The tormentor is someone who believes they've made sacrifices and believes you should too. They might assign you useless work and pointless work just to make you work harder. The social identity threat is often a competitive situation that this person has set up. There's also insecurity that may be feeding this archetype as well.
To cap off our Getting Along series (see the last four episodes in our feed if you missed them), Amy Gallo offers advice, in front of a live audience, on how to deal with “difficult” colleagues. She talks with Amy Bernstein about the different types of difficult coworkers (from the tormentor to the know-it-all) and then answers questions from several members of the audience about the specific situations they’re facing. If you’re navigating a tough work relationship right now and don’t know how to turn things around, this episode is for you.
Resources:
Sign up for the Women at Work newsletter.
Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org