When work turns you into the parent you don’t want to be

Every parent wants to walk through the door at the end of the day ready to connect with their kids. But when work stress follows you home, your family may not be getting the best version of you. What happens at the office doesn’t always stay at the office, especially when frayed nerves are involved. So it’s important to understand how work stress can impact your parenting. The toxicity you can name Sometimes a toxic workplace is painfully obvious. It looks like a boss who flies into a rage at the littlest thing and uses humiliation as a training tactic. Or it’s the coworker who asks everyone to after-work drinks except you. That kind of cruelty may be hard to deal with, but it’s easy to name. What about the sneakier types of workplace toxicity? {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/11\/Girl-Li.png","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/11\/souter.png","eyebrow":"","headline":"\u003Cstrong\u003ESubscribe to Girl, Listen: A Guide to What Really Matters\u003C\/strong\u003E","dek":"Ericka dives into the heat of modern motherhood, challenging the notion that personal identity must be sacrificed at the altar of parenting.","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"SIGN UP","ctaUrl":"https:\/\/erickasouter.substack.com\/subscribe","theme":{"bg":"#f5f5f5","text":"#000000","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#000000","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91457710,"imageMobileId":91457711,"shareable":false,"slug":"","wpCssClasses":""}} How to spot subtle sabotage A couple of years ago, I interviewed a media executive I will call Kelly about her work-life balance. Spoiler alert: She had none. In fact, she was miserable at the office, but she wondered if she was being overly sensitive or even manufacturing drama. Her colleague had always been friendly. They were at the