It’s a simple fact of life that not all employees are created equal. A few will quickly take the ball and run
with it, while others need to be micro-managed. And, still others may develop a negative attitude and engage in toxic behaviors that affect the entire team. Learning to identify negative attitudes and toxic team members, and dealing with them effectively, is one of our most important team building tips.
While a bad attitude in a single person may be a result of an individual personality trait, when negativity spreads among your team, the wise leader begins to examine the culture they (or others) have created.
“Office culture doesn’t turn toxic because of a few bad seeds. It turns toxic because leadership didn’t see or outright ignored the signs that something was amiss.” (FastCompany.com)
In a recent study by Warble, a platform that offers anonymous employee feedback directly to HR departments, we find evidence of what a negative work environment looks like. In other words, these are the reasons so many team members refuse to speak up about a toxic culture on the job:
- 46% of employees don’t believe action will be taken
- 39% fear being labeled overly emotional, weak, or petty
- 38% refuse to speak up because their manager is the culprit
- 38% fear retaliation for speaking out
- 32% do not trust HR
- 26% are afraid they will be fired
- 20% find it difficult to describe the offending behaviors
Perhaps most telling among the factors listed above is the first: nearly half of those who responded to the survey showed a lack of trust in management to deal with disruptive behaviors by other team members. This, despite more than 60% of respondents claiming to have witnessed such behavior at work.
How to Handle Toxic Employees and Build a High Performance Team
Once the workplace culture has been cleaned up, there may be individuals who continue to cause problems: spreading negativity, degrading others, and making everyone’s time at work miserable. This person goes beyond being difficult, making them toxic to the team.
According to an article at the Harvard Business Review, the first step a good leader should take is to take a look at the behavior and try to discover its cause. Is it work related; perhaps even a holdover from the previous leader’s management style? Could it be personal, which is affecting them at work? Once you know the cause, you can work to help the individual overcome their challenges and become a productive team member.
Next, offer direct and honest feedback, without being confrontational (if at all possible). After all, people being people, it’s entirely possible they are unaware of the negative impact they’re having on the team. By helping them to understand the problem, you also present them with an opportunity to change their behavior – and save their job.
Here are some team building tips to remember when dealing with toxic behavior.
- First, try a positive, face-to-face approach:
- Talk to the person and try to understand what’s causing the behavior.
- Give concrete, specific feedback and offer the opportunity to change.
- Avoid discussing the individuals problems with your other team members. Allow them to mention it first and then provide suggestions.
- Next, do all you can to protect and shield other team members:
- Look for ways to minimize interactions between the toxic employee and the rest of your team.
- Try to fire the person if you’ve documented the behavior, its impact, and your response.
- Don’t get so wrapped up in handling the issue that you ignore more important work and responsibilities.
For more team building tips about dealing with toxic employees, I invite you to watch my February 22nd Facebook discussion.
Or, if you would you like to learn more about how to excel in your leadership role through improved communication, and the enhanced use of emotional intelligence in the workplace, my Free Leadership Webinar may be exactly what you need.
