CHAPTER 24
Rewarding Toxic Rock Stars Undermines People of Color
by Deepa Purushothaman and Lisen Stromberg
Most of us have known a high performer who is a bully at work or a leader who delivers results but creates a toxic environment. “Toxic rock stars” can ruin the workplace experience for most employees, but they’re particularly harmful to women of color. These individuals and the cultures that enable them are key factors driving women of color to leave their workplaces.1
Research has shown that toxic cultures cost U.S. companies almost $50 billion per year, and toxic culture was the single biggest predictor of attrition during the first six months of the Great Resignation. In the midst of the fight for talent, at a time when the link between ...
Get HBR Guide to Navigating the Toxic Workplace now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
