Many years ago, I worked with a small team of professionals. Everyone on this team (well almost everyone) was a hard worker and all were highly skilled. Our boss was supportive and encouraging. Our Board loved us.
And then one day we got a new member of the team. He was nice at first, but soon we could all sense some arrogance. As time went along, we saw more and more selfish behavior from this guy. Soon he was undercutting us and going around us to get what he wanted. He schmoozed up to the Board and many of our members. Before long, we had to modify what we were doing to account for him. Our tasks took longer and required us to sidestep him just to get things done.
So we complained to our boss. And nothing happened. Then we complained to the Board. And still nothing happened. This guy became the focus of our conversation (when he wasn’t around) and a major distraction.
Until mercifully he quit.
And then things went back to normal. Well as normal as they could be considering the damage done. And even after he was gone, we still talked about him. Much like a person talks about what it was like to ride out a hurricane and survive to tell the tale. Even today, when I talk to any of those old co-workers, HIS name comes up soon into the conversation.
If you’re The Boss, you have a responsibility to take care of toxic employees.
What separates a toxic employee from just your average, every-day pain in the ass employee? A toxic employee requires you to take extra time and extra steps to get around them just to get your job done.
A pain in the ass employee annoys us. A toxic employee costs us and our company time and money.
So if you’re The Boss, how do you spot the toxic employee?
- WATCH the reactions of your team when a certain person makes a comment or has a suggestion or brags about their work. Look for the eye roll. Look for the smirk. Your team will alert you very subtly about how they feel.
- LISTEN to what your team says when they think you’re not within earshot. If you hear complaints and hear that person’s name mentioned, that’s a clue.
- When you meet one-on-one with your team, ASK them what impediments are in the way of them doing their best work. Let them know that every answer is on the table. If you build enough trust with your team, they will tell you.
And when you identify the toxic employee, deal with them immediately! Get your data together, confront them, clarify your expectations on what it means to be part of the team and set them straight. If they show no signs of improving, get rid of them.
I suspect our boss and the board refused to deal with the toxic co-worker because he had skills and connections but in no way was that worth the trouble he caused.
If you’re The Boss, don’t let these things get out of hand. Your team relies on you to protect the house and protect the workplace. Don’t let them down!