactions with bully's on my phone for hard evidence !

Everything you say rings true. I was bullied by a corporate psychopath. I work for a government agency. For 2 1/2 years at least once a week I was pulled into meetings where I would get yelled at. I would get threatened with discipline (suspension). I received emails stating my performance was not up to par. I was given twice the amount of work as others. There were special rules for me. I received poor performance evaluations. I had my pay coded as absent without pay even though I was working. I was suspended twice. Had multiple disciplinary hearings. It was the worst experience of my life. I was so anxious all the time. Then he tells management see what a wreck the guy is. I served the final suspension about 4 months ago. I have since moved to another office about a year ago where there have been no problems. I have PTSD due to my experience. I brought up the fact to management and personnel that I was hazed. They didn't seem interested and took no action. The manager was promoted.

yep that's me. i've been unemployed for a while because i've been too scared to go back to a traditional job after a workplace bully absolutely ruined my mental health and my physical health took a real beating as a result. I'm looking at a career change to an entirely different industry because of it. Bullies have to be held accountable not promoted!!! the LAST thing they need is more power over more people!

Bullying should be considered a crime in the workplace.

This type of behavior permeates higher education as well.

Problem with people like this, and also toxic managers is, that they're usually higher in an organization that you and you've already lost before starting a fight....it's best to just go away from that job, even if the company pays well, that's not worth them to ruin your life and health.

VERY comprehensive talk regarding corporate psychopathy. Top 5 reasons why I started my own business: be "truly" in charge of my own career.

My supervisor bullies me so bad. She actively monitors me 24 hours a day. Reads my emails and instant messages. Puts unrealistic and unreasonable requirements compared to others with same job. This explains her motives.

Authoritarian, hierarchical structure of management. Perfect environment for bullies and psychopaths to thrive.

My strategy to deal with corporate psychopaths is - switch jobs frequently. My policy is never stay at the same corporation more than 1 year. If the environment is extremely toxic leave that corp right away. Stay strong look for another job (where you dont have to deal with management) or start your own hustle.

We all know how it feels when your immediate boss takes great pleasure in bullying you just in order to command your respect as they feel threatened by your competence.

The system selects and rewards psychopaths. It is the system we need to change, or nothing will change, and we literally owe it to our children.

I am in similar situation and was branded as "crazy" for speaking up.

Very happy I got my psychology degree. I can look at you're body language and facial expressions when you speak and tell within one minute if you are a sociopath or a good person. Makes friendships and career choices a lot easier.

I just went through this. Corporate do not know how to handle them. They actually rewarded them for their behaviour by paying them out.

Creating a dysfunctional work environment on purpose is Psychopathic...

And you'll never spot a psychopath in time to save your own life.

What an excellent lecture, I got a job right out of college and what were supposed to be the 10 best years of my life were the most traumatizing. These groups of psychopaths who picked on me were the most socially connected people. What left me suicidal is the fact that all women in that office turned against me to please those people. My response simple: avoid, flight....which backfired and they got even more aggressive. After those traumatizing years, I have lost faith in God, lost faith in humanity, don't want to get married or have children, have completed isolated myself, can't sleep at night nor get up in the morning, and the only thing stopping me from killing myself is the hurt my brother will go through, after hearing of my demise.

All of us have to be very conscious of this. I was bullied starting from family, school, work at past partners. When you suffer this from childhood, you tend to repeat patterns. I’m happy I understand I’m not a victim, and the minute you release and forgive, you get your empowerment back. Great Ted Talk, Great

When I was in the Army, I had a superior Officer who was a textbook psychopath. She made life miserable for anyone who worked immediately under her. She ruthlessly tormented anyone who was better qualified, educated or capable than she was. I escaped by leaving the Army as did many of my peers. Anyone above her thought she was perfect. It astounded me that nobody could see the toxic environment she perpetuated. It took me a few years of civilian life and keeping in touch with some of my fellow ex-soldiers, that I realized that we were all victims of a psychopath.

Finally, somebody who got it right. Thank you.The rest of workplace (or any other area of life ) bullying is done by narcissists.

I’ve been bullied daily at work for almost 3 years, as have my coworkers. Last year I had an ER visit, doc thought heart attack so sent me to ER. Turns out it’s all stress. Now I have panic attacks and am on medication. I’m not the only one on meds either solely because of the bully. I’m now working on transferring to another position and told the bully exactly how I feel. I’m out $5k for medical costs due to the bully. It’s madness. Where can employees can go for help? Not HR. Thank you for this video. It will take me awhile to heal. This needs to stop.

When the supervisors continue their bad behavior towards an employee it gives the leeway for other employees to mistreat that employee. I'm done with toxic workplaces.

I cried so hard listening to video. I have over 12 years of accounting experience. All I ever wanted was to work hard and provide for my kids. I was bullied and then laid off. I am unemployed and on welfare in 2022. I am so ashamed when I have to pull out my food-stamp card to pay for my groceries. But I’m so scared to go back to work and even to social outside my apartment. My family doesn’t really know how bad my problem is.

Another problem is that all these anti-workplace bullying, anti-harassment policies don't seem to be working very well. Some of these ppl in power seem to think that they can just walk all over these rules and bend them to their own liking. They don't just try to oppress others because their victims allow it, but mainly because the system allows it.

Finally, more research and discussion about bullying in the workplace. The cost is so high, especially to the victims.

The Ironic thing here is that there is guaranteed to be at least three work place bullies in this man’s audience.

What I've observed over and over, especially in my last job, is that there are a rotating door of employees that will leave the same department in under two years, sometimes without other jobs, and sometimes quitting the field altogether. Yet, leadership continues to look the other way and focus more on getting bad reviews off of Glassdoor than actually addressing the issue. Meanwhile, there are constant employee gaps, causing more strain and adding to the low morale.

This awareness should be brought in at school level. Kids should be thought about psychopaths, how to spot them and how to deal with them. So, when we become adults, it's second nature to us to protect us and our kids and we segregate them rather than allow them to be promoted and poison whole corporates or, evenworse, a whole country.

Devaluing a person is the worst thing one person can do to another. I am now at a happy stage in my life due to, having a very supportive wife and family, having our house paid off, having a low level of needs or demands in life. When corporate creatures find out that you need them badly enough due to having a large debt, a demanding or non supportive social network or family and a demanding partner then you are in a bad place. It is vitally important to map out an exit strategy on your own terms and in your own time so that you can leave the corporate trap you find yourself in. Lesser qualified people will be dumped in favour of more "useful" more qualified people no matter how wrong the behaviour of the more "useful" people in the corporation. Most bullies are clever enough not to resort to crude violence or criminal behaviour, they push it right to the limit of legality in most situations. It is vital to maintain a balance of need in your work life. You should not need a particular job or position so much that you have to put up with bad treatment in order to maintain it.

I just quit a toxic place where I was blame for their mess. I was there two months. The first thing I will work is on my confidence. It feels like I failed.

I've been going through bullying since the third grade. I am almost 54 and I'm still getting bullied at work I don't know how much I can take any longer back in the day I never thought about suicide as a child I was overeater I was overweight My mother hated it I couldn't win at either level. I'm so tired of being bullied It's my life story and I wish and pray it would end. I wish there was help because no one really wanted to help anyone who's being bullied because of fear of what it entails. I sit here today wishing I didn't have to go back to work and have to deal with coming to work and be bullied not only by your coworkers but your bosses. God help me I know I'm not alone but something have to give. Come help me someone needs to be on my side for once just once stand up for me stand up for us

This is a very frustrating situation because everybody knows the guy is a bully but they refuse to do anything about it and put it under the carpet saying ''you know how he is''. The worst part is when you stand up to them and find yourself alone, with nobody backing you up. People are cowards and they deserve to be bullied. Even my wife says I have to deal with it because that is the way the world works and everybody deals with it. I guess this is what separates the wolfs from the sheeps. I am done being bullied. I will be smarter than these psychopath and manipulate them to my advantage...after all, you only lose when you are the victim.

I worked in a place where a lot of that was going on. Many people ended up leaving because of these types managers. I documented this in my recent blog.

My workplace bullying has turned into community harassment bullying. It follows me everywhere job or out in public. 2+ years now. Very frustrating!

Yes. It's pervasive. But nothing is done about it. These bullies are protected from the top and anyone who stands against them is labeled, fired, demoted, downsized, etc...

I knew three people, two at work and one at college, who I believed were psychopathic. If talking was an Olympic sport, they'd win gold medals. If you stood my co-worker in a field, he'd argue all day about the colour of the grass. I tend to find the real trigger for psychopaths is when they have to do something tangible. That is when they reveal their true colours, the anger, the egoism, the arrogance, the laziness , the fecklessness and passing the buck. When I told other employees about his bad temper they'd look at me as if to say, "Are you talking about the same person?". For the record, I quit in the end.

thanks for showing. i myself have suffered bullying which had seriously affected my life

I've seen first hand how HR treat workers who report bullying as whiny troublemakers and fire them. That's why it's pervasive.

i can relate with work bullying.. most bullies are the ones in power