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We’ve all had a bad day at work and haven’t performed to our best abilities. Sometimes the stress of life gets the best of us and it impacts our workday in ways that we’re not proud of. The difference between us and a toxic employee is that we don’t stay in that negative headspace for long. A toxic employee is not someone who is just having a bad day, a toxic employee is someone who has developed an overwhelmingly negative perception of their situation and has become detrimental to their company’s health. The presence of even one toxic employee can destroy an organization’s culture, productivity, and bottom line. In this blog, we’ll explore the consequences of a toxic employee and how you can identify and address this issue.
Your culture is an essential element of business success. When your people feel respected, valued, and accepted they will propel your business into massive growth and innovation. That’s why it’s incredibly important to be wary of potential negative hires. A toxic employee can poison your teams, spreading negativity and hostility throughout the workplace. Their toxic behavior can lead to a culture of fear, mistrust, and disengagement among other team members. This erosion of culture can drive away high-performing employees and hinder collaboration and innovation.
Toxic employees tend to create negative work environments in their wake as well. Conflict, drama, and stress become the norm around thees people, and their negativity can be a significant drain on productivity. According to research by Harvard Business School, one toxic employee can cost an organization approximately $12,000 in annual turnover costs, not to mention the indirect impact on the productivity of other team members.
Toxic employees can also damage your company’s reputation both internally and externally. Negative workplace experiences can potentially shape everyone’s perception of your business. In a digital world, anyone can share a negative experience and watch it spread like wildfire. Your star performers could begin seeking new opportunities and future talent may hold off on sending you their resumes. Your brand’s image can also affect your customers, partners, and investors. Never underestimate the damage a toxic employee can do.
To identify a toxic employee, there are consistent behavioral patterns you can recognize to diagnose. Chronic negativity, hostility, gossiping, and an unwillingness to collaborate are a few symptoms of a toxic employee. They may also exhibit passive-aggressive behavior, undermining their colleagues and supervisors.
Monitor the morale of the team members who work closely with the suspected toxic employee. Try to get the clearest picture possible of their team dynamics. If all of their team members seem to be less motivated, disengaged, and unhappy, it’s time to start developing a plan of action. You can’t afford to keep a detrimental influence on your teams.
One of the most effective ways to identify toxic employees is by using survey and culture analytics tools like MindGoal. Conducting regular employee surveys can help you collect valuable feedback and insights anonymously. By analyzing the data, you can pinpoint areas of concern and potentially identify toxic behavior trends. Solutions like MindGoal go beyond the data by also providing 24/7 culture support to help you target culture pain points and build the happiest, healthiest, and most productive work environment possible.
In some cases, toxic behavior may be a result of personal issues or misalignment with company values. Before taking more drastic measures, consider whether the toxic employee can be helped. Open communication, coaching, and providing opportunities for them to voice their concerns may resolve the issue. Also, consider if they could be successful on a different team within your organization. Oftentimes, employees are hired with the hopes of getting to a more desirable position shortly and become disgruntled when it doesn’t happen. The best thing you can do is foster open dialogue and try to understand the root cause of their negativity.
If remediation efforts prove ineffective or the toxicity persists, it may be necessary to part ways with the toxic employee. The longer you delay, the more damage they can inflict on your company’s culture and productivity. MindGoal’s survey and culture analytics tool can help you make data-driven decisions in these difficult situations. You can initiate the conversation with a guiding question like “It seems like you’re not happy here anymore, would you agree?”, and they will almost always answer “Yes”. Remember, data is impartial, and utilizing culture data can ultimately save you both time and money.
A toxic employee can have a devastating impact on your company’s culture, productivity, and bottom line. Recognizing the signs and taking swift action is essential to preserve your organization’s health. MindGoal’s survey and culture analytics tool offers a proactive approach to identifying and addressing toxic behavior before it becomes a full-blown crisis. By fostering a culture of transparency, feedback, and continuous improvement, you can build a workplace where all team members thrive. Find out how we help our customers reduce turnover by 15% on average by booking a demo with our team today!
Don’t wait until toxic employees harm your company. Schedule a demo with MindGoal today to proactively assess and improve your company culture.
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