How to Prevent Workplace Toxicity?

Sangeeta Rao (Sangeeta), an experienced sales professional from the cosmetics industry,
had recently joined Herbal Cosmetics Pvt. Ltd. (Herbal Cosmetics), a herbal cosmetics
manufacturing company, as Corporate Sales Manager at its Mumbai office. A native of
Bengaluru, Sangeeta had relocated to Mumbai about 3 months back following her marriage.
This was her first job in Mumbai. She had 7 years of experience in corporate sales (B2B) with
two different cosmetic companies in Bengaluru. These 7 years had been extremely fulfilling
as she had been the sales superstar in both the companies.
Herbal Cosmetics was a 4-year-old startup which had spawned from Saffron Oils &
Co. (Saffron), an established business house in the edible cooking oil industry. Yogesh Rawal
(Yogesh), a longstanding employee from Saffron was the CEO of Herbal Cosmetics and
Ranjini Rajan (Ranjini), also from the parent company, was the Sales
Head.

Two months into her new job at Herbal Cosmetics, Sangeeta was trying to get back to her
high-performance standards as earlier. The last 8 Fridays’ meetings had not been quite
reassuring. Unlike her previous two companies’ weekly sales review meetings, these weekly
review meetings at Herbal Cosmetics were quite disdainful, Sangeeta thought. She was
getting prepared for her 9th Friday’s team meeting. These weekly sales review meetings
were meant to take stock of the sales targets and course corrections if any.
9th Friday Sales Review Meeting
With a very positive sales outlook for the next quarter and with a deep sense of composure,
Sangeeta was ready for 9th Friday’s sales review meeting. “Hope not one of those 8
meetings”, Sangeeta fervently wished. Not a person to be easily intimidated, Sangeeta knew
she would be a star performer at Herbal Cosmetics with little more time and genuine
support. Her hope was short-lived though.
During the meeting, Ranjini, her reporting manager, insulted her, making personal remarks,
in front of the other colleagues. Sangeeta had failed to clinch a coveted corporate sales deal
which had left Ranjini fuming. “You might be newly-wed for your family but you are no
longer a new employee here. Two months is good enough time to understand a market. You
were hired at a hefty package for your experience. Is this your experience? Herbal Cosmetics
has lost a big business opportunity. I don’t want such mishaps again else you better find
your way out as there is no place for idiots on my team,” Ranjini shouted...........
Discussion Questions
I. What is workplace toxicity? Why is it important for companies and employees to be
sensitized on the effects of workplace toxicity?
II. What are all the various forms of workplace toxicity? From the given sequence of events
and conversations at Herbal Cosmetics, identify all the signals of workplace toxicity.