5 Signs of Toxic Employees
Although companies don’t require everyone to get along personally, they require everyone to maintain a strong professional relationship at all times. But unfortunately, there are people within the organization that possess an attitude problem and would rather stir up trouble for their own benefit. Here are five signs of toxic employees in your workplace:
1. They never accept responsibility
The first noticeable trait of employees creating a toxic workplace culture is that they never accept responsibility for their actions. Even if they are caught red-handed, they will never apologize and would rather create fake situations and blame coworkers for their mistakes. One example would be regular failing to finish tasks on time where toxic employees blame their missed assignment on various things such as slow internet, damaged computer, uncooperative colleagues, and the like.
Although employees fail from time to time, most acknowledge their faults and vow to do better the next time around. High-character employees also don’t blame other people when things go sideways and always make an effort to hash out issues with other colleagues at the soonest time possible.
2. They slack off and/or constantly complain
It’s easy to spot employees in the toxic workplace as they always slack off and constantly complain. They never get any work done and are always at the bottom of the team/department’s productivity numbers. What’s worse is these employees tend to drag an entire team down and will only delay everyone’s work. And if they do finally sit down and work, they submit a substandard output and even make excuses for the poor quality.
As for slackers, they tend to hold off work at the last minute and also ignore quality when doing assigned tasks to them. Also infamous for being procrastinators, they prioritize non-office-related tasks the entire day and only work when the deadline is fast approaching. Although high-performing employees procrastinate from time to time, they never allow their work to pile up and work on complex tasks first before taking a break.
If you’re working with these types of people, there’s no point in getting them motivated and try to focus on your own tasks. If both of your tasks are interconnected, finish your assignment at the fastest time possible and inform your supervisor or human resources manager immediately if they begin to slack off with their work.
3. They spread gossip
One of the most annoying and destructive traits of toxic employees is that constantly spread gossip. Whether it be work-related gossip or personal gossip, these employees love annoying people at work and find entertainment in sharing and fabricating stories about their colleagues. The time for work is instead used for spreading rumors and nothing good ever comes out of talking about people behind their backs.
Gossip can significantly affect a worker’s mental health and once mental health is compromised productivity is greatly reduced. It’s not just self-esteem that will also be affected but also communication with other colleagues. This can lead to a frustrated employee filing for a resignation which can be devastating to the company’s short-term and long-term goals.
Supervisors and managers should never tolerate employees who regularly gossip since this creates unnecessary friction in the work environment. Report these employees immediately and don’t wait for the issue to escalate.
4. They create conflicts with clients
Toxic work people are aggressive by nature and tend to lash out at anyone who comes their way. Eventually, they will create conflicts not just with colleagues and superiors but also with clients. If toxic employees are at the frontline of dealing with customers on a regular basis, this may cause problems for the company in the long run.
With toxic employees being aggressive as well as self-centered, they will not mind getting into an argument with customers. This doesn’t just result in the customer canceling his or her order/request but also creates a negative perception for the company. With the internet these days easily exposing people at their worst, it won’t be surprising if your company will be at the center of negative press all because of an angry and violent employee.
Dismissal is the only answer for these employees as the more they get into conflicts the more they bring down the company’s name. Additionally, a court case may be waiting if the company doesn’t act fast enough.
5. They harass other employees
Speaking of harassing clients, toxic employees have compromised personality traits and enjoy harassing other colleagues. Harassment isn’t just limited to physical abuse but also emotional abuse. These individuals take pleasure in instilling harm against their colleagues and find ways to avoid taking the blame if they are caught. They also tend to manipulate stories which oftentimes result in them becoming the victims instead.
Toxic workplace employees love to cuss and shout at their colleagues, oftentimes hiding it as “jokes” so that they can escape punishment from company management. Unfortunately, their negative behavior can lead to company resignations. Not even the most tenured of employees can escape this type of regular behavior from toxic employees. Harassment should never be tolerated in any type of workplace, even in remote work settings. Unpaid suspensions and dismissal should be the only actions fit for these individuals
Final thoughts
In most companies, there will always be a few bad eggs. The five items listed above should help you identify employees causing a toxic environment in the organization. Never let these kinds of people win and report any incidents to your supervisor at the soonest time possible. They have no place in any type of work setting.
