Noelle Crooks, author of Under the Influence and former employee of Rachel Hollis, joins Daisy Rosario on The Waves to discuss toxic female bosses. They tackle topics like workplaces being like a family, the dangers of office dance parties, and how powerful women misuse their minority status. They also explore the allure of toxic work cultures, the similarities between toxic workplaces and actual cults, and the unique challenges women face in online media.
Toxic female bosses in the #GirlBoss era present a disconnect between outward success and toxic work environments.
Toxic workplaces led by women often use empowering language and minority status to manipulate and take advantage of employees.
Deep dives
The Influence of Toxic Female Bosses
The podcast episode explores the phenomenon of toxic workplaces led by women, focusing on the #GirlBoss era and the disillusionment caused by realizing these influential women are themselves toxic bosses. Examples such as Sophia Amoruso of Nasty Gal and author Rachel Hollis are mentioned to highlight the discrepancy between their outward success and their toxic workplace environments. The discussion delves into the challenges of recognizing toxic work environments and the allure of working for powerful yet toxic women.
The Novel 'Under the Influence'
The podcast episode features an interview with Noel Crookes, author of the novel 'Under the Influence.' The book vividly portrays a young woman named Harper Cruz, navigating her career aspirations in a fading publishing industry. Harper finds herself charmed by a charismatic yet toxic female boss, who uses empowering language and her status as a successful woman to take advantage of her employees. The novel sheds light on toxic work environments in the context of influencer culture and the pressures faced by young women trying to pursue their dreams.
The Duality of Toxic Workplaces
The podcast episode discusses the duality present in toxic workplaces led by women. It explores the dichotomy between the online personas of successful female bosses and the toxic reality behind the scenes. The episode highlights the manipulative tactics used by toxic bosses, the emotional bonds formed among colleagues in such environments, and the pressures faced by young people striving for success in their careers. Additionally, the topic of performative diversity in toxic work cultures is touched upon, shedding light on the complex dynamics at play.
On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate Senior Supervising Producer of Audio, Daisy Rosario can’t get toxic female bosses out of her head. She’s joined by Noelle Crooks, author of the new book, Under the Influence and former employee of one Rachel Hollis, so she knows a lot about bad workplaces. They discuss the insidious nature of saying your workplace is “like a family,” why an office dance party is a BAD thing, and how some powerful women leverage their minority status for ill.
In Slate Plus: How to recover from a job that burned you out.
Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.
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