What Are the Different Types of Toxic Coworkers?

Identify common toxic coworker types, including bullies, slackers, pessimists, volatile employees, and overworked martyrs. See practical ways leaders can address harmful behavior, protect morale, and build a healthier workplace culture.

By Brad Nakase, Attorney

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Toxic Employee

3. Warning indicators for “toxic employees”

4. Different kinds of toxic employees

5. Dealing with Toxic Employees

Introduction

Most people are familiar with the term “toxic relative.” They are always negative and critical. They are difficult to be around. However, what would constitute a “toxic employee”?

“Toxic employees” may trigger problems at work, comparable to “toxic people” in everyday life. They might create a hostile and unfavorable work atmosphere. They make it harder for fellow workers to accomplish their duties.

“Toxic individual” and “toxic employee” are popular terms. They are not the most inclusive, though. We believe that it is essential to state that right away. When we employ this phrase, we mean those who display toxic behavior rather than those who are toxic. There’s a distinction. Instead of a problem or behavior that can be fixed, one suggests a problem that is intrinsic to the individual.

We believe that keeping this definition and difference in mind is going to help you rethink the situation and lead with empathy when dealing with a worker who is damaging or upsetting the culture of your company, since this article discusses how to assist someone in modifying their ways of behaving in a toxic way.

We’ll go over warning signals, how to handle misbehavior, & typical “toxic employees.” It is important to curb things that lower morale and hinder other team members’ productivity.

Toxic Employee

“Toxic employees” behave in ways that are harmful to an organization’s employees and assets. These employees could hurt other employees or result in a loss of clients and revenue. They may even be the cause of a coworker’s resignation.

A toxic coworker doesn’t get along with others, mostly. They usually aren’t even aware that they are toxic in the first place.

An employee’s toxic behavior might be caused by a variety of circumstances. They may be caused by trauma or past events, a lack of gratitude from coworkers or the company, or ego.

Therefore, it’s critical to recognize the warning signals of a staff member making tasks more challenging before it affects team productivity or employee attrition.

Warning indicators for “toxic employees”

It’s challenging to spot a toxic employee through the interview process. You won’t notice them until the person has joined the team. A toxic coworker can cause significant harm once on the job.

In fact, a study conducted by the MIT Sloan Management Review discovered that a workplace that is toxic is 10.4 times more prone to contribute to turnover than compensation. The study examined 34 million virtual employee records of American workers. They were the ones who departed their company for any reason. It included retiring, quitting, & being fired.

There are some warning signs to identify a toxic coworker.

Harassing/intimidating others
Absenteeism
Claiming credit for the efforts of others
Making complaints about the company, yet doing nothing about it
Undermining the efforts of others
Holding people accountable for their errors
Assigning coworkers pointless tasks
Competitiveness
Being insensitive
Overconfidence

You can spot workers displaying any of these warning signs. You have to be perceptive enough. People who gossip, degrade, discourage, demoralize, and manipulate clients and coworkers ought to be observed. This individual may behave selfishly & attempt to diminish those around them.

Different kinds of toxic employees

There are five primary categories of toxic employees.

1. The Bully

When a coworker receives praise at work, this person never seems to be pleased. They desire to be in the spotlight.

It shows up at work in the form of entitled unprofessionalism & blame-shifting. Selfish behavior is also common.

Bullies undermine others or dissect concepts. They alone have the power to create a psychologically dangerous atmosphere where coworkers are afraid to express their own thoughts or beliefs.

2. The Slacker

Procrastination is the specialty of a slacker. In addition to putting off responsibilities, slackers may also be absent or be late to work.

The job performance and expertise of coworkers who are dependent on them for scheduled tasks can suffer. The business as a whole will suffer. They consistently miss deadlines or put off providing customer support.

3. The Volcano

The volcano can either lie dormant or erupt. It’s also difficult to forecast. This manifests itself in the workplace as abrupt outbursts.

They will cause chaos. They discourage their colleagues from taking part in projects. They insist on their own concepts. Similar to the bully, their actions may negatively impact psychological safety.

The worst-case situation is when a volatile employee forces their views on others or makes customers stop conducting business with the organization.

4. The Pessimist

Because they exude negativity, pessimists are the quiet horror of the office. This guy finds everything boring for some reason. They find a coworker’s performance inadequate. They also find every task dull.

Frequent complaints will bring down the enthusiasm. The pessimist stifles the creativity of people. They are concerned with bad outcomes.

5. The Martyr

Some people do not like to interact. They seldom take a day off. Martyrs are diligent workers who find it difficult to decline new duties & projects.

It sounds just like a fairy tale! It can be challenging to identify this one, particularly if these workers are productive. But excessive employment has a detrimental effect on their health.

There is enough evidence that people who work extended hours have higher risks of stroke & ischemic heart disease than people who work usual hours.

Having a driven mindset is admirable. But taking on more than one can handle leads to overwork. It will result in failed deadlines & impeded opportunities for others to grow.

Dealing with Toxic Employees

Corrosive attitudes easily take hold in a firm and grow like wildfire. They usually start with a few toxic coworkers who infect others. You are aware of them. The mood-suckers who drain all the enthusiasm from a discourse. Or the person who enjoys spreading “them & us” stories and engaging in gossip.

A bad work environment can result in disengagement, poorer retention rates, lower productivity, and general misery, regardless of the cause—office politics, antagonistic relationships, or a lack of trust. When there is a bad situation at work, everyone suffers. Workers, executives, and eventually the business and its profits.

What should you do, then, when the odds are inherently against you?

1. Determine the beneficial behaviors you wish to promote

The way individuals act when you’re not around might be used to characterize an organization’s culture. It’s a natural reaction to a specific circumstance. Therefore, it makes sense to define your culture and identify the fundamental values you would like it to embody. It follows that there are actions that support your beliefs if you can figure out what they are.

Employees must embody the essence of your company. Their actions ought to represent the best aspects of your company. You can then specify the practices you value if everyone on your team agrees.

Then, whatever you do can be guided by a decent set of behaviors. Hiring, terminating, promoting, & rewarding. Additionally, they will assist you in finding and controlling the toxic employees that are impeding the growth of your company.

2. Reach a consensus around harmful employee behaviors

Gaining widespread awareness of toxic actions that you will no longer accept in your company can also be quite beneficial.

Make a list of ten of the most prevalent toxic coworker behaviors. You all agree that you will no longer put up with them. Some companies even go so far as to write these ten habits on a charter, have each team member endorse it, and then snap a picture of the occasion. After that, this and a draft of the document can be framed and put up on the office wall. An ongoing visual reminder that makes everyone responsible.

3. Introduce a framework

You won’t be able to handle difficult conversations if you’ve never understood behaviors. Additionally, you’ve encouraged these toxic employee practices to spread by putting up with them in the past. It is implied that such conduct is acceptable. If you don’t exercise caution, it will become the standard and, worse, your entire organization will be aware of it.

You will begin to combat this by introducing a behavioral framework. It will provide you and your supervisors with a fresh vocabulary to identify harmful behavior and make it plain that it will no longer be accepted.

The toxic workers will be aware that they are creating an issue if this framework is effectively explained. Managers can be quite explicit in their performance-based conversations. Pointing out instances of undesirable behavior and connect them to the core principles. They can establish deadlines for reviewing and revisiting until they are certain the issue has been resolved.

4. Eliminate “Toxic Advanced Players”

People who work for organizations with a lot of social currency are frequently negative, which creates an atmosphere of hopelessness around them. These may be toxic workers who appear to be doing well on the surface but are really bad. They may be a senior networking engineer with minimal emotional intelligence, but they are accepted and praised for their accomplishments due to their specialized knowledge.

Negative behaviors must be addressed, discussed, and requested to cease. They tell other employees that it’s acceptable to act in this manner if they are allowed to continue.

Put them in a space and make it very obvious that you will no longer tolerate their pessimism or bad attitude. As previously stated, be very specific. Verify that the toxic conduct isn’t being caused by your compensation structure. Fix it if it is. Next, let your toxic player make an adjustment. They must leave if they are unable to, even if you think it will be hard to replace them.

This guarantees that the “fence-sitters” leave the fence and conveys a clear signal to other employees. The entire organization lets out a gasp of satisfaction, if not a small victory dance, each time you get rid of a top toxic coworker. Everyone can see it. Abruptly, the business becomes less tense, and you begin to proceed once more.

5. Encourage Positivity

You must create an environment at work where positive experiences predominate over negative ones. This almost always comes down to putting employee satisfaction first. After all, contented employees will increase your discretionary effort by up to 40%. Pretty necessary if you wish to expand your company. Negativity will be stopped in its tracks if you create a joyful, productive environment.

Clarity is what I suggest. Employees will be happy if you are clear about your beliefs and purpose, your goals, the measures you use to gauge success, & what to expect. It’s also critical to promote recognition & praise within your company. Positivity will circulate, and everyone, including you, will feel better if these characteristics are deeply embedded in your culture.

6. Leaders must take the initiative

In contrast to leadership, employees are unable to terminate one another or hold one another accountable. Leaders must recognize that a component of their job is to protect their staff. It includes ensuring that anyone who is undermining the team’s culture & general morale is dealt with and corrected.

Certain toxic behaviors need to be quickly condemned. However, many employees would be astonished and unhappy if they were fired or reprimanded without warning. Only after you’ve given them a lot of warnings or have evidence of their bad behavior is official discipline appropriate.

However, it’s time to let somebody go if you’ve had frank discussions with them about their behavior and they refuse to accept accountability for their actions, their impact, or any modifications, even after you’ve given them numerous opportunities to do so.

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What Are the Different Types of Toxic Coworkers?

Introduction

Toxic Employee

Warning indicators for “toxic employees”

Different kinds of toxic employees

Dealing with Toxic Employees

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