A toxic employee behaves in a harmful way to the team members, the company’s assets, or both. This employee might injure other employees or lose customers and revenue. He might cause his coworkers to leave the company.

Most likely, this person doesn’t get along well with others. He might push buttons mostly because he is adept at getting away with it. He may be aware that no one else can perform the task as well as he can.

Is it essential to deal with toxic personnel if they are skilled?

Yes, because their behavior could lead your firm to lose clients. Even worse, their negative attitude can spread to the other workers, thus degrading the company.

What Are the Signs of a Toxic Employee?

A toxic employee may initially present as highly productive in his tasks, but his true nature will soon be out. Try to spot any of these warning signs to identify a toxic employee:

·         Gaslighting clients or coworkers

·         Harassing and bullying coworkers

·         Laziness, tardiness, and recurrent absences from work

·         Spreading false information about customers, coworkers, or managers

·         Assuming responsibility for the labor of others

·         Venting excessively about the organization’s leaders without doing anything

·         Undermining other people’s efforts

·         Being impolite to coworkers and clients

·         Holding others accountable for your errors

·         Assigning pointless tasks to colleagues in lesser positions

·         Taking over someone else’s responsibilities and acting in command

·         Showing insensitivity

·         Excessive confidence

You may easily recognize a toxic coworker if you pay close attention. Seek out the one who slanders, belittles, discourages, demoralizes, tricks, or bullies employees and clients. This person is egotistical and actively works to degrade everyone around him.

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Five Types of Toxic Employees

A workplace is like an assembly of various kinds of animals. It’s where people with different personalities meet and have no choice but to deal with each other. If toxic employees are animals, they would be the following:

1. The Slow Sloth

One of the slowest animals on the planet is the sloth. They are so lazy that their fur may begin to develop moss and algae. Do you believe that one of your staff members is a sloth?

This employee is a master of delaying tasks, and his go-to phrases include “later,” “tomorrow,” “next week,” and similar expressions. You might catch this person constantly hanging out in the café, lobby, or sleeping room if you have if you spy on him. He can have a pattern of arriving late or missing work.

All businesses should avoid slackers. The company will become less productive, lose more money, and lose clients if they continue to miss deadlines or postpone customer service.

2. The Busy Bee

Is there anyone at your place of business who doesn’t enjoy taking a day off or going out with coworkers for lunch or karaoke? Bees work very hard, but even while this results in higher productivity, working too hard might be unhealthy. He might abandon a lot of work and when he does, miss deadlines.

A busy worker might avoid interacting with his coworkers. His poor social skills could become even more poisonous if his coworkers spread rumors about him.

3. The Cranky Crab

This person never feels happy if a coworker earns praise or a promotion at work. He constantly strives to dominate and command attention. He is, therefore, prepared to sabotage someone to ruin their success. “If I can’t have it, no one else will,” according to the crab. It is what is known as the “Crab Mentality.”

Try observing live crabs in a bucket to comprehend this. You’ll see that they won’t have an easy time getting away. It’s because the others will drag any crab trying to climb out and may even break its claws.

Being exposed to a “crab” at work is poisonous. Although this individual might not harm anyone directly, he can upset a coworker’s emotional state. He may spread rumors about, manipulate, accuse, or defame coworkers.

4. The Mulish Mule

This individual has a dominating personality and believes he is always correct. He enjoys discussing disagreements with everyone who has them. By insisting on his ideas, he will either incite wreak havoc on or discourage his coworkers from working on initiatives.

A mule might force his will because he doesn’t think the customer is always right. Clients might stop doing business with the company due to their opinions.

5. The Greedy Gull

Seagulls are aggressive and well-known for stealing food from people’s hands. But did you know that they can also pluck out the eyeballs of seal pups?

A “gull” may claim credit for someone else’s work or act violently as a toxic employee. He might bully and mislead weak beginners, especially if he believes they are more experienced than him.

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How Can You Deal with Toxic Employees?

Many things can lead to toxic conduct in employees. It may be influenced by traumatic experiences from the past, a lack of familial support, incorrect values, or ego. It is crucial to identify one to prepare a strategy to handle toxic behavior at work.

You can help these employees become better people and save the company by handling them well.

Now, let’s talk about how you can deal with those toxic employees we just identified.

How to Deal with a Slow Sloth:

Ask the employee why he acts the way he does in a private conversation. Make sure he has no personal issues that would have distracted him or made it harder for him to complete the assignment.

To stop this behavior at work, you could:

·         Delegate a single task at a time

·         Set reasonable goals for the project.

·         Make sure the directions are clear.

·         Adhere to deadlines strictly

·         Reward those with excellent monthly attendance with bonuses.

How to Deal With a Busy Bee:

Encourage the worker to take his scheduled vacation days by speaking with him. You can ask him if he has too many things to complete and, if required, reduce his burden. Assigning the busybody to work with another staff member will allow him to socialize.

To assist staff in managing their demanding schedules, you can:

·         Designate a period for staff to mingle at work.

·         Arrange a team-building exercise or a workplace celebration.

·         Encourage staff to take regular vacation days.

·         Provide paid time off.

How to Deal with a Cranky Crab:

Inform this employee that the management is aware of his actions in a private conversation. Be sure to emphasize that you do not support his behavior but give him a chance to change. You could assign him a task that would test his skills and, if he succeeds, recognize his efforts.

To reduce this behavior in the workplace, you must:

·         Explicitly state your company’s promotion requirements.

·         Encourage employees to collaborate rather than compete with one another.

·         Acknowledge the squad as a whole rather than single out individuals.

·         Set up regular workplace personality development training.

How to Deal with a Mulish Mule:

Inform this employee of the potential consequences of his actions for the company. Make sure he understands to avoid bringing his issues to work. Allow him to change his conduct after that.

The following actions could help you monitor and control this type of behavior:

·         Provide a comment/suggestion box in your office so customers and staff can leave their thoughts.

·         Promote teamwork

·         Give everyone an equal opportunity to lead

·         Assign a new project or assignment to a different team member.

How to Deal with a Greedy Gull:

Find out what triggers this behavior through a private conversation with the person. Give the employee frank feedback and motivate him to concentrate on his work. Make him realize that to keep his job, and he must alter his conduct.

Help your staff members alter their harmful conduct by:

·         Being aware of their perspective

·         Suggesting a therapist or counselor

·         Isolating the worker as he attempts to repair his reputation

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Wrap Up

Toxic employees are like rotting tomatoes. If you put them in the same tray, they’ll infect the healthy ones. According to studies, other employees who are exposed to hazardous workers are more likely to exhibit the same behavior.

Sometimes highly competent professionals work in toxic environments. Therefore, even if management wanted to end their contract, they might not do it out of concern for losing money. It might be challenging to locate someone as competent as them.

It’s not necessary to fire a toxic employee right away. Always be aware of the cause of the behavior, and give the person an opportunity to improve themselves first.