Ideally, your workplace should be a place where you feel safe, comfortable, and productive — not unwelcome and uncomfortable. Toxic coworkers can create an antagonistic environment for everyone in your organization. Constantly interacting with someone who behaves disrespectfully takes a toll on your mental and physical well-being, and this is something that should be addressed.

We have all had to adapt to a virtual world, and while many workplaces are seemingly reverting to their previous in-person environments, many workers are still working remotely or on a hybrid schedule. Many of us know that working from home isn’t just us sitting on the couch in comfy clothes waiting for a work task to be assigned. For some of us, we are working longer and harder than when we were in the office.

As leaders, it’s our job to know when employees are being harassed and it’s also our job to listen to our employees with open ears and no biases. While there are laws that define what harassment is and how you can detect it, as leaders, we must approach every situation with that knowledge and the ability to detach ourselves from our biases.

Remote work presents a unique situation — while it feels like we’ve been using Zoom and working from home for ages now, there are still new challenges that we have to navigate when working and leading in virtual and hybrid environments. One of the most daunting challenges managers face as the workplace continues to involve minimal in-person oversight is the management of remote staff.