The office seems more toxic than ever

Dear Amy: Like so many others, I have faced my share of struggles trying to get through the pandemic and keep my health, family, and career on track.

I worked remotely and am now back working at our of fice space. We employees basically trade off working in the office and working from home. Working at the of fice is different than it used to be, but this is a compromise that seems to be ef fective, at least in the short term.

Now we wear masks in public spaces and are extremely careful to distance from one another, but — weirdly — one dynamic left over from the “before times” seems to persist: some of my coworkers still seem to traf fic in negative gossip and petty sniping about management, and each other.

Honestly, this bothers me a lot more than it used to, and I’m wondering if there is anything I can do to change a dynamic that has more or less infiltrated our workplace.

— Tired of Toxicity

Dear Tired: A recent study published in

Applied Psychology explores the effect of gratitude on negative workplace behavior. The study looked at 351 people, testing the ef fectiveness of keeping a “gratitude journal” for 10 days. Employees were asked to spend a brief time each morning simply writing down things they are grateful for.

The study concluded that par ticipants who wrote in gratitude journals par ticipated in significantly less gossip and other toxic behaviors at work. There are a number of theories about why this practice seems to work, but basically anchoring to gratitude can significantly boost an individual’s mental and emotional outlook and attitude. And people who feel good (or better) about themselves and their lives are kinder toward others.

This might be a good exercise for you and your colleagues; if you’re not in a position to directly address the toxicity and suggest this as a potential solution, then you might tr y it — or meditation — on your own. Star ting each day with a mindful recognition of the good things in your own life may make the toxicity seem less pointed and painful.