Toxic Boss Bullies My Colleagues – How Can I Protect My Team and Avoid Confrontations

Apprentice star and West Ham United vice-chairman Karren Brady answers your career questions.

Here, Karen gives advice to a reader who is struggling to confront their toxic boss.

Q: I work at a law firm and manage four employees.

My own boss is a director and very toxic, and has made my colleagues upset on several occasions.

Even the other directors are afraid to confront her.

She is not directly horrible to me as I have developed a good working relationship with her.

But how can I protect my team and colleagues when other directors don’t dare report them for anything?

And what can I do about the toxic environment she created?

Raquel, by email

A: I understand the difficulty of the situation when the person who behaves this way is superior to you, but as a manager, you need to protect your team and create a healthier work environment.

Tell your team members that you are aware of the situation and that you are there to support them.

Encourage open communication and provide a safe space for them to come to you with specific examples of this toxic behavior.

If you feel comfortable doing so, talk to your boss directly.

Explain that although you enjoy your working relationship with her, some team members are having difficulty with her management style.

Be respectful, focus on specific incidents and their impact rather than making general accusations, and avoid personal comments.

If this continues and more experienced colleagues are also concerned, build alliances with them and escalate the issue to your boss’s boss or HR as you will be able to resolve the issue more effectively collectively.

While this is ongoing, focus on building a positive work culture.

Creating change takes time and perseverance, so be resilient and keep advocating for yourself and your team

• Have a career question for Karen? Email bossingit@fabulousmag.co.uk.