Christian Chapman, 41, likened his experience during Better.com's orientation to the thrill of a new relationship. The benefits were abundant, the company's mission was strong, and Chapman, a mortgage underwriting trainer, quickly became enamored. He and his colleagues enthusiastically exclaimed "LGTM!" - short for "Let's Get That Money." However, warning signs soon emerged. One significant incident was a video call last summer in which Vishal Garg, the company's CEO, went on a profanity-laced tirade about outperforming competitors, leading Chapman to mute the call and escort his young daughter out of the room. Then, just last month, Garg terminated 900 Better.com employees, including Chapman, approximately 9% of the workforce, through a recorded Zoom call that was later shared online. Garg later apologized for his actions, but just over a week later, the company's board announced that the founder and chief executive would be "taking time off" from his role. For nearly two years, employees have been working from couches and communicating through instant messages. The workforce, which had experienced significant changes, has reevaluated how people should be treated in a corporate environment. Angelina Darrisaw, CEO of C-Suite Coach, noted that there has been a decrease in tolerance for difficult bosses, as seen by the increased interest in her executive coaching services last year. "You can't just wake up one day and be a leader," she remarked. "Companies are now focusing on ensuring that their managers are properly trained to lead." The recent emphasis on workplace behavior follows years of public discussions about appropriate conduct in the office. The #MeToo movement led to numerous executives resigning due to allegations of sexual misconduct. The Black Lives Matter protests, triggered by the death of George Floyd, prompted corporate leaders to apologize for past discriminatory actions and commit to improving diversity in their workforce. Additionally, the disruption caused by the pandemic has caused individuals to reevaluate the negative aspects of office culture that they previously overlooked. Some people are stating that they no longer want to work for unpleasant individuals. However, being rude is not against the law, which complicates the issue of dealing with mean colleagues. The definition of a bully is subjective and can vary depending on the person's perspective. The popular culture image in recent years is of a demanding and high-standards boss, such as Meryl Streep's character in "The Devil Wears Prada." In reality, bad behavior by bosses can range from mildly uncomfortable to outright offensive. The founder's strong vision and ambition can sometimes make it challenging for staff to question his temperament, as seen with Garg accusing fired employees of stealing by not working enough hours. Similarly, Hollywood mogul Scott Rudin, known for his acclaimed work, also exhibited aggressive behavior towards his subordinates. Another example is Steph Korey, former CEO of Away, who enforced a demanding work culture that required loyalty and constant Slack activity. In a message to her staff, she expressed her hope that everyone in the group would appreciate the effort she had put into creating a career development opportunity, and asked them to stop requesting time off. She also mentioned Oracle's Larry Ellison, who once referred to his leadership style as "management by ridicule," stating that one must be good at intellectual intimidation and rhetorical bullying. Tessa West, a social psychologist at New York University, wrote a book called "Jerks at Work" that outlines different types of bad personalities such as the bulldozer, free rider, gaslighter, and kiss up/kick downer. A lot of the instances she discusses involve supervisors, who are usually more difficult to report. West's interest in the topic is personal, as she experienced workplace harassment during her time at the University of Connecticut. A peer engaged in various forms of sabotage, such as providing incorrect meeting times and criticizing her clothing choices. Despite the comments not clearly violating any rules of conduct, West was unsure about addressing the issue further. West reflected on how the climate has changed and how certain behaviors are now seen as inappropriate. Going to work has always involved dealing with unpleasant aspects like commuting and pre-coffee conversations, as well as following orders from superiors even early in the morning. However, over the past year, some individuals have noticed a shift in power dynamics between employees and employers. This change could be attributed to the significant number of people resigning from their jobs, with a record 4.5 million Americans quitting in November. Alternatively, it could be due to the uncertainty surrounding office return plans. More workers are feeling more empowered to speak up to their managers, with the definition of being your full self at work changing to include activities like meditation and conversations about how the company supports the community. Jacquelyn Carter, 26, initially did not plan to quit her job during the pandemic, but the accumulation of small offenses eventually led her to leave her position at a nonprofit in Houston. Some coworkers frequently forgot her name, while others spoke over her in meetings. A manager at her workplace criticized one of her ideas as "stupid." As a Black woman, she faced insensitive comments from white colleagues. When she was at home, she realized she didn't have to deal with remarks about her appearance in the hallway. She saw TikToks of people celebrating leaving jobs they disliked, known as QuitTok, featuring songs like Destiny's Child's "Bills, Bills, Bills" and Cardi B's "Money." One popular post showed three women dancing offscreen with text explaining the toxic work environment. This motivated her to leave her employer due to a mean colleague, leading her to search for new opportunities and eventually join Darrisaw's firm. The negative experiences shared in the bad-boss-goodbye posts motivated some individuals to transition from retail to office jobs, such as Kristofer Flatt, who was previously employed at a large retail store in Arkansas. Flatt's managers disregarded his requests for better protective gear, assigned him tasks without clear instructions, and questioned his need for time off to attend a funeral. As a result, he left his job in the spring of 2020 and secured a position in a corporate setting. Janine Yancey, the founder of Emtrain, emphasized the importance of creating a positive work culture in order to attract top talent, noting that many companies have not invested enough in developing leadership and management skills in recent years. Yancey, a former employment lawyer, realized that legal reform alone would not create the workplace changes she wanted to see after watching Ellen Pao lose her gender discrimination lawsuit in 2015. She believes that society as a whole needs to change, not just laws. Shani Ospina works to speed up this societal change as a professional jerk patroller. An executive coach from Strategyzer, a software and consulting company, conducts 90-minute screenings to evaluate the personality fit of job candidates, emphasizing the importance of teamwork. She begins by asking candidates what aspect of themselves they are most proud of, then delves deeper by inquiring about what they would like to change, with the belief that recognizing failures and striving for improvement is key to distinguishing between average individuals and hardcore jerks. Strategyzer's founder, Alex Osterwalder, highlights qualities such as blaming colleagues, rejecting feedback, and gossiping as common jerk behaviors, underscoring the significance of screening for nonjerkiness in addition to technical skills. The negative impact of being rude or incompetent on productivity is similar. Competent individuals who are also rude can have significant consequences, especially in a corporate environment where results are valued more than the means of achieving them. At Baird, a financial services firm, this principle is taken seriously and is even included in company policy. New employees are explicitly told about the company's "no asshole rule" during their orientation and it is incorporated into their training materials. Leslie Dixon, who is the head of human resources, has terminated employees for breaking the policy. Dixon believes that by clearly stating the policy in writing and discussing it during the onboarding process and throughout an employee's career, it encourages open communication about behavior that may not be illegal but can still be uncomfortable. The team at Strategyzer, who enforces Baird's policy, understand that rudeness is not a fixed characteristic and employees are not fired for minor mistakes. Even Beth Kavelaris, the director of culture and integration at the company, received feedback in the past that made her reconsider her behavior. Kavelaris remembered receiving criticism from their boss about needing to improve their listening skills, admitting to interrupting her during the conversation. Kavelaris acknowledged that they have since improved in this area and have not received similar feedback in a long time. Recently, Garg, who had previously fired 900 employees over Zoom, issued an apology to his team at Better.com. In the apology, he admitted to failing to show proper respect and appreciation for those affected by the layoffs and vowed to do better in the future. The apology also included a commitment to transparency and sharing the company's goals for 2022. His downfall occurred at a time when almost every company is focused on retaining talent. Without a strong staff, it is impossible to meet performance targets. Companies are starting to understand that misconduct is a major factor in employee turnover. Darrisaw, from C-Suite Coach, assists companies in evaluating their workplace culture and identifying any issues that may be causing employees to consider leaving certain teams. "That frequently indicates the type of management style that is in place." On occasion, employees may publicly criticize their harsh coworkers, while in other instances, this responsibility falls on those who are resigning instead. This suggests that the season of resignations could cause problems for the difficult individuals. ©2022 The New York Times Company.