Toxic Employees: You Can’t Afford Them

In the current economy, no business can afford things that use unnecessary resources and lower the bar for the entire company.

That’s especially true in terms of staff. With the hiring situation now and for the foreseeable future, good employees are almost priceless. In fact, for some small businesses, a handful of great employees can make the company.

And while hiring bonuses and other perks are important, there’s one thing you may have overlooked: getting rid of your bad employees.

We’re not talking about competency, although that’s obviously important. But as often as not, you can usually train someone who isn’t up to speed on a process or procedure. It may be a pain and bring a short-term cost, but skills are teachable. The individual must be fundamentally suited to the job – you might not want an introvert for a sales position – but skills can be taught.

Bad Apples

What we’re talking about here are toxic employees, workers who prey on other employees, fight management at every turn or create an atmosphere that is negative, counterproductive and anything but positive.

There are many angles to this discussion, but the simple version is that people affect other people. At work, negative behavior can be constant sniping at management, badmouthing other staff members, or just putting out a bad vibe.

All of us impact the emotions of those around us. We’ve all seen how happiness spreads from a person to his friends, to his friends’ friends, and then to their friends and onward. It’s like a Facebook post that is shared and shared again.

Negative actions spread the same way. A seemingly small act of rudeness can ripple across communities, affecting people in the network, even if they’re not directly connected. It’s crucial that employees and managers recognize and deal with toxic employees quickly. You will be better off and so will your other employees. It may surprise you how much.

Don’t Delay, But Be Tactful

Whenever possible, confront a toxic individual in private. Unless the toxic behavior occurs in public and you have no other environment in which to respond, a public put down can make the toxic employee even more hostile and perhaps aggressive, which will aggravate the situation. The goal is to convince this person that you "carry a big stick" and are not a passive target. Toxic employees will continue their behavior until somebody shuts them down.

At the same time, some people may be unaware how negative they are and how it impacts those around them. This is another reason why it’s best to address the issue in private first. Some people just vent, and their negative behavior is simply a reflection of inner turmoil. In some cases, letting them know their impact and asking them to stop may be enough.

If the behavior occurs in front of others—in a meeting or where others are certain to hear—it might be best to confront the individual then and there. If you or another worker says something that draws a nasty comment, even something almost whispered, you can often stop the behavior then and there.

Say you call for a meeting the next day and the “Negative Ned” or “Negative Nelly” mutters something about “more wasted time” or a similar sarcastic comment. Ask everyone present if they believe the meeting will be wasted time. Likely they’ll say “No.” Then you can turn to the toxic employee and say, “Apparently you’re the only one who believes that.” If at any point you don’t quite get the answer you want, simply explain why you believe the meeting is necessary. Usually, such confrontation is enough to shock the toxic employee into a public withdrawal.

It’s Not Easy

It can take great inner strength on your part to face down someone who’s extremely negative, but the showdown is necessary. When a staffer is that obnoxious or aggressive, the only solution is taking him or her on. Most management problems will not go away through neglect; in fact, they will almost always get worse.

If the negative behavior continues, treat it like any other disciplinary matter. Give the individual a warning. Tell them, "It is unacceptable to make hurtful or inappropriate comments. Our office has standards and expectations for professional treatment. Continue this behavior and further disciplinary action, up to and including termination will result."