The word “toxic” has a negative connotation: you may imagine someone who is constantly negative, rude, or offensive. However, toxicity comes in many shapes and forms, especially when it comes to “toxic” employees. Many toxic employees may even spread toxic behavior without realizing it and without trying to harm the business or culture.
Different types of toxicity exist in the workplace, most of which can be corrected through effective communication and managing. The trouble is, because there are different kinds of toxic employees, there are different types of solutions needed for each.
Keep reading to learn more about different types of toxic employees, signs you may have toxic employees, and solutions to help turn that toxicity into positivity.
What Exactly Is a Toxic Employee?
A toxic employee is a person whose actions, behaviors, or attitudes are detrimental to their organization’s culture, people, or property. It’s important to note that toxic employees most likely aren’t toxic people; they’re good people who exhibit toxic behaviors—sometimes unknowingly—that can be corrected.
Toxic employees often negatively influence the employees around them, leading to disengagement, strife, and even turnover.
Signs You May Have Toxic Employees
Remember, toxicity comes in different shapes and sizes, and depending on the type of toxic employee, you’ll need to approach solutions differently. Here is a quick rundown of the types of toxic employees you may see.
The Slacker
Employees who dodge work, delegate too much, are absent often, or frequently miss their goals fit in this category. Perpetual underperforming is a type of toxicity that results in:
- Disengagement
- Missed goals or disappointing results
- Stress and burnout for others who try to pick up their slack
These employees are often disconnected from work. They don’t care about what they do, and they never do anything above the bare minimum of what’s expected of them.
The Tyrant
These employees are selfish and only look out for themselves. They may hoard knowledge, mock others’ ideas, bully those around them, or not give credit where credit is due. This can lead to:
- A psychologically unsafe environment
- Frustration when no one else can share ideas
- A culture that doesn’t innovate
These types of employees love getting their own way and struggle to see the value in others’ opinions or work.
The Raincloud
Pessimism is contagious, and these types of employees cough and sneeze their negativity over everything. They complain about the company, their work, their team, and everything in between. This pessimism can lead to:
- A negative atmosphere around their team or even the whole office
- Lower motivation and creativity in those around them
- Never being pleased with company efforts or improvements
No one likes hearing complaints, and when it’s constant, other employees will start focusing on negatives, too. This creates a dangerous culture of dissatisfaction.
The Hustler
Hustle and grind are buzzwords that describe putting in the extra effort to get work done. These are positives in the right circumstances. However, this can also be a toxic behavior. For instance, if a manager constantly brags that they’re never offline and always skip lunch, other employees may assume that’s the standard they have to meet.
This can also lead to micromanaging, which no one likes. This type of toxicity results in:
- Employees who are burned out because they never give themselves a break
- No one taking PTO to recharge their batteries
- Constant stress and anxiety, which harms productivity
Having employees who always hustle may sound nice, but in the long run, it leads to stress, burnout, disengagement, and turnover.
The Gossip
Open communication and friendships between coworkers are great, but gossip is taking things to a toxic level. Gossipers not only slack off because they’re too busy chatting and spreading rumors, but they also feed office politics and fan the flames of drama between others. This can lead to:
- A lack of focus and lower productivity
- Uncertainty, fear, or anger based on warped rumors
We get it—juicy gossip can be hard to ignore, but it can become a toxic behavior when it interrupts people’s workflows or spreads negative feelings.