Unfortunately, toxic employees can be found in any company. Their behavior and emotions over time harm the team, demotivate other employees, reduce productivity, and damage the company’s reputation.
What are the signs that there is a toxic employee in your team?
- Constant complaints and gossip: such people regularly express dissatisfaction, spread rumors, badmouth others, and devalue their work.
- Rudeness and criticism: toxic employees often criticize others without constructive suggestions, are rude, and demand special treatment.
- Conflict: they provoke conflicts, sabotage changes, and create a tense atmosphere in the team.
- Negative impact on others: toxic people demotivate their colleagues, make them make excuses, and reduce their loyalty to the company.
The impact of a toxic employee on the company:
- Increased employee turnover: 54% of employees are ready to quit a company where there are toxic people.
- Decreased productivity: 80% of employees spend time thinking about a toxic colleague instead of working.
- Financial losses: 38% of specialists who face rudeness at work become less effective.
- Damage to reputation: 25% of employees who work with toxic people take their dissatisfaction out on customers.
- Demotivation and loss of loyalty: 78% of employees report a decrease in loyalty to a company where there are toxic people.
- Lack of initiative: 48% of specialists are less proactive in a toxic team.
What to do if you have a toxic employee on your team?
- Identify the problem: it is important to clearly identify who is poisoning the atmosphere in the team.
- Talk to the employee: have a frank conversation with a toxic person, clearly outline their destructive behavior and its negative impact on the team.
- Give feedback: provide the employee with constructive feedback, explain how their behavior harms the company and the team.
- Encourage change: offer the toxic employee help and resources to change their behavior.
- Stop the spread of toxicity: if the employee does not respond to your efforts, limit their influence on other team members.
- Termination: if all other methods have failed, consider firing the toxic employee.
Remember: firing one toxic employee can be twice as beneficial for the company as hiring one highly effective specialist. A healthy team and a favorable microclimate are the key to the success of any company.