Increasingly, I have noticed a growing trend of workplace environments becoming cult-like. There are many ways in which this can be encapsulated but its impact on the staff who are victim to this ‘us/them’ mentality tend to suffer the effects of this mistreatment long beyond their ‘escape’.
You may have noticed a number of cult documentaries on your social media and streaming platforms. From friends, family and clients I have also noted a number of the same patterns of behaviour from their workplaces. The reason to write about this now is the impact I can see it has on them, and it’s not OK.
In November 2023, an article was published in The Psychologist, titled ‘Corporate gaslighting, absentee leaders and the emotions of work‘. In this piece, the pattern of organisational behaviour often observed is when a person who dares to ask questions of ‘the group’ is met with silence, resistance and gaslighting. For those who remain loyal, often by blindly following and not questioning are publicly thanked for their continued support. These dynamics are part of what the author calls ‘symptoms of systemic dysfunction’.
The reasoning for cult behaviour has its roots in what psychology calls Social Identity Theory. Since the 1970s psychologists have been aware of the phenomenon of forming ‘in-groups’. When seen as a member of this group, people tend think, act and behave in ways they would not do if they were alone. The high sense of belonging means that members are rewarded, and reinforced for like-mindedness. A classic example would be a workplace ‘boys club’. Agreeing with the members, following their views, jokes, and behaviours can reap benefits and comes with protections. However although ‘club’ might have a nice ring to it, the truth is much more dangerous. In-group membership means that there is also an ‘out group’.
People frequently perceive the same action very differently depending on whether the action was executed by a member of the same group or a member of a different group. In fact, people tend to evaluate actions of their own group or team members much more favourably than those of out-group members. It is also a recipe for ‘group-think‘. This is where members of the in-group prioritise their group identity and behave coldly toward ‘outsiders’. Organisations in which dissent is discouraged or openly punished are similarly likely to engage in groupthink when making decisions.
Whether conscious or unconscious, the growing trend from in-group towards cult-like status is noticed in parallel to perceived threats from the world or ‘the others’. You might find that when there are particular pressures in the work system, the divide of ‘us versus them’ can become more rigid.
A few more identifiers of this group formation toward cult status includes:
- Familiarity bias: the tendency for individuals to be more comfortable with the familiar, dislike ambiguity, and look for ways to avoid the unknown.
- Confirmation bias: people’s tendency to process information by looking for, or interpreting, information that is consistent with their existing beliefs.
- Conformity bias: the tendency to change one’s beliefs or behaviour to fit in with others. Instead of using their own judgment, individuals often take cues from the group they are with, belong to, or seek to belong to about what is right or appropriate. They then adapt their own behaviour accordingly...And the final ingredients:
- Isolation and love-bombing: It is common for people in cults to be encouraged to cut contact in some form with the ‘outsiders’. Within the cult, new members are often subjected to love-bombing, a practice where new initiates are showered with love and praise to bring them deeper into the cult and foster a sense of belonging.
Now that you are reading this and are still unsure of how your workplace might fit into this, here are some clear examples of cult-like behaviours:
- Absolute authoritarianism without accountability.
- Zero tolerance for criticism or questions.
- Lack of meaningful financial disclosure regarding budget.
- Unreasonable fears about the outside world that often involve conspiracies and persecutions.
- A belief that former colleagues are always wrong for leaving and there is never a legitimate reason for anyone else to leave.
- Psychological abuse of staff members (e.g. gaslighting), and aversion to the creation of ‘psychologically safe working environments’.
- Followers feeling they are never able to be “good enough”.
- A belief that the leadership is right at all times.
- Staff hired in who are friends or family of the leadership to solidify these views.
How you are made to feel:
- You might be questioning yourself or losing a sense of your individuality and identity.
- You might ‘lose your anchor to normality’, for example you think you thought and felt something one day but now just aren’t quite sure anymore.
- You might become pre-occupied with the organisational doctrine, encouraged to distance yourself from those who do not follow the ‘way we do things here’.
- You might blindly believe in ideas or people for no real reason and when you question anything (even in a gentle way) being met with extreme resistance.
- If your show dissent, whether speaking the truth or showing any loyalty to ‘the others’, you are made to feel you are the problem.
- You feel that it’s easier to not say something, and to agree, and questionable things become normal while you seek an ‘easy life’.
I’m here to tell you that YOU ARE NOT THE PROBLEM!
So how can you survive a cult system?
Whilst I would like to say that internal organisational systems (if big enough) could address many of the issues listed above through appropriate channels, I am aware that for a lot of people the best hope for psychological recovery is to leave the harming environment. Some workplaces will move you to another department, whilst they investigate your grievances – this might be a big help by creating a psychological distance. Here are some other means of coping:
Consider therapy: Examples of self-compassion exercises can be found here for those who want to try something immediate, however it might be that professional help is what’s really needed. You might feel this is essential during your time in the harsh environment but it may also really benefit to process the experience and restore your sense of self after you’ve left.
Seek support: Try to seek out a support system inside and out of the workplace to restore what I call your anchor to normality. This support should also include membership advice from a professional body, union, industrial relations or legal advice.
Remember who you are: Try to make an account of previous experiences you’ve had from other employers or people you know. Do an imaginary 360 review of how these people might see you, and what are your strengths and weaknesses. See any weakness as neutral and an opportunity for growth in the right environment – that environment is not your current one.
Write a letter to your future self: When this is over you might doubt if it really ever happened or was really that bad. Keep the letter if you ever want to check that out. Put in your hopes and wishes for the future.
Be kind to yourself: If you are getting all the psychological damage one can take from a work environment, why add your own self punisher to the equation. Remember that above rainy dark clouds a blue sky is still there above that, and will return when the clouds part.
Consider therapy: Examples of self-compassion exercises can be found here for those who want to try something immediate, however it might be that professional help is what’s really needed. You might feel this is essential during your time in the harsh environment but it may also really benefit to process the experience and restore your sense of self after you’ve left.
