Shining a Light on Gaslighting in the Workplace

Author: Keesha Booth. 

Shining a Light on Gaslighting in the Workplace: Why it is hard to address this abusive behaviour.

We often think about gaslighting in our personal relationships but what does it look like in the workplace?

In the workplace, fostering a healthy and supportive environment is crucial for productivity and employee well-being. Unfortunately, I have lived experience of gaslighting in a workplace and of all the educational articles I read to educate myself at the time it was missing one key truth- gaslighting is designed to be hard to address in the workplace when there are no clear policies, education, accountability metrics and courageous conversations. It is an abusive behaviour that can undermine trust, confidence, and mental health.

Let's shed light on what gaslighting is and why it's important but also hard to address in the workplace. 

What is Gaslighting in the workplace?

Gaslighting is one form of coercive control in the workplace, and is a manipulative tactic where individuals seek to distort someone else’s perception of reality, making them doubt their own thoughts, feelings, and experiences. It creates an imbalanced power dynamic, leaving victims feeling confused, invalidated, and powerless. While gaslighting typically occurs on an individual level, institutional gaslighting operates at a systemic level and can have far-reaching consequences. It can manifest in various ways, such as denying the existence of discrimination, downplaying systemic issues, dismissing concerns of marginalised groups, or perpetuating stereotypes that invalidate their experiences.

Why it's challenging to confront it?

Power Dynamics: Gaslighting often occurs in imbalanced power structures, making it tough for targets to speak up without fear of backlash. i.e., a leader abuses their positional power to distort employees’ realities of work to maintain power and influence. 

Subtle Manipulation: Gaslighters excel at subtle manipulation, leaving targets struggling to pinpoint and express the toxic behaviour.

Emotional Toll: Gaslighting takes an emotional toll, leaving victims anxious, doubtful, and isolated, making it harder to confront the issue confidently.

Master Storytellers: Gaslighters manipulate perceptions through strategic storytelling, tarnishing their victim's reputation and credibility. By crafting defamatory narratives, they effectively pigeonhole the victim and create an environment where they feel unsafe sharing their experiences.

Chaos environments: Gaslighters excel in reactive and chaotic work settings, where they exploit uncertainty and keep employees on edge. They are most effective when individuals lack a clear sense of purpose and are deprived of downtime to strategise and analyse problems. By creating an environment of constant unpredictability, gaslighters make it difficult for employees to comprehend their situation, as they are constantly caught in a psychological whirlwind.

The consequences of ignoring gaslighting in the workplace

Gaslighting breeds toxicity, harms well-being, and erodes teamwork. Let's uncover the consequences of organisations who ignore this behaviour:

✖️ Toxic Work Environment- Gaslighting breeds a toxic atmosphere characterised by fear, mistrust, and emotional distress. Such an environment leads to decreased morale, high employee turnover, and a decline in overall productivity. When employees feel unsupported and undervalued, the organisational culture suffers.

✖️ Decreased Employee Well-being- Gaslighting takes a toll on mental and emotional well-being. Individuals targeted by gaslighters experience heightened stress, anxiety, self-doubt, and diminished confidence. Over time, this can lead to burnout, decreased job satisfaction, and negative impacts on physical health. An organisation's failure to address gaslighting exacerbates these issues and harms employees' overall well-being.

✖️ Impaired Teamwork and Collaboration- gaslighting erodes trust, creating an atmosphere of competition and self-preservation. Effective teamwork, collaboration, and communication suffer as a result. Employees hesitate to share ideas, contribute openly, or seek help from colleagues, resulting in silos, reduced innovation, and decreased efficiency.

✖️ Legal and Reputational Risks- Gaslighting that involves harassment, discrimination, or other illegal conduct poses significant legal and reputational risks. Victims may file complaints or lawsuits, leading to financial liabilities and reputational damage. Failure to address gaslighting can tarnish an organisation's image as a fair and inclusive employer, making it difficult to attract and retain top talent.

✖️ Erosion of Leadership Credibility- Ignoring gaslighting undermines leadership credibility. Employees may lose trust in their leaders, perceiving them as weak or unconcerned about their well-being. This breakdown in the employee-manager relationship leads to reduced employee loyalty and commitment to organisational goals.

✖️ Loss of Organisational Values- Gaslighting behaviour contradicts organisational values such as respect, integrity, and fairness. Failure to address gaslighting sends a message that these values are not genuinely upheld or prioritised. This misalignment results in employee disillusionment, loss of organisational identity, and reduced engagement.

The failure to address gaslighting in the workplace can have significant detrimental effects on both individuals and the organisation. It is crucial for organisations to proactively address gaslighting behaviour to create a healthy, supportive, and inclusive work environment that promotes the well-being and productivity of all employees.

Shifting a gaslighting culture in the workplace takes collaboration.

Shifting gaslighting culture in the workplace requires collaboration and champions of the cause. Many articles focus on what an employee should do but I think this has a subtle undertone of victim blaming rather than keeping perpetrators & institutions to account. Here's how organisations can be culture shifting champions:

• Awareness and education: Raise awareness about gaslighting and its impact. Offer training and resources to empower employees to recognise and address this behaviour. i.e. monthly toolbox/ team meetings. Incorporate it into your White Ribbon or Domestic & Family Violence campaigns.
• Leadership commitment: Leaders must take responsibility and set an example. Model respectful communication, establish policies against gaslighting, and hold everyone accountable. Gaslighters thrive in environments where there is no accountability.
• Clear communication and expectations: Create safe spaces for open dialogue, diverse perspectives, and psychological safety. Encourage employees to report gaslighting incidents.
• Bystander intervention: Empower employees to be active bystanders. Teach them how to intervene respectfully and support those affected by gaslighting.
• Support systems and resources: Provide counselling services, coaching, and mentoring programs. Guide employees on seeking assistance to navigate gaslighting situations.
• Regular feedback and evaluation: Gather feedback from employees, listen to their experiences, and identify areas for improvement. Use feedback to develop effective strategies.
• Consequential accountability: Establish fair consequences for gaslighting behaviour, regardless of position. Send a strong message that gaslighting (abuse) won't be tolerated. Sometimes 360 feedback surveys for leaders can play a crucial accountability metric and give employees the ability to respond anonymously and honestly.
• Continuous improvement: Regularly assess the effectiveness of strategies and adapt based on feedback. Foster a culture of learning and improvement.

 How to protect your energy from Gaslighters

Gaslighting behaviour can be subtle, manipulative, and emotionally draining. It is meant to be hard to address it head on in the workplace. Here is a list of how it takes various levers to challenge it as well as, call it out:

Educate yourself: Learn about gaslighting and its effects to recognise and address it effectively.

Stay within your integrity line: Gaslighters thrive off individuals coming out of their integrity to meet their power needs. Get clear on what you are not willing to tolerate and protect your energy.

Trust your instincts: Don't doubt yourself. Trust your intuition when you sense manipulation or undermining tactics.

Document incidents: Keep a record of gaslighting instances to provide evidence and support your case if needed. Keep it factual, objective and if you have witnesses to the event- make it noted.

Seek support: Reach out to trusted colleagues or mentors who can offer guidance and validation.

Set boundaries: Clearly communicate your boundaries and demand respectful treatment (I know -easier said than done).

Confront assertively: Stay calm and assertive when addressing gaslighting. Express your concerns using "I" statements and stick to the facts. A subtle strategy is to ‘grey rock’

Report through formal channels: If gaslighting persists, report it to HR or your supervisor, providing documented incidents for evidence.

Seek external assistance if needed: Don't hesitate to consult professionals like employment lawyers or coaches for guidance.

Leave the organisation: Quitting is a form of setting boundaries and if the company doesn’t value your psychological safety, leaving will be your ultimate self-care strategy.

Remember that addressing gaslighting behaviour can be challenging, and it may take time to effect change. Focus on your own well-being and prioritise self-care throughout the process. Shifting a gaslighting culture requires time, patience, and consistent effort from all stakeholders. It is essential to involve employees at all levels and create a collective commitment to fostering a supportive and respectful workplace.

 By Keesha Booth, Specialist Advisor, People and Performance Advisory