There’s always that one person on the team— the type of employee whose presence bothers the other team members. They like to infiltrate the workplace with their complaints and unethical behavior.
Such toxic behaviors can bring the team morale down whether they spread gossip or they are constantly complaining about their workloads. While firing him is not really the first option to have in mind, it’s better to address the problem head-on in order to mitigate the damage they may cause.
According to Dylan Minor, an assistant professor at the Kellog of Management, she refers to this type of employee as “toxic” because they cause harm and spread their behavior to others. “There’s a pattern of de-energizing, frustrating or putting down teammates,” Christian Porath, the author of Mastering Civility: A Manifesto for the Workplace claimed. “It’s not just that Joe is rude. The whole team suffers because of it.”
While the first step as a manager is to ensure that you don’t hire toxic people in the first place, sometimes it can be inevitable. Instead, you need to take another step to resolve the problem brought upon by the toxic employee in your team.
1. Find the reason behind their toxic behavior
Before you call them out for their behavior, it is best to dig deeper behind the cause of their behavior. Is he unhappy about his job? Does he have personal problems? Or is he having trouble with his co-workers? You can have a heart-to-heart talk with them at a coffee shop after work hours and ask how they’re doing— at work and at home. If you find the reason as to why they’re acting the way they are, you can always lend a hand. If the person is going through a divorce or is having a mental health issue, you could offer them a counseling resource. Give them time off work just to attenuate the underlying issue.
2. Be honest with your feedback
Most of the time, the toxic person is unaware of their toxicity. They don’t realize how destructive they are unless you tell them; they are too preoccupied with their own behaviors. That’s why you need to let them know of the damage that they are causing the team. Of course, you have to ground it in the work. Tell them what you expect them to change. Give them a chance to give a positive impact on the team.
However, be open to the idea that some people won’t change. While you have the hope that anyone can change if they really want to, accept the fact that some people don’t want to change. Porath’s research stated that 4% of toxic employees engage in such behavior just for the hell of it. They believe that they will get away with it. If such is the case, you need to take further actions and explore more serious responses.
3. Document everything
If the best way to resolve the issue is to fire the person, it is important that you have all the needed proofs about their offenses and the responses you’ve offered— but didn’t work — so far. You must establish their pattern of behavior, the responses you took to address it, and their failure to change.
4. Separate them from the other team members
Once you put some physical distance between the offender and the rest of the team, chances are that the rot won’t spread. When people are close to a toxic person, they tend to become toxic themselves. However, the risk recedes quickly if you take precautionary measures. You can take precautionary measures by rearranging desks and reassigning tasks. This is the action that Porath refers to as “immunizing” the others; it’s the process of protecting other people in order to decrease the number of run-ins and cognitive loss.
5. Don’t be distracted
You should still keep track of the important matters when you are taking extra actions in order to alleviate the situation. Don’t dwell on that toxic person’s repercussions to the extent where your other priorities fall by the wayside. To counteract the negativity, always surround yourself with positive people and look for the purpose of your work. Always observe self-care and take some time off if necessary.
When taking the matter into your own hands, remember that the first best action is to try to understand what’s causing the behavior. Give concrete and honest feedback while giving them enough space to change. Look for ways to minimize their interaction with other employees so that the behavior won’t outspread. Most importantly, look after yourself too and take some time off when you feel like their behavior is affecting your mental health as well.