Many workers say toxic colleagues are affecting their mental wellbeing long after work ends, with some admitting the stress follows them home daily.
FOR many employees, the hardest part of dealing with toxic colleagues is not the confrontation itself, but the way it quietly follows them home long after the workday ends.
Online discussions surrounding workplace toxicity have increasingly shifted towards the emotional toll of sarcasm, passive-aggressive behaviour and subtle bullying, with many employees admitting the stress often lingers well beyond office hours.
The latest conversation gained traction on Threads after user @sarajasmeen_ admitted she had reached the point of wanting to resign because of a difficult colleague, though the thought of attending interviews and starting over elsewhere felt equally exhausting.
According to her, the colleague constantly targeted and criticised her despite her keeping to herself and avoiding conflict altogether.
“Even when I keep to myself, they still seem unhappy with me,” she wrote, adding that the sarcastic remarks and passive-aggressive comments had become so mentally draining that she found herself replaying them after returning home from work.
The post quickly resonated with many Malaysians who shared similar experiences involving toxic office environments, workplace bullying and emotionally exhausting colleagues.
Some thread users argued the issue had already crossed into workplace harassment rather than simple office disagreements.
User @tbc_byasl4kitchen described the behaviour as “workplace bullying or psychological harassment”, warning that resigning would only allow the bully to win, while user @atiqah_ismail01 encouraged workers to focus on improving their own skills instead of wasting energy on colleagues overly invested in other people’s lives.
Others shared coping mechanisms they had developed after dealing with similar situations themselves.
User @astrophile.coffee said she responded by giving a toxic colleague the silent treatment while continuing to socialise normally with everyone else, explaining that the person eventually became upset after being ignored despite initiating the hostility in the first place.
Some linked the issue more closely to emotional burnout than ordinary workplace tension.
User @tedaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa shared that she was facing similar struggles herself and relied on prayer and music to cope with the stress on a daily basis.
Others admitted they had learned to emotionally detach from toxic environments altogether.
User @nursia.tan said she eventually began acting as though a difficult colleague “didn’t exist” after repeated conflicts, including arguments over parking spaces.
Several commenters also highlighted how workplace toxicity often worsens when management enables such behaviour instead of addressing it.
User @zatiiiii._ described bosses who laughed along with sarcastic colleagues rather than intervening, while user @dirafdias supported directly confronting toxic co-workers publicly if they crossed the line.
READ MORE: Burnout driving more Malaysians to seek medical leave for emotional exhaustion
