Dismissive replies? Testy retorts? Signs leaders need to watch for — and address
Strained communications can turn toxic. Know the signs to protect your team and workplace.
Healthy, high-performing work cultures can quickly shift when strained interactions turn toxic. Know the communications that threaten team effectiveness and how to limit their impact.
When pressures are unceasing and teams are stretched, communication suffers.
We’ve all likely experienced it:
An irritable reply to a reasonable request.
An exasperated tone when a difficult personality digs in and refuses to budge.
A nonverbal signal that broadcasts defensiveness, disrespect or even, contempt.
On one hand, these moments are human. However, workplaces where pressure and expectations are high, like hospital emergency rooms, interactions that trend disrespectful or toxic can snowball.
Team cohesion and effectiveness can suffer.
Less assertive colleagues may start to avoid others.
Absences rise. Turnover spikes.
Don’t wait for the results of an exit interview to learn your best performers were tired of tolerating the status quo. For growth-minded professionals, team communications should advance the work. Not hinder it.
When you allow others the space to spin into dramatic reactions, release dismissive comments or potentially offensive ones, you’re condoning unprofessional communications. Over time, these interactions can compromisepsychological safetyand the quality of workplace life.
However, in early stages, these communication signs are not always obvious.
Case Study: Clare’s Challenge
When Clare, a PhD and rising manager in a research agency, was promoted, she was thrilled. The new department had an ambitious mission, skilled teams and inspiring collaborative partners. However, subtle communication signals indicated not all was as “healthy” as her predecessor suggested.
As Clare described:
“We had a slew of team meetings throughout the week. At first, I was getting up to speed and listening in more than leading them. While most of our group were engaged and committed, there was a smalled cluster that always hung back. They’d sit in the corner and rarely offer input, but they’d whisper back and forth. It didn’t matter what ground rules we set, this trio was in their own world.
At first, I overlooked it. I didn’t want to deliver feedback in front of their peers.
Then, I tried addressing it more generally, pausing the meeting to ask for more focus. Well, they’d stop for a few minutes and then start back up again.
One afternoon, I reached my limit and called them out. There were apologies and they did get more involved in discussion. As we wrapped, I shared a few words praising the team’s progress and expressed my appreciation. Looking over the team I spotted the youngest, a red head named Steph, rolling her eyes. Infuriating!”
As Clare continued in her role, these communications had started to resemble something larger. For one thing, the trio had a pattern of baiting one another and spinning into dramatic reactions.
"They’d arrive in the office from offsite meetings and talk loudly about crises with certain partners or looming deadlines. Since we had an open office, their panicked tones would hook everyone’s attention. Yet if I asked clarifying questions, it quickly became clear their interpretations were exaggerated.”
What impact did these patterns have on the team?
“They were frustrating and distracting.” Clare continued. “It took me a little time to see this dynamic, but it was absolutely a drain. Everyone was working so hard. We had limited staff, significant milestones to meet and their responses took everyone off-course.”
Toxic or poor communicators may seem inept, even uncontrollable. But unless they’re kept in check, their influence can spread and weaken a team. It’s like building a high-rise on a fault line that’s cracking. When toxic communication persists, it can affect whole foundations.
Here’s what to look for and how to intervene to protect your work climate and teams from damaging communications and their after-shocks.
Loud Non-Verbals
As illustrated in Clare’s experience, nonverbal communication broadcasts as powerfully — if not more — than verbal speaking. Research indicates between 60-93% of our communication is nonverbal (including tone and behavior). A frustrated or disrespectful team member can express their attitudes and perspectives without saying a word.
Watch for behaviors like eye rolling, leaning back with crossed arms or angling away from a speaker, poor eye contact or ignoring another’s presence as these can indicate dismissiveness, disrespect or even, contempt. Take time to respond – in private. If the behavior persists, make the consequences clear and be ready to take action.
Persistent Interrupters
These vocal colleagues habitually cut off others. They may jump in to override what a peer is sharing or answer on behalf of them (minus the invitation to do so).
What can seem like a blindspot or personality trait can be interpreted as disrespectful and have real ripple effects.
With repeated experience, less vocal or more deferential members may yield to an interrupter. Their ideas or insights can be lost. Some may even begin to withhold when an interrupter is present.
Who’s most likely to experience this overshadowing? Women and minorities.
To ensure your team’s full wisdom and experience is being leveraged, take note of who’s interrupting and how and whose voice (or voices!) is absent. Rather than accelerate conversation, slow it down to shift the tone. Then invite input from those who’ve been silent and be firm with the interrupter. Protect your shared space for dialogue not the bulldozing of a single participant.
Over-Explainers
These colleagues are more than long-winded. They need to give context, unpack evidence and reinforce it.
In some scenarios, their thorough explanations may be beneficial. Onboarding a new member? Their rich detail-sharing can aid learning curves…to a point. It can also be an overwhelming experience to less assertive listeners.
In groups already spread thin with obligations and limited time, an over-explainer can drain critical energy and attention especially during team meetings.
Tread carefully. Many over-explainers are blind to their communication style, which can be a trait of neurodiversity or a product of early life experiences. Interrupt and hold a firm boundary around time. Reinforce your understanding of what they’ve shared and then move the conversation forward.
Bullying
Workplace bullying is among the most serious and damaging sources of toxic communication.
Recent surveys by Gallup show over 20% of professionals worldwide have encountered harassment at work. In the US,the proportion is believed to be closer to a third of working professionals. The pressures of harassment and bullying worsen stress and wellbeing.
Data from the International Labour Organization attributes as many as 840k deaths a year to health conditions stemming from workplace stress, including bullying and harassment.
Bullying communications should never be ignored or overlooked.
How does bullying present? Note colleagues who
Berate others
Dismiss their contributions or take credit for another's work
Diminish or put down peers, especially in front of supervisors or clients. This is a flag that more bullying may be happeningbehind closed doors.
Gaslight or call into question another person’s perception, memory or judgment. It cann be a subtle sign of wider harassment.
If any of these patterns present, take time to address them. Delays allow bullying to be prolonged, worsening its impact and jeopardizing the psychological safety of everyone. By handling bullying quickly and transparently, leaders demonstrate that safety and respect are real priorities, not hollow ideals.
Clarify your expectations and reinforce organizational policies by taking steps to hold a bully accountable. Whole cultures can shift under the burden of unchecked bullying.
Leadership Lessons for Clare
After months of targeted conversations with the challenging communicators on her team, Clare and her associate director took more definitive action. They consulted with HR and presented Steph with an official written warning. The next step would be probation.
The impact was immediate. Team meetings were less distracted and more respectful. The trio in which Steph was a part seemed to dissolve overnight.
“Eventually, I learned that all three had applied for leadership roles in the department and been denied.” Clare explained.
“Knowing this helped me understand the root of their toxic communications, but not excuse it. At the end of the day their behaviors were compromising my credibility as a leader. If we were going to move forward as a team, something had to shift.”
“I only wish I’d taken action earlier.” She said.
When teams are operating under constraints and high pressure, communications will be strained and less diplomatic. Tempers will spark.
But when you address a dismissive tone, redirect a repeat interrupter or take immediate steps to counter bullying, you’re communicating something even more lasting:
That mutual respect, shared contribution and psychological safety are valued and worth defending.
