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I recall an English expression that describes when a person is deliberately trying to sabotage the close relationships of other people as a form of revenge or a political maneuver. For some reason, I always think of the phrase, "Poisoning the well." But that phrase actually refers to a logical fallacy of the ad hominem sort.

My scenario is this: An employee is fired from a company. Rather than leaving gracefully, she contacts former employees and tries to undermine their loyalty to the company and to each other. It could be said that she is ______.

What expression would be appropriate to describe a person in this situation?

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    "Undermine" is a great word for the context. (Any reason to not use "undermine"?) If she were trying to recruit them for her new position, she would be "poaching."
    – rajah9
    Commented Aug 9, 2017 at 4:31
  • Does this ring a bell, @RaceYouAnytime, or isn't it the word you recall? Undercut is another option, similar to undermine.
    – Xanne
    Commented Aug 9, 2017 at 5:47
  • @Xanne your suggestion is a good one and I upvoted, but it's not the expression I'm trying to recall. Either way, I appreciate all suggestions. As for "undermine," I am personally thinking of an idiomatic expression, not a single word.
    – RaceYouAnytime
    Commented Aug 9, 2017 at 5:51
  • Putting someone down? Shoveling sand (out from under someone) is an expression from "inside the beltway."
    – Xanne
    Commented Aug 9, 2017 at 7:28
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    Here's another--sabotaging? You already have this term in your description.Sowing seeds of dissension.
    – Xanne
    Commented Aug 9, 2017 at 8:10

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"out for blood" this an old expression but still commonly used to mean someone is looking for revenge or to stir up trouble for their own satisfaction.

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  • slander a malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report:
    a slander against his good name.

You could say XYZ's slanderous attacks on his most loyal ally (friend) proved to be his undoing.

One of the most common ways to blacken the good name of someone is by spreading or circulating rumours and in a…

  • smear campaign a campaign to tarnish the reputation of a public figure, especially by vilification or innuendo.
    He repeated his claim that the allegations were the result of a smear campaign.

If we apply it to the OP's example we get:

Rather than leaving gracefully, she contacts former employees and tries to undermine their loyalty to the company and to each other. It could be said that she is running a smear campaign.

Wikipedia says

A smear campaign, smear tactic or simply smear is an effort to damage or call into question someone's reputation, by propounding negative propaganda. It can be applied to individuals or groups.
Common targets are public officials, politicians, political candidates, activists, and ex-spouses. The term also applies in other contexts such as the workplace.

In politics, it has its own unique expression, the mudslinging needn't be reserved for opponents, it can also be directed against someone from their own party who is running for the same office.

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  • to get one's own back.
    – Mari-Lou A
    Commented Aug 10, 2017 at 5:28
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I do not know any expression. but this person can be called a mischief-maker ;

Macmillan Dictionary : someone who enjoys causing trouble or disagreement

I , of course , would prefer to use stirrer. it is a more exact but informal. it depends on your context.

Macmillan Dictionary : someone who tries to cause trouble between other people

EDIT: I have found a appropriate expression: play sb/sth off against sb/sth

Collins Dictionary : If you play people off against each other, you make them compete or argue, so that you gain some advantage.

Example:Gregory would interview them, and would play one off against the other
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bad-mouth is what comes to mind--usually done behind your back. Very informal--I don't think I've ever seen it in print.

definition

ˈbadˌmouth/ verb informal gerund or present participle: bad-mouthing

criticize (someone or something); speak disloyally of. "no one wants to hire an individual who bad-mouths a prior employer"

malign is more explicit, and more formal: definition

  1. adjective evil in nature or effect; malevolent.

    "she had a strong and malign influence"

    synonyms: harmful, evil, bad, baleful, hostile, inimical, destructive, malignant, injurious;

    literary malefic, maleficent "a malign influence" antonyms: beneficial

    verb: malign; 3rd person present: maligns; past tense: maligned; past participle: maligned; gerund or present participle: maligning

    1. speak about (someone) in a spitefully critical manner.

    "don't you dare malign her in my presence"

    synonyms: defame, slander, libel, blacken someone's name/character, smear, vilify, speak ill of, cast aspersions on, run down, traduce, denigrate, disparage, slur, abuse, revile;

In the proposed sentence, "she is maligning her former employer."

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This type of behavior, unfortunately, is not new. The book of Proverbs in the Old Testament declares it to be one of seven things the LORD hates:

Proverbs 6:19b KJV... he that soweth discord among brethren.

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