Jerks at Work: Toxic Coworkers and What to Do About Them

By Tessa West

West is a social psychologist, so she starts by dismantling the myth that most toxic bosses are cartoon villains. Many are undertrained, misincentivized, or overwhelmed—so they lean on habits (micromanaging, neglect, gaslighting) that “work” for them in the short term. One of West’s recurring findings: we often assume malicious intent when, roughly half the time, the behavior is more mindless than malevolent. That makes the brute-force approaches—venting, calling them out in a meeting, or hoping HR “just sees it”—backfire. Her advice: diagnose the type of boss you have, map the incentives that drive them, and then choose tactics calibrated to that pattern.