Feeling Stuck with a Toxic Coworker?

Here’s How to Stay Calm, Clear, and In Control

Short staffing doesn’t mean tolerating disrespect. Learn how to recognize toxic communication patterns—and keep your professionalism intact—even when others cross the line.

With ongoing staffing shortages and limited qualified candidates, it can seem easier to “put up with it.”

Tolerating toxic behavior may seem like the path of least resistance, but it quietly drains energy, erodes teamwork, and compromises patient outcomes. When pharmacies are short-staffed, stress rises, mistakes multiply, and already challenging working conditions become unsafe. In one national survey, 57.9% of pharmacists cited staffing shortages as their primary stressor, and 78.4% said current conditions prevent them from providing optimal patient care. When communication breaks down, safety checks do too. Stress, interruptions, and disrespect all undermine a pharmacist’s ability to catch errors before they reach a patient.

The financial consequences are equally serious.

 Toxic culture destroys efficiency and profitability. Replacing a single team member can cost nearly the equivalent of their full annual salary once recruitment, onboarding, and lost productivity are factored in. High-turnover teams also lose valuable institutional knowledge—the “how-we-do-it-here” insight that keeps operations running smoothly and compliantly.

The ripple effects don’t stop there. Toxic environments elevate stress-related health claims, absenteeism, and even legal risk. Each incident of disrespect or boundary violation carries a measurable cost in morale, time, and margin. Disrespect and avoidance behaviors discourage open communication, making employees less likely to raise safety concerns. Top performers often disengage or leave first, leaving heavier workloads and higher stress for those who remain—further fueling burnout and errors.

Letting toxicity slide isn’t protecting your staffing—it’s endangering it. The impact stretches far beyond interpersonal tension; it touches patient care, profitability, and long-term retention. The healthiest, most successful pharmacies are those that confront poor communication early, coach assertiveness as a skill, and reinforce mutual respect as a core clinical competency.

Assertive vs. Aggressive vs. Non-Assertive Communication

Understanding communication styles is the first step toward managing toxic dynamics effectively. How you communicate often determines how well your team performs. Under constant pressure—tight staffing, nonstop interruptions, and heavy patient demands—it’s easy for stress to show up in your words or tone. But that’s also when your communication style matters most.

Assertive communication doesn’t mean being harsh or demanding. It means being clear, calm, and respectful—able to express your expectations and boundaries while still valuing the voices around you. It’s the steady middle ground between aggression, which shuts people down, and passivity, which leaves problems unresolved.

Leaders who model assertiveness create ripple effects: fewer conflicts, more collaboration, and a stronger sense of trust. When people feel heard and respected, they bring their best selves to work—and that directly impacts patient care and retention. The table below outlines how each communication style shapes team dynamics and safety outcomes.

Recognizing Toxic Patterns

Even the most skilled teams can struggle when negative behaviors go unchecked. Recognizing the subtle signs of toxic communication early—before frustration turns into dysfunction—is key to protecting morale, patient safety, and team trust. Toxic coworkers often:

• Interrupt or talk over others
• Blame instead of solve
• Spread negativity or gossip
• Overstep boundaries (“Can you stay late again?” … every day)
• Gaslight or minimize others’ concerns

Left unchecked, these behaviors erode trust and drive away top performers—especially in high-pressure environments like specialty or hospital pharmacies.

Practicing Assertive Communication

Help team members recognize their default communication style under stress—and strengthen their ability to respond assertively, even in difficult moments.

Model the behavior you want to see. When leaders communicate assertively—calm, direct, and respectful—it gives everyone permission to do the same. Over time, this creates a culture where problems get solved early, communication flows freely, and burnout decreases.

Here are practical, research-backed ways to protect your boundaries without escalating conflict:

1. Pause Before Reacting.
   Take a breath, maintain steady eye contact, and keep your tone even. A calm response disarms aggression.
2. Use “I” Statements.
   Instead of “You’re always rude,” try “I feel dismissed when I’m interrupted. Let’s take turns sharing input.”
3. Set Limits Early.
   Address boundary violations immediately and privately. Waiting reinforces bad habits.
4. Document and Follow Up.
   If patterns persist, document incidents and share them with HR or management in factual, non-emotional language.
5. Focus on Solutions.
   Redirect conversations from blame to outcomes: “Let’s find a process that helps both of us succeed.”
6. Model the Culture You Want.
   As a leader or seasoned employee, your tone sets the example. Calm assertiveness spreads faster than conflict.

For Managers: Accountability and Support

Managers have unique leverage to reshape culture—even when hiring constraints make replacement unrealistic.

• Acknowledge the strain. Your staff needs to feel seen and supported.
• Coach for improvement. Offer feedback early and clearly.
• Protect the team. If one toxic employee drives three others away, your staffing problem just got worse.
• Recruit proactively. Partner with recruiters who specialize in pharmacy culture fit, not just credentials.

“When I work with clients,” says Jana, “I’m not just filling a position—I’m helping them protect the culture they’ve worked so hard to build. A single bad hire can set a whole team back months.”

Move Forward by Communicating with Empathetic Clarity

Letting toxic behavior slide may seem like the easiest short-term choice—but in pharmacy, it’s one of the costliest. Unchecked negativity chips away at trust, communication, and performance until even the best teams begin to fracture. Yet every pharmacy has the power to turn that around.

Real leadership starts with empathy. When managers listen, model respect, and set firm but fair boundaries, they transform tension into trust. Assertive communication gives teams a shared language for solving problems instead of escalating them. It protects both people and patients.

The path forward isn’t about perfection—it’s about intention. By prioritizing clear, kind communication and holding everyone (including ourselves) accountable for respect, we create workplaces where collaboration thrives, burnout recedes, and patient care improves.

Pharmacy will always be a high-pressure environment—but it doesn’t have to be a toxic one. When empathy leads, excellence follows.