“Is there any truth to the expression, ‘one rotten apple spoils the whole barrel’? You bet.” ~ Dr. Joe Schwarcz,  Director at McGill University, Montreal

“One bad apple don’t spoil the whole bunch, girl. Oh, I don’t care what they say, I don’t care what you heard.” ~ One Bad Apple, by the Osmonds, 1970

“The rotten apple spoils his companions.” ~ Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanac, 1736

“Mark you this, Bassanio,
The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.
An evil soul producing holy witness
Is like a villain with a smiling cheek,
A goodly apple rotten at the heart.
Oh, what a goodly outside falsehood hath!” ~ The Merchant of Venice, Act 1, Scene 3, by William Shakespeare, c. 1596

“Wel bet is roten appul out of hoord
Than that it rotie al the remenaunt,
So fareth it by a riotous servaunt
…It is ful lasse harm to lete hym pace,
Than he shende alle the servantz in the place.” ~ Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer, c. 1387

The idea that bad — or rotten — apples of the human variety are able to harm or spoil others has been acknowledged since at least the 14th century when Chaucer wrote about them. And it’s an apt metaphor because one actual rotten apple can spoil a whole bunch of healthy apples — that’s a scientific fact. (Sorry, Osmonds — your song is great, though.)

While most of us human apples strive to be bright and colorful and crisp — — there are rotten ones among us, and they span all industries, fields, professions, workplaces and communities. Some of these rotten apples are outright bullies, some are passive-aggressive baddies — the kind that smile as they tear you apart, some are backbiters and gossips, and some are slackers and downers. All of these bad apples burden and depress those around them, impact morale and productivity, drive away talent and customers and subtract from an institution’s reputation and bottom line, as well as make others miserable in the world at large.

So, with apologies to real apples — the kind that grow on trees and are humanity’s friends because they are healthy to eat, yet sometimes have been disparaged, such as describing the fruit that the serpent tempted Eve with as an apple (there is no Biblical reference to the type of fruit offered) and the fairy tale wicked witch giving Snow White a poisoned apple  — what do we do about the human bad apple wrecking balls among us?

The Bad / Rotten Apples

Those who have worked with human bad apples — the ones who either don’t pull their weight or who throw their weight around — know that they negatively impact others’ ability to perform optimally. Hence, it is up to all the good apples — employees and managers all the way up to the C-Suite — to call out bullying and other bad behaviors and deal with those who perpetuate them. But this obviously is not being done nearly enough because, as the Harvard Business Review reports, approximately one-third of Americans are bullied at work. One-third! Moreover, most workplace bullies are men and most targets are women. Hmmm… is it conceivable, then, that bullying in the workplace is tolerated because most bullies are men and men run most companies, as in 90% of the Fortune 500 and nearly two-thirds of small businesses, for example? That’s certainly another reason to step up the change in CEO gender stats!

During my corporate career years, I witnessed more than one coworker who was forced to transfer from a job they loved and did well to another team, another company, or even another career path, for no other reason than to escape bullying.  Think about that: having to give up a great job, company or career due to being drummed out of something you loved because of bullying! Shouldn’t it be the other way around?! Shouldn’t the bullies be the ones to leave and preferably seek professional help to change their behavior?! That’s what happens with actual apples; the good apples aren’t thrown out — the bad ones are in order to protect the food supply chain from toxins!

Although I have left corporate workplace bullies behind in my retirement (and I encountered a lot over four decades!), I have become more aware of healthcare industry bad and bruised apples (mostly bullies, but some who are merely incompetent) as I find myself going to more doctors and medical facilities in my older age. Most healthcare workers are professional, kind, empathetic and do no harm; but they are human like the rest of us and are no different than workers in any workplace.

Two of my more hair-raising experiences occurred in the offices of new doctors. The first involved a medical assistant who was channeling that quintessential bullying bad apple, Miss Trunchbull (Matilda, 1996). At first, I attributed the MA’s brusqueness to efficiency because not all medical people need to be cuddly — but they should be decent. Another incident involved being sent for a test by a new doctor in which the technical assistant who conducted the test channeled her foul mood to bullying me until I called a halt to the test.  In both incidents, I stood up to the bullies and reported their behaviors to the doctors, immediate administrative managers and to the CEOs of their respective healthcare mega-organizations. Not standing up to and reporting such behavior leaves room for it to continue and allows for other patients to be abused. My perseverance over time in dealing with bullying behavior at medical facilities might be bringing about some positive results. I will address etiquette in the medical profession more fully in a future post. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I have not always remained calm, cool and collected in dealing with bullies, especially as I grow older and flintier – lol. But, then, I have never had much patience with bullies, abusers and harassers!)

The sad fact is that when one works long enough it is very likely that contact with bad apples will occur, whether as observers or unwilling participants. One of the biggest nightmares is when a bad apple is hired because a candidate interviewed spectacularly and presented credentials and then did a 180 when on the job, spoiling the work environment for everyone, from the manager throughout the entire staff, or when a bad apple was inadvertently hired because there weren’t other candidates due to a shortage in applications.

I would like to interject here that it is my strong recommendation that hiring managers personally check out a candidate’s references. Human Resources is adept at screening candidates based on basic requirements and company policies — the big picture — but can be perfunctory about checking references. Hands down, it is the hiring manager who best knows the specific position, can home in on the details, and is skilled in asking the right questions and actively listening to the answers. Some employers skip checking references altogether because they believe they will be contrived, but that is a mistake. All bases must be covered when hiring to avoid extending an offer to a bad apple. 

Another reason bad apples slip into the labor barrel is due to protection of such bad apples by management. This can occur for various reasons, including office affairs (when having an affair with the boss affords a sense of power that turns into bullying), being a high producer of low character, being related or sycophantic to a powerful manager or being the powerful manager, for just a few examples.

Bullies are difficult to deal with under any circumstances. But it is especially scary when the bad apple bully is your manager, and perhaps even scarier when the bully is your direct report! The latter scenario can come in numerous guises, including the new hire cannot cut the job and blames you for their shortcomings (poor communication, training, assistance, etc.), or the embittered peer who wanted your promotion but now reports to you, or the subordinate who wants your job and tries to cripple you through various forms of bullying, including spreading rumors, criticizing and mocking you, withholding important information, excluding you on emails, sabotaging projects and purloining your ideas. And, of course, there is the passive-aggressive bully who bobs and weaves by being your supporter to your face and your tormentor behind your back. Although this dynamic can occur within an mix of genders, it reportedly occurs most often — once again — when the manager is a woman and the subordinate is a man.

However, it’s not just in the workplace that bad applies are encountered. They are also in organizations where we volunteer our time and expertise. Sometimes well-established volunteers bully or snub newer ones, which often results in losing volunteers and hurting the various not-for-profits and charitable organizations that rely on their support.

The Bruised Apples

But just because an apple is not perfect, crisp and juicy does not mean it’s bad; it might just be bruised. Generally, when an apple is bad we throw it out. But if it’s bruised, we often simply cut off that part and eat the rest of the apple, which is usually just fine. The same can be said of human apples. Some have weaknesses that can affect the entire team, department or even company if not addressed swiftly and decisively. But if and when bruised apples are addressed successfully, they can become functioning and strong links in the team.

Some of the bruised apples I’ve known in both my professional and personal lives have been those who felt underappreciated, were not challenged, were victims of a bad bullying apple, had personal problems that they brought to work, were under-qualified for the position they occupied or were not trained properly. Usually, though, these bruised apples had good qualities that when nurtured resulted in the bruises going way. We find these bruised apples in every workplace, community and even families. They are the ones that often can be saved and turned into bright apples that enrich rather than spoil the rest in the barrel.

How To Save The Barrel

Bad apples in the workplace are often beyond the normal kind of help that the average manager can provide.  In order to save an organization from the rot that bad apples spread, it is necessary to start at the top of the house by implementing preventative policies to keep employees from becoming bad apples in the first place, and to remove any rotten apples before they do their damage. Like a barrel of healthy, robust and beautiful apples, most people are not bent on bullying, coercing, cheating, lying, blaming, slacking, spreading gossip, insulting, shaming, back-biting, embarrassing, harassing, verbally or physically assaulting or otherwise hurting others. So, if I have learned anything from the 40 years I spent in corporate America across four industries about bad apples in the workplace it is that they and their enablers are in the minority and combatting them lies in leveraging the majority of good apples to stand up to them.

One person who is standing up to bullies and bullying everywhere is Bonnie Low Kramen, former celebrity assistant and current workplace expert, who has targeted this issue. And because of her, many bad apple bullies are rolling toward the exits! Check out Ms. Low Kramen’s advice here.

As well, check out my previous posts on the subject: Is That Pain In Your Neck — Your Boss?, Coping With the Workplace Bully – Part 1, Coping With the Workplace Bully – Part 2

And here are some quick thoughts for individuals to combat bullying:

• Understand that you are not the one with the problem; the bully is. And if the bully has struck your weak spot, do a self-assessment to improve (none of us is perfect but we all should be striving to improve). Do not allow the bully to call the shots. Remain in control of yourself, your job and your career — as well as your professional development and self-improvement.
• Acknowledge the bullying problem and prepare to deal with it. This includes keeping a journal of incidents (no matter how small) so that you can document evidence and show a pattern, consulting a trusted and experienced colleague for support and advice, and discussing the problem with your manager and / or HR. All of this will result in your being fully prepared and confident to confront the bad apple from a position of strength.
• Leverage your professional network of contacts, inside and outside your organization, which can help in many ways by learning of similar experiences and how they were addressed, and connecting with those who can help with your next career move should you need it. That will give you confidence and peace of mind when confronting a bully, firing off some truth to power, or dealing with any other knotty professional issue for that matter. So, keep growing and nurturing your network. If you don’t have one, for heaven’s sake get moving on creating one! Linked-In is a good place to start; here is a guest post that is more than 10 years old, but it still has enough information to get you up and running. And don’t forget about your internal workplace network; people who are well-known, well-liked, respected and connected generally are more difficult to bully. But it still can happen, so be strong and be prepared.
• Confront the bully calmly but seriously with your concerns about their behavior, with concise oral evidence and a request for them to cease and desist.  No matter what their response is, remain calm, dignified, professional and in charge. Give them time and space to back off; if they don’t, have another conversation. If that still does not work, begin the process that is in place at your particular workplace to escalate the problem and deal with the bully officially. Remember, though, that bullying is not the same as harassment in the legal sense, so the process to deal with each will be different. That is why it is so important for employers to make and enforce policies and procedures that address the behaviors associated with bullying.

To reiterate, however, standing up to bad apples must start with an organization’s leadership, those who are responsible for the barrel being healthy. Those in charge of making policy must understand that if they don’t weed out the bad apples their whole barrel could eventually turn rotten. And they should not overlook the bruised apples in order to make them whole before they turn into bad apples.

Until next time,

Jeanne