Gaslighting in the Workplace

When Clarity Becomes a Challenge

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During discussions and team meetings, there are times when someone states something with confidence, only to later deny it or shift the narrative entirely. This can leave others feeling confused, questioning their own recollection of events or even doubting there own understanding. When confronted, the response is often dismissive or subtly mocking, reinforcing the doubt. This cycle of manipulation, commonly known as gaslighting, can be frustrating and damaging to team dynamics.

One of the most significant signs of gaslighting at work is when someone commits to a task or agreement, only to later act as if they never did. The impact of this is, instead of focusing on moving forward, the team gets stuck in a loop of clarifications, trying to establish what was actually agreed upon. The conversation derails from the actual topic into a debate over what was said, creating unnecessary friction and slowing progress. This greatly impacts the teams motivation and collaboration.

A Real Experience

In a recent incident, while discussing what updates would be shared during a review, a team member mentioned he would be demoing a partially completed feature. To my knowledge, it wasn’t even at a stage where it could be demoed. I asked again to confirm, and in response, he mocked me in the meeting, saying…