What does it actually mean to outsmart a toxic boss?

It means you never let them define the ending. Toxic bosses assume you don't know what's happening, can't prove it, and won't know what to do. Outsmarting them makes all three assumptions invalid: you document, understand your options, and make strategic decisions instead of reactive ones. The outcome varies. The methodology doesn't.

Who is Outsmart Your Toxic Boss for?

Anyone who has sat in a meeting thinking 'this is insane and nobody is saying anything.' The employee who suspects something is wrong but lacks the language, the manager who wants to build better, the HR leader who knows the system is broken, and the person who just needs to laugh at what's been making them cry.

Is this brand anti-employer?

No. It's anti-entropy. Hostile work environments are a design problem, not a personality problem. The brand serves both employees and employers, because both are harmed by toxic culture. We name the mechanism so both sides can fix it.

What is The Corporate Menace?

A satirical card game about the toxic bosses and nightmare colleagues making your 9-to-5 insufferable. Players go head to head responding to workplace villain scenarios, and HR decides who played it best. Part strategy, part comedy, part group therapy.

Is this just for fun, or is there actual learning?

Both. The scenarios are based on widely recognized patterns of workplace dysfunction: micromanagement, credit theft, gossip warfare, resource hoarding, favoritism. The game gives those patterns names, and once you can name something, you can see it coming.

Can I use this for a team or workplace event?

Yes. It works for team happy hours, off-sites, and celebrations among people who trust each other. It's also available as a facilitated workshop with a structured debrief that turns gameplay into organizational learning.

What does it mean that you outsmarted a toxic boss?

The founder documented everything methodically, consulted attorneys, understood her options, and made the strategic decision to navigate her own exit on her terms — then built a game that teaches others to do the same.

Are the scenarios in the game based on real situations?

They're drawn from widely recognized patterns that appear across industries, company sizes, and management levels — not any specific workplace. Dysfunctional workplace behavior tends to follow the same playbook almost everywhere.

Will there be more games or expansions?

The Corporate Menace is the first. The universe is bigger than one deck. Join the Kickstarter list to be first to know.

For Organizations…

Toxic workplace culture isn't a personality problem. It's an operational design problem — one that becomes a legal and reputational liability if you wait too long to fix it. Workshops, speaking, and consulting for organizations ready to stop managing the symptom and start fixing the system.

Academically Grounded

The villains are fiction.
The research isn't.

Every villain in The Corporate Menace™ is a personification of documented workplace behavior — patterns organizational psychologists, sociologists, and management researchers have studied and named for decades. The satire is the delivery. The scholarship is the foundation. Here are the ten, and a sample of the research behind them.

Gaslighting GabeGaslighting & reality manipulation

Sweet, P.L. (2019). The Sociology of Gaslighting. American Sociological Review, 84(5).

Catastrophizing CalebManufactured crisis & catastrophic thinking

Barlow, D.H. (2002). Anxiety and Its Disorders (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.

Mansplaining MilesCondescension & expertise appropriation

Glick, P. & Fiske, S.T. (1996). The Ambivalent Sexism Inventory. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70(3).

Microaggression MarthaMicroaggressions & cumulative harm

Sue, D.W., et al. (2007). Racial Microaggressions in Everyday Life. American Psychologist, 62(4).

Tattle-tale TimPolitical behavior & selective disclosure

Ferris, G.R., et al. (2000). Political Skill at Work. Organizational Dynamics, 28(4).

Forgetful FrancineAccountability avoidance & strategic amnesia

Schlenker, B.R. (1980). Impression Management. Brooks/Cole.

Sabotaging SallyCovert information manipulation

Burt, R.S. (2004). Structural Holes and Good Ideas. American Journal of Sociology, 110(2).

Eavesdropping EvanInformation asymmetry & impression management

Goffman, E. (1959). The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. Doubleday Anchor.

Miserable MerylStrategic pessimism & organizational power

Pfeffer, J. (2010). Power: Why Some People Have It—and Others Don't. HarperBusiness.

Instigating IanConflict manufacturing & coalition building

Jehn, K.A. (1995). A Multimethod Examination of Intragroup Conflict. Administrative Science Quarterly, 40(2).

This is a sample. Every one of the ten is anchored in verified, peer-reviewed research and foundational scholarship. The humor is how it lands in the room. The rigor is why it holds up long after everyone stops laughing.

Ways to Work Together

Workshops

For teams, HR conferences, and corporate offsites.

Participants leave with a framework for recognizing toxic workplace dynamics, a shared language for naming them, and a strategy for responding before things escalate. Facilitated using The Corporate Menace™ as a live learning tool. Available as a 60 to 90 minute breakout or half-day format. Game decks available for purchase at every session.

Book a Workshop

Speaking

For HR conferences, leadership summits, podcasts, and workplace culture events.

Raissa speaks on toxic workplace culture as an operational design problem, not a personality problem. Talks are built around systems analysis, legal awareness, and the methodology behind Outsmart Your Toxic Boss™.

Book Raissa

Consulting

For organizations ready to fix the problem at the source.

Custom engagements for organizations serious about structural accountability. Culture audits, policy redesign, leadership development: scope is built around what your organization actually needs. Get in touch to start the conversation.

Get in Touch

Before You Reach Out

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Outsmart Your Toxic Boss™ Workshop?

A facilitated session using The Corporate Menace™ as a live learning tool. Teams identify toxic workplace dynamics, build pattern recognition, and leave with a framework they can apply immediately.

Who are the workshops for?

Employees who want to recognize and navigate workplace dynamics strategically. HR leaders, managers, and executives who want to understand what their teams are experiencing and build more accountable organizations.

What does a workshop look like?

Context framing, gameplay, table discussion, then takeaways and organizational application. Attendees leave with the game and a framework they can use back at work.

How long is a workshop?

About 90 minutes to two hours. Adaptable for conference breakout sessions, corporate offsites, and team events.

Do attendees get to keep the game?

Yes. Game decks are available for purchase at every session so the conversation doesn't end when the workshop does.

How do I book a workshop?

Fill out the contact form and we'll follow up with availability and next steps.

What does a consulting engagement look like?

Every engagement starts with a conversation and is scoped around what your organization actually needs: culture audits, policy redesign, leadership accountability structures, or a full organizational assessment. Built for organizations serious about fixing the structural problem before it compounds. Get in touch to start the conversation.

Is Raissa available for keynotes and panel sessions?

Yes. Raissa speaks on toxic workplace culture as an operational design problem, covering pattern recognition in workplace dysfunction, the legal and reputational cost of mismanaged culture, and how organizations can build accountability structures that actually work. Available for HR conferences, leadership summits, DEI events, and workplace culture panels. Get in touch with your event details.

The Corporate Menace™ for Organizations

Ready to Bring The Corporate Menace™
to Your Organization?

Your organization has a culture problem. The question is, will you fix it before it becomes the next headline?

Get in Touch →

Here for yourself, not your org? We see you. 😈

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