Stefanie Costi knew the pressure was mounting for herboss.
As a family-law attorney in Australia, Costi was used to tense situations.
One day her boss was standing in his office trying to organize some files when he had an outburst.
“Here, you fix it!”
he shouted, she recalls.
Costi stared at her manager in disbelief.
Costi recalls that behavior like this was all too common at the firm.
Managing partners like her boss routinely belittled employees.
One even put up a sign in the hallway that said “No whining about the long hours.
If you could’t cope, we’ll replace you in a heartbeat.”
Costi says multiple colleagues described having panic attacks.
She reported her boss' behavior to HR but found those managers dismissive and ineffective.
Eventually she decided she’d had enough and left the firm.
“Once upon a time, there was a bright young lawyer.
She was bullied at work.
It ruined her confidence,” her post began, before revealing, “That lawyer was me.”
Costi’s vulnerability stood out amid the job listings, team camaraderie, and humblebragging.
It garnered more than 1.2 million views and nearly 10,000 likes.
Costi was overwhelmed by the response.
“It hit me hard how many others are suffering in silence,” she says.
She changed her LinkedIn title to The Anti-Bullying Lawyer.
Costi is far from alone.
To some, the professional networking platform has become adating site;to others, acomedy club.
This growing cadre of influencers and their followers share advice on identifying, navigating, and escaping toxic workplaces.
They tend to see human resources as an extension of corporate dogma meant to reinforce company policies.
Toxic behavior in the workplace comes in all shapes and sizes.
Costi connected me to several colleagues, clients, and followers who had experienced a toxic workplace.
Eventually Beverly decided to leave the firm, but she remained concerned about the senior colleague.
“People don’t quit companies.
They quit bosses,” she wrote on LinkedIn recently.
She now has more than 30,000 followers and posts often about the lessons she learned in herlegal career.
“The number of messages I receive thanking me for being that voice is overwhelming.
The messages come from people of all levels of seniority.”
Costi says people are turning to LinkedIn because they aren’t seeing results from channels likehuman resources.
“HR is often more about protecting the company’s interests than supporting employees,” Costi says.
For Costi, as she often advises on LinkedIn, what works is thoroughly documenting behavior.
“Keep meticulous records of every incident, every conversation, every email,” she says.
“This isn’t just about protecting yourself.
It’s about building an undeniable case that even the company can’t ignore.
Not everyone agrees that LinkedIn is the right venue to tackle toxic workplaces.
LinkedIn representatives declined to comment on the record about toxic culture and posting.
Brenecki also notes why it might make sense to go to HR.
Workplace experts say workplace toxicity ultimately won’t be resolved by HR, the courts, or LinkedIn.
They made the case for employees working out issues together and holding each other accountable.
He suggests that the answer might be found through tough, direct conversations with colleagues.
“If they believe your agenda is to hurt them, they will use their power against you.
“I’ve faced trolling from those who deny the existence of such issues,” she says.
He has published two books including his latest, The Seven Minute Productivity Solution.
