Identifying Toxic Employees and How to Deal With Them

Toxic employees disrupt team dynamics, lower productivity, and destroy company culture by spreading negativity and discontent. Their negative attitude and disruptive behavior can create a ripple effect that lowers morale, decreases employee engagement, and ultimately hampers business success.

Identifying and addressing toxic employees in the workplace is crucial to maintaining a healthy work environment where all employees can thrive and contribute positively. Learn more about the different types of toxic employees, their traits and behaviors, as well as how to deal with them and minimize the negative impact on your workforce.

How to Identify Toxic Employees

Click through the tabs below to learn the types, traits, and signs of toxic behavior in the workplace.

From the sly manipulator to the chronic complainer, toxic employees come in a variety of forms. Understanding the different types of toxic behavior, and effectively managing employees, can shed light on possible toxicity within your workforce:

The Gossiper: Constantly spreads rumors and innuendo, creating a culture of distrust and unease. This type of employee thrives on spreading drama and causing discord within the team.
The Credit Thief: Takes credit for others’ ideas or work. This type of employee not only undermines teamwork but also erodes trust in leadership.
The Naysayer: Consistently shoots down new ideas and projects without offering constructive criticism or viable alternatives. Their pessimism can lead to missed opportunities for growth and progress.
The Manipulator: Plays victim to gain sympathy and evade responsibility. This type of employee often manipulates others into doing their work or covering up their mistakes.
The Complainer: Constantly complains and criticizes. This type of employee is never happy with their job, the company, or the people they work with. They find fault in every situation and infect others with negativity.
The Energy Drainer: Constantly drains the enthusiasm and positivity from those around them. Their continuous negativity has an impact on team morale and productivity.
The Blame Shifter: Refuses to take responsibility for their mistakes and instead shifts the blame onto others. Their lack of accountability can breed resentment among teammates and hinder effective problem-solving.
The Conflict Creator: Thrives on drama and conflict in the workplace. They keep morale low by instigating rumors, gossip, and unnecessary confrontations with others, creating an atmosphere of tension and distrust.
The Underminer: Appears hardworking and dedicated on the surface, but beneath the facade, subtly undermines their co-workers’ efforts. This type of employee nitpicks and criticizes even minor details, which can stifle creativity and innovation.

We’ve all encountered toxic employees at some point in our careers. They’re the ones who seem to stir up drama, create tension, and bring negativity to the workplace. But what exactly makes someone a toxic employee—behavior, personality, or a combination of both? Most toxic employees exhibit a combination of negative traits that have a snowball effect—negativity leads to a lack of accountability, resulting in a resistance to feedback that leads to manipulation, and so on.

Below are the common traits of toxic employees:

Negativity
Lack of accountability
Dishonesty
Resistance to feedback
Manipulation tactics
Sense of entitlement
Selfish behavior
Pessimistic
Lack of adaptability
Critical of others
Undermines teamwork

Sometimes, the signs of a toxic employee can be subtle, whereas other times these are clear and direct. Below are some of the telltale signs that you have a toxic employee on your team:

They undermine others so they appear on top.
They are creating and spreading rumors to make themselves look better.
They exhibit passive-aggressive behavior that blurs the line between being rude and joking.
They engage in aggressive or confrontational behavior with other team members.
They use manipulation tactics to get what they want.
They avoid taking responsibility for their actions and typically put the blame on others.

Impact of Toxic Behavior on Your Employees

Toxic behavior in the workplace has a direct and detrimental impact on your employees’ mental and emotional well-being. This can lead to decreased productivity, lower morale, a disconnect to company culture, and higher rates of absenteeism.

Productivity

Employees may feel demotivated to perform at their best when faced with constant negativity or hostility from colleagues and supervisors. The constant exposure to negativity, gossip, and manipulation not only drains their mental and emotional energy but also hampers their ability to focus on their work. This not only leads to lower productivity levels but can result in your employees struggling to find the drive to complete tasks or actively contribute within a team environment.

Learn five proven tips for how to improve employee productivity.

Morale

Toxic behavior can contribute to a culture of fear and apprehension among employees, leading to higher stress levels and lower job satisfaction. When employees are exposed to toxic behaviors, they may become disenchanted with their roles and lose enthusiasm for their work. Additionally, being exposed to toxic behaviors can reduce creativity, making employees feel uncomfortable sharing their ideas or concerns due to fear of retribution or ridicule from toxic employees.

Boosting employee morale can be done through various means, such as creating a positive work environment, providing feedback and recognition, and developing a sense of community.

Company Culture

When toxic behavior is left unchecked, it sets a precedent for acceptable conduct that can spread throughout the workplace. This perpetuates a cycle of negativity that undermines trust and damages working relationships. As a result, talented employees may seek opportunities elsewhere, hindering the company’s ability to attract and retain top talent.

Learn more about what company culture is and how it represents the collective attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of a company and its employees.

Absenteeism

Constant exposure to negativity, bullying, or harassment can lead to increased stress, anxiety, and even depression. This can, in turn, lead to frequent absenteeism among the affected employees. Employees often feel compelled to take time off from work to cope with the stress and anxiety that toxic behaviors cause.

We recommend getting to the root of the issue to help curtail absenteeism. However, having a clear attendance policy in place is also important to maintain expectations among employees. For more tips, check out our guide to managing employee attendance issues.

How to Deal With Toxic Employees

Knowing how to address and deal with toxic employees in the workplace requires a combination of direct confrontation and proactive efforts to maintain a sound balance between your employees. You can do this through the following methods:

Establish clear communication channels: Allowing for open dialogue so that you can promptly address issues is especially important when you have toxic employees. When your other employees feel they can come to you with issues, it will help you identify and resolve toxic behaviors before significant damage is done.
Foster positive culture traits: Valuing transparency, accountability, and mutual respect can act as a preventative measure against toxic behaviors. By promoting teamwork and collaboration, your employees are more likely to feel connected to your mission and values, which can discourage negative attitudes among employees.
Establish ongoing support and resources: Offer professional development opportunities, counseling services, or conflict resolution training. By investing in your employees’ well-being, you create a more positive and supportive work environment that mitigates negative behavior.
Encourage collaboration: When you emphasize the importance of teamwork, you shift the focus from individual toxicity to collective success. By putting your team members together to collaborate on projects, you give them the opportunity to work together and settle their differences professionally.
Build transparent guidelines: By establishing clear expectations for behavior and performance, you can proactively discourage toxic attitudes from becoming the norm. This preventative approach can reduce the likelihood of toxic behaviors emerging in the future.
Have clear and direct conversations: When you see signs of toxic behavior in an employee, it is important to immediately address those concerns. Bring the employee in for a one-on-one conversation to discuss how their behavior is affecting other employees and the company as a whole. Also, it is advised to ask the employee how they are feeling and if there are ways their work experience could be improved.

Terminating Toxic Employees

Once you have exhausted all possible options for dealing with a toxic employee, you may find yourself needing to terminate that employee. By letting go of a toxic employee, you are not only safeguarding your team from negativity but also sending a clear message that such behavior will not be tolerated. The results for firing someone with toxic behaviors will be the same as how to terminate an employee for any reason—but make sure you remain on the legal side of things.

To handle this situation effectively, it’s essential to first establish clear performance expectations and provide ample opportunities for improvement through feedback and coaching. If you have already done this, and it’s time for the termination conversation, be sure to document specific instances of the toxic behavior and how it has impacted the company. Clearly outline the reasons for their dismissal while also providing support in their transition away from the company.

Be prepared for some possible backlash and blame from the employee. If this happens, simply redirect the conversation back to their specific behavior and proceed with the termination. It is important to also have someone from HR join the conversation as a witness. And, if necessary, have security on standby to escort the employee off the premises.

Bottom Line

Toxic employees have a negative impact on productivity, morale, and overall work culture. Handling toxic employees requires a proactive approach that prioritizes open communication and accountability while promoting a positive work environment for all employees. It’s imperative for leaders to recognize the signs of toxic behavior and take action to prevent its detrimental effects on the workplace.