Most times, employers fall victim to employing toxic individuals in an organization. At the early stage of employment, most individuals mask their true selves until their feet are well under the table. However, with time you begin to notice their traits which could be detrimental to the work environment.
This article explains how to identify toxic employees and manage them appropriately.
Ways of recognizing Toxic Employees in the workplace
The different traits of toxic employees are as follows:
I. They are arrogant: They possess the "I know it all" mindset and won’t cooperate with everyone and also won't take constructive criticism well. They want to appear to be in command or be the "ideas guy," and won't give others credit. Which could appear to be a hard effort and ambition at first, but over-time that person will ruin the dynamics of the team that has been worked for.
II. They avoid "avoiders.": They avoid obligations, executing duties, and completing tasks, they deliberately stay away from doing any real work. They'll cite things like a busy workload, stress, a lack of understanding, or even the fact that it's above their pay grade as justifications. Such an attitude can be contagious to other workers.
III. They bring home problems to work with them. It's common and completely understandable for personal matters to occasionally affect business. Others, though, are perpetually distracted at their place of work by their issues. They constantly whine, look for compassion and attention, and their life turns into a focal point for all the emotions experienced at work. Everyone becomes involved, and it begins to affect how the office runs regularly.
Iv. They are negative - These individuals are usually ones who lament about their job, the boss, the closed windows, or the stifling cold air conditioning. They seek out workplace problems to vent about to others, but they never take action to address them. The incessant grousing, whining, and gossip can have an impact on everyone's productivity levels at work.
Managing the toxic employee for their sake and The Organization
These individuals may include some competent workers. You might acquire some fascinating ideas from them in addition to the possibility that they get their job done. They might even be independent thinkers because they don't want to blend in. However, you must be aware of how to control them before they have a detrimental impact on the working environment. The problem is that these workers are frequently productive individuals who cannot just be fired because of employment regulations. Looking deeper at home could help modify the environment that allows the bad behavior to flourish because the workplace might also allow toxicity to grow.
- Give feedback
A clear statement about what is permissible at work can help people realize they are causing a problem. Don't just inform the employee that their behavior is unacceptable; tell them why and devise a plan to improve it. The sooner this intervention is implemented, the better.
- Allow feedback
Ensure that all other employees can approach management with concerns, particularly about coworkers. This facilitates identification and guarantees that a plan can be implemented at an early stage. This can also help to keep negativity at bay and provide a forum for toxic employees to address their issues.
- Don’t put it down to their “creative brilliance”
No matter how much money this employee brings in, their behavior costs you money also. Creative greatness does not have to be expensive. Many potential employees possess this trait but lack the poisonous behavior. Don't be fooled into thinking that this is the price you must pay for their excellent work. It's not noteworthy.
The key to dealing with toxic personnel is to create an environment in which they are not accepted. If you can't weed these folks out during the interview process, you should do so as soon as it becomes clear. To put it another way, don't put up with nonsense!