I’m a career expert – how to tell if you have a toxic boss and what you can do to avoid becoming a victim of gaslighting

A career coach has revealed the signs your boss is gassing you and how you can overcome a toxic work environment to succeed at your job.

Fiona Harold, a top executive coach, business mentor and consultant from Northern Irelandrevealed some top warning signs of a toxic boss that you can spot in the ways they lead people.

Speaking to FEMAIL, Fiona urged people struggling in the workplace to ‘take control’ of the situation and ‘not allow your wellbeing, happiness and career path to be compromised by one person’.

She shared her red flags that signal an unhealthy workplace and revealed her coping tools.

Fiona’s workplace red flags

The first sign that your boss may be toxic is if they dismiss your concerns about the tasks you are given.

Fiona, author of Be your own life coach said: ‘When you raise a concern about being able to complete a task within the time allotted, your concern is swept aside.

‘They may suggest that you are overthinking or overestimating the time required, or perhaps you are a perfectionist, but your concern is not considered or discussed.’

Another indicator of a bad manager is when they put off discussing your concerns – or even deny that such a conversation ever took place.

‘When you ask for more time or exceed the deadline, your previous conversation is denied ever having taken place. Your boss says (they) have no recollection of the conversation,” Fiona said.

Being accused of tardiness is also on the list of red flags to watch out for, the career expert said.

Fiona said: ‘(Your boss) isolates and identifies (you) as the sole reason why work is late and (that) a chain of events has stopped because of you.’

She added that because the finger is pointed at you, your peers may see you as the problem.

How can you protect yourself from toxic workplaces?

Fiona Harold, a top executive coach, business mentor and consultant, spoke to MailOnline about the warning signs of management behavior that you shouldn’t ignore

Fiona said those struggling with toxic office behavior should avoid having confidential one-on-one conversations with their boss. Instead, they should ensure that others are present in the meetings.

It is also important to have a conversation with your boss to try to resolve this issue.

‘Ask them for their recommendations. Do this in a clear, confident way that doesn’t suggest you’re wrong or guilty of anything,’ the trainer said.

Another way to tackle this behavior is to always get agreements in writing and ensure you have a paper trail. This means that nothing can be denied and there is documentation of what has been said in conversations.

Asking HR and requesting a mentor can help ease tensions in the office.

“Ideally this is someone more senior in your organization who understands the environment,” she said.

‘This is not a sign of weakness, but of ambition and commitment. It is crucial that you do not feel isolated and alone with this problem, but find the right way to get support.

Importantly, Fiona reminded people that it is not their fault to be gaslighted by their boss.

She said. ‘It is important not to enter into a dynamic that can make you feel that you have done something wrong. It would be easy to start thinking that you must have done something or been negligent. Clearly this person is behaving in an unprofessional manner and you do not deserve this treatment.’

The author said that bosses probably behave this way because they feel insecure about their abilities, especially if they have just received a promotion.

“A person who is confident in himself has no need to undermine someone else,” she added.

She added that it could also be a sign that they have narcissistic tendencies or suffer from psychological problems.