TOXIC EMPLOYEES

January 9, 2023

Time to weed out Toxic Employees from Your Organization | Business Environment

As business owner – large, small, medium, micro have you ever encountered a toxic employee who, for some reason, keeps being rewarded or even promoted in the workplace?

Every office | Business usually has that one person who is undoubtedly toxic. They are known to bully, belittle, threaten, insult, and humiliate their colleagues.

Worst of all, these employees are often rewarded and promoted over their peers. As they gain more power in the workplace, their negative behaviors quickly establish a toxic environment that affects the working dynamics of your organization.There are 5 reasons why these employees are rewarded despite their toxic behavior.

1. They know how to carry themselves

2. They play dirty

3. They manipulate their way to the top

4. They are sociable and likable

5. They turn themselves into a martyr

Responsibility Starts at the Top

According to a recent study of more than 1,400 global CEOs and board members, the war for talent is one of the companies’ most critical issues. Failing to address toxic behavior at work is a recipe for failure.

Here are 6 actions large, small, micro medium business owners can take to prevent high-performing bullies from driving away their best employees.

1. Pay close attention to your culture :

Toxic employees get away with their actions because the culture within their organization lets them. Business Owner s must know what they are tolerating in their own company.

So, as a leader, you must survey and observe the happenings inside your company. That way, you can pinpoint areas that are affected by the toxicity and address them before it causes more problems.

Find out what happens when an employee is reported as toxic to Human Resources. Will HR examine the issue fully? Do they ignore repeat complaints? Will they address the root cause?

2. Establish a no-tolerance policy :

To effectively eliminate toxic behaviour in your organization, it is
crucial that you adopt a stricter policy. A zero-tolerance policy makes it difficult for toxic employees to act with immunity. It also encourages victims to speak out and ensures that strict action toward perpetrators is conducted as swiftly as possible.

3. Give direct feedback :

Avoid making decisions based on rumours and assumptions. In many cases, toxic people are unaware of their effect on others. Often, these employees are surprised to hear that they are causing a hostile work culture.

Direct feedback is important as it allows your toxic employees to understand the problems they are causing. It also allows them to have the chance to change their behaviour.

4. State the consequences :

At the same time, you should also explain what you expect to see from the employee moving forward. Actions should have consequences in the workplace. Your policies and code of conduct should be reviewed if the employee is unaware of the rules.

If the employee fails to make adjustments, or if the situation remains the same, you should consider terminating said employee.

5. Separate toxic employees :

If you cannot immediately remove the toxic employee, you can start isolating them first. This is so that the toxicity does not spread to other departments.

You can do this by rearranging seating arrangements in the office,
reassigning projects, and limiting department meetings. Keep in mind that when dealing with toxic employees, you have to tread lightly. Encourage other employees to come to you with their complaints, and helpminimize interactions with toxic colleagues.

6. Consider coaching and training :

Coaching is not only exclusive to well-behaved employees. In some cases, less-than-ideal employees should be given additional guidance and attention. You can provide behaviour improvement training to help improve their workplace behaviour. However, this only works if the person recognises that they need a behavioural change and will fully embrace the opportunity.

Better Business Better Life !

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