Heavy Strategy HS113: Bad Tech Romance: Five Signs You’re In an Abusive IT Relationship
Sep 30, 2025
Sandy Miller, a pseudonymous CIO, shares her insights on identifying toxic IT work environments. She highlights five signs of an abusive IT relationship, including the dreaded 'Sunday scaries' and stalled promotions. Sandy shares personal experiences of fear and distrust stemming from manipulation of information and siloed cultures. The discussion dives into recognizing hostile workplaces, the impact of bad leadership versus toxic company intentions, and the importance of aligning personal values with corporate missions. A candid exploration of workplace dynamics!
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Sunday Dread Reveals Job Mismatch
- If you dread Mondays and feel the "Sunday scaries," it's a major signal your job may be wrong for you.
- Persistent dread about work time means you're wasting a large portion of your life, Sandy Miller argues.
Request Missing Information As A Culture Test
- Ask for the information you need to do your job and watch the response as a diagnostic of culture.
- If leaders respond cagey or guilty, treat that as a red flag about transparency and trust.
Assigned Work Used To Create A Fall Guy
- Sandy describes being asked to do a coworker's work that was later used to compare and potentially scapegoat her.
- She recognized the culture was unsafe and ultimately left because she couldn't continue there.
