A toxic employee can drag the whole team down with them. However, with the right guidance and leadership, this can be avoided. It’s often a case of identifying their toxic traits and working with them to overcome these behaviours. Here are just five types of toxic employees and how you can manage them.
The employee that’s always late/absent
Employees that are always late or absent could be making the workload greater for the rest of the team. Such employees aren’t always late or absent as a result of laziness or disorganization. Sometimes there’s a legitimate reason behind their behaviour – and it’s important to get to the bottom of this in order to find a solution to the problem.
For instance, an employee that is a mother may be late or absent because of issues surrounding her kids. An employee that lives far away may deal with transport difficulties. In other cases, substance abuse may be to blame – in these cases, Reasonable Suspicion Training may be needed. In other cases, employees may be battling chronic health problems that they have not disclosed with you.
Arrange a one-on-one meeting so that you can get to the bottom of the cause. If an employer is just being late or pulling a sickie because they feel that they can get away with it, the solution could be to make company policy stricter surrounding lateness and absenteeism.
The employee that chats too much
Chatty employees can sometimes be good for team morale, however some can become a distraction to their colleagues – or may even slow down productivity by talking to an individual customer for too long.
It’s important to rein in these chatty employees if they’re starting to have a negative impact on the team. If you can’t put them in more social roles, you’ll simply have to remind them whenever you think they’re being too talkative. Try to focus their attention towards work whenever they go off-topic and make them aware of the consequences of being too talkative.
The employee that always makes mistakes
When one employee constantly makes mistakes, it’s often up to everyone else around them to pick up the pieces. The damage can be particularly great if an employee doesn’t own up to the mistake or tries to hide it.
Employees that constantly make mistakes may require more training and possibly more surveillance. It’s important not to treat them as an inconvenience, but to work with them to solve the problem. They could be overworked, they could have an attention deficit or they may be better suited to other roles. Whatever the case, encourage communication – make them feel comfortable asking questions or admitting to weaknesses.
The employee that shows no effort or enthusiasm
Some employees show no effort or enthusiasm for the job. They may even openly complain about their work. This bad attitude can rub off on colleagues, leading everyone to feel demotivated.
Consequently, it’s important to deal with these toxic employees. It could be a case of scheduling a one-on-one meeting and getting them to open up about the things that are making them disgruntled. It’s possible they could be in the wrong role or that they may feel they have no support. Only by talking to them can you find out the answer.
Also make sure that you yourself are motivated and enthusiastic. A senior employee may adopt a grumpy demeanour if you are frequently in a bad mood. Motivation often needs to come from the top.
The employee that bullies other employees
Workplace bullies are the most toxic of all the toxic employee types. Bullying tactics can take many forms from verbal harassment to pranks to sabotaging work to starting gossip. Usually directed against an individual (or several individuals), bullying can cause other employees unnecessary stress and possibly result in them resigning. You may notice cliques starting to form and this could then lead to a lack of communication within the team.
Workplace harassment prevention training needs to be made compulsory by the employers. They should also take any reports of bullying seriously and reprimand those who you know are responsible. If things get worse, support your employees who have been affected by these acts by seeking help from the best sexual assault victim lawyer NYC.
If you see any bullying happening yourself, call it out there and then. Encourage a workplace culture of inclusiveness and acceptance by leading by example. Bullies may be the types of people that try to challenge your authority so be prepared for this and don’t let them turn the team against you.
