5/14( Tue ) How to deal with toxic coworkers?( Host: Alice )

[AliceChou]

No matter where you work, you’re bound to come across a difficult coworker. And if you’re not careful, one individual could ruin your entire work experience—and perhaps even damage your career.
It might be the teammate who takes credit for your work. Or, maybe your colleague’s negativity drags everyone down.
The McKinsey Health Institute conducted a study on toxic workplace conditions and burnout, using data from nearly 15,000 employees and 1,000 HR decision-makers in 15 countries. They found that toxic workplace behavior was the single biggest driver of employee negative outcomes, including burnout and intent to leave. Employees experiencing high levels of toxic behavior at work were eight times more likely to experience burnout symptoms such as exhaustion, reduced ability to regulate emotional and cognitive processes, and lack of engagement; and burned-out employees were six times more likely to quit within 3 to 6 months.

Whatever the emotional climate of your workplace, and whatever the employees’ collective emotional response to stress, remember that no one is an island. Emotional contagion is very real, and very powerful. Working with people who are constantly caught in the grip of negative emotion—and/or who do not respond to stress in healthy, productive ways—is a big red flag. Be aware that you’re in a high-risk environment and should take steps to protect yourself from the negative effects of emotional contagion well before it can develop into burnout.

Let's share our respective work experiences and look forward to using today's gathering as a means to better face work and toxic colleagues with a happier outlook in the future.

Discussion Questions:
Session I:
1. Do you currently have any toxic colleagues you're dealing with? Could you describe their behavior and the conflicts between you? Do you feel isolated when these conflicts arise?

2. How do you define a toxic colleague? Who do you think enables the existence of toxic colleagues? When you join a new team, can you quickly sense whether the team is toxic? If you have sensed something wrong, would you still be willing to stay in such a toxic environment?

3. If your relationship with a toxic colleague is unavoidable, how would you collaborate with them? Would you seek assistance from your supervisor?

4. What conditions do you believe constitute a good job for you? Would you sacrifice your personal life, family, or even your physical and mental health for a high salary? If you could create a dream job, what characteristics would it possess?

Session II:
5. Do you have clear boundaries between your work and personal life? Since the advent of instant messaging apps, do you receive messages from your supervisor or colleagues after hours, forcing you to work outside of regular hours? How do you achieve a healthy balance between work and life?

6. How do you deal with periodic feelings of fatigue in a long-term stable job? How do you effectively motivate yourself to maintain enthusiasm for tasks you're already familiar with?

7. Some people can't adapt to workplace culture or withstand the pressure from superiors, so they choose to start their own businesses. Do you think being a boss is less stressful than being an employee? Have you ever operated your own business? Could you share your personal or friends' experiences of entrepreneurship and their outcomes?

8. If you had the opportunity to build a team for yourself, what kind of leader would you be? What qualities do you expect your team members to have? Are you a supervisor who is willing to give subordinates a lot of freedom rather than supervision?

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Agenda

6:45 ~ 7:00pm Greetings & Free Talk / Ordering Beverage or Meal / Getting Newcomer’s Information
7:00 ~ 7:10pm Opening Remarks / Newcomer’s Self-introduction / Grouping
(Session I)
7:10 ~ 7:45pm Discussion Session (35 mins)
7:45 ~ 8:00pm Summarization (15 mins)
8:00 ~ 8:05pm Regrouping / Instruction Giving / Taking a 5 Minutes Break (Intermission)
(Session II)
8:05 ~ 8:40pm Discussion Session (35 mins)
8:40 ~ 8:55pm Summarization (15 mins)
8:55 ~ 9:00pm Concluding Remarks / Announcements

Meeting Date: As shown on the Subject Line
Meeting Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Meeting Venue: 丹堤咖啡 Dante Coffee (Minimum Order $100)
Address: 台北市濟南路三段25號[MAP]-捷運忠孝新生站3號出口步行3分鐘

Important Notes:
1. We advise participants to print out the discussion questions and bring them to the meeting for reference. As for the supporting articles, feel free to print them out, as well, according to your preference.
2. We suggest that participants read the articles and think about the questions in advance.
3. Newcomers should prepare a two-to-three minute self-introduction in English to deliver when called upon by the host before the start of the discussion. The host may also ask you to give brief feedback about the meeting at the conclusion of the meeting.
4. We conduct the entire meeting in English. All participants should have at least moderate English-conversation skills and be able to articulate your ideas for each discussion question.
5. We welcome newcomers and other guests to attend the meetings and join the discussion freely for two times. After that, we hope you will consider becoming a YoYo English Club member. We charge a NT$1500 lifetime membership fee, or NT$1000 for students.

[miller]

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