Toxic, dangerous groupthink
When herd mentality goes very wrong. Also, I'll be speaking about workplace bullying
Dear friends,
I’m writing from my hotel suite in Kuala Lumpur. Yes, a suite. Originally, I booked the cheapest room they have, but for some reason I was checked into a better room. Unfortunately, the walls were thin and as a result, I could hear my neighbours’ kids shrieking and popping balloons.
Yes, popping balloons.
My relaxing escapade was not off to a good start. In desperation, I called reception and asked that they tell my neighbours to shut the f*** up.
They did me better.
They moved me to another room.
Or rather, they moved me to a 2-bedroom suite.
Can we say, “Holy awesome, Batman??”
Sundress. Slippers. Colourful tiles. Staycattion, here I come!
This was my much-awaited, much-needed staycation after a challenging month at work. My task list never seemed to end. I was edging towards burnout and it was all I could do to recover over the weekend.
Me and burnout? We’re overly familiar friends. After three rounds of burnout I’ve learned a thing or two. I try to avoid the inevitable crash by following these rules:
If I can’t finish my tasks, I don’t stay up late to finish it. I sleep instead and wake up early to do the work.
10,000 steps a day. Walk in the evenings after work.
Eat meals high in nutrients.
Do something I love every day.
If you can’t meet the deadline, you can’t meet the deadline. Dare to fail.
Admittedly, I find it tough to follow these guidelines every day. Especially No.5. I’ve endured toxic workplaces where missing deadlines means being marched to HR for a Performance Improvement Plan. Also, as a person who takes pride in always meeting deadlines and then some, it is difficult to ignore my standards.
But if you’re tired, you’re tired. If you need more sleep, sleep. Trust me, your health is far more important than your task list.
Join me at Clubhouse
Speaking of toxic workplaces, I’ll be speaking at Clubhouse this Thursday, October 21, 8pm. Join us at this link: Workplace Bullying in Asia - Speak Up At Work - Clubhouse
I speak about workplace bullying because more people, especially in Asia, need to know about it and talk about it. When I first started to doing this, I was a little nervous - what would my future employers think of me? Will they think I’m a troublemaker?
I decided the cause was worth the risk. So do join us if you can.
What I watched/listened to
I am in the mood for documentaries in the last few weeks. Or more precisely, stories about cults and true crime. I have been binging on these:
The Vow and Seduced: Inside the NXIVM cult - the story first caught my attention because it involved Smallville actress Allison Mack. I found it eerie that these tactics can be found in more established religions like Christianity.
The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill - to prove my point, this podcast highlights the antics of once-popular preacher Mark Driscoll. Mars Hill was more of a cult than a church. Interestingly, some Christians say that they won’t recommend this podcast because it’s more like gossip than good, investigative journalism. I say, expose away - Christians need to confront this nonsense and bravely put it out in the open rather than downplay it.
House of Secrets - this Netflix documentary highlights one of India’s most mysterious cases. Eleven bodies were found hanging in a Delhi home one day. All of them family members. Was it murder? The answer is mind blowing.
Journal prompt
Have you ever been in a toxic workplace, or was part of something where the groupthink was oppressive? When did you realise that it was an unhealthy place? What did you do?
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