Letter of the Day | Is ‘youth envy’ reason for toxic work environments?

THE EDITOR, Madam:

It is 2025 and here I am writing to expose a persistent, festering rot: the victimisation and ostracism of those who dare to speak up. Decades of corporate jargon have dressed up toxic environments in buzzwords like ‘diversity’, ‘equity’, and ‘inclusion’, but reality remains unvarnished. Being vocal is not just unwelcome – it is punished. I speak as someone who has seen first-hand the ruthless retaliation that follows advocacy for fairness, transparency, and accountability.

My late lecturer, Earl Green, once warned us about dinosaurs lurking in industries – fossilised mindsets resisting change, refusing to evolve. At the time, it seemed theoretical. I realise he was right. These dinosaurs still roam, towering over organisations, crushing progress under the weight of outdated power plays and fear-based leadership.

Speaking out against workplace injustice shouldn’t feel like striking a match in a gas-filled room – but that’s exactly what it is. The moment you challenge the status quo, the retaliation ignites. They don’t attack you outright. Instead, they stack the cylinders against you, tightening the valves, waiting for the perfect moment to snuff you out.

The exclusion is calculated. The whispers spread. Invitations to crucial meetings disappear. Company-wide benefits, intended for all, somehow do not trickle down to you and you only. The message is clear: comply or be cast out. How is it that in 2025, we still prioritise compliance over courage, perpetuating workplaces fuelled by fear and submission?

The consequences are severe. Employees who stand their ground pay with mental anguish, stagnated careers, and, in some cases, forced exits. Organisations suffer, too, though they’re often too entrenched in their own toxicity to notice. Innovation is stifled. Morale crumbles. The best and brightest leave, and all that’s left is a hollowed-out shell of mediocrity and sycophancy.

What exactly are so-called leaders still clinging to outdated hierarchies afraid of? Why is a culture of psychological safety so threatening to your kingdom of control? The people you sideline are not your enemies; they are the ones who actually care about the success and integrity of their organisations. Their voices are not disruptions; they are opportunities.

Those who are being victimised should not be silent. They should document everything and find allies who see beyond the fossilised remains of an archaic system.

To the silent witnesses, understand this: Complicity is endorsement. Your unwillingness to challenge the ostracism of vocal colleagues makes you an accomplice to their suffering. If you claim to believe in fairness and equity, act like it. Speak up when you see injustice. Offer support to those being targeted. Silence is not neutrality – it is betrayal.

We demand workplaces where bold voices are amplified, not erased; where speaking up is a badge of honour, not a death sentence. Anything less is a betrayal of the progress we refuse to surrender.

TAMI-LEIGH MITCHELL

tamileigh.mitchell@gmail.

com