As a leader, you need to be able to interact with many types of personalities efficiently. The brutal reality is that at some point in your career, you may come across individuals who are exhibiting what we would call “toxic” behaviors. You cannot ignore toxic people in the workplace and hope they will go away or simply stop injecting negativity into every fiber of the organization. They will spread their poison like a bad virus that influences others to potentially act or think in the same manner. So, how do you effectively lead a team that contains a “toxic” person?

Defining Toxicity

Here is my honest opinion and perhaps I am too much of an optimist. I honestly do not believe that people wake up every day with the intention to go into the office place and act out in a way that would be perceived as being difficult or what we would call "toxic." Perhaps some people have learned and absorbed highly toxic behaviors from previous leaders and then in turn exhibit the same behaviors towards others. They are not bad people, and evil or nefarious intents do not necessarily drive them. They are simply acting out in ways that they have experienced themselves. The bottom line is this--either they have learned these behaviors from previous leaders, or perhaps they simply lack the emotional intelligence and self-awareness to act in more productive ways. As leaders, role models and influencers you cannot tolerate, ignore or excuse this type of “toxic” behavior in the workplace.

When you deal with toxicity in the workplace, it’s important to understand that the issue you need to address is not the person; it’s the person’s toxic behavior. You cannot be expected to fix a person, but as a leader, you can take steps to correct behavior and encourage actions that promote healthier workplace relationships and higher levels of engagement.

Some of the more common toxic behaviors in the workplace include:

• Constant complaining and-or expressions of negativity
• Disrespecting people and deadlines
• Gossiping and spreading rumors
• Nitpicking the efforts of coworkers
• The need to be confrontational, even over trivial matters
• Disrespect for personal and professional boundaries
• Manipulating coworkers into doing their work; deflecting responsibility
• Taking credit for the work performed by others
• “Brown-nosing” the boss
• Belittling peers and colleagues
• The list goes on...

Why do people act this way you may wonder? Sometimes by directly delivering the feedback on how someone is engaging in the workplace will open their eyes to the challenges they are creating with their behavior. As leaders, we are not always trained to psychoanalyze the people we lead and to help reveal the source of their issues and toxicity. What we do encourage is that you deal with the toxic behaviors with transparent, open communication, emotional intelligence, and good faith so that you can promote growth and transformation. Your role as a leader is to focus on motivating and rewarding behaviors that are conducive to individual, team and organizational success. When people are not exhibiting these behaviors, you need to take action before they infect your team and the entire organization.

The Real Effects and Costs of Toxicity in the Workplace

Before I get to tips for dealing with toxic behaviors in the workplace, I think it’s important to understand how these behaviors impact the health of your organization. Sometimes “toxic” people are top performers on paper, which might lead you to believe that you can maintain the status quo without confronting their bad behaviors. Consider what recent research shows us:

• 94% of leaders have worked with someone they define as “toxic,” which suggests that toxicity in the workplace is highly prevalent
• People who are targeted by toxic behaviors are more likely to quit their jobs
• Losing people because of toxicity in the office means hiring and training new employees
• The financial burden associated with bringing new people on board (to replace those lost because of toxic behaviors) represents more than three percent of total payroll costs

Toxicity in the workplace has a negative impact on the bottom line. It causes your best people to quit, and it puts stress on people and the entire organization. Furthermore, people who exhibit toxic behaviors seem to have a way of spreading their toxicity like harmful sunshine. When you have a person in your organization who behaves with toxicity, one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch.

What Leaders Can Do

You need to do something about the people who are behaving in ways that create negativity, distrust, and lack of engagement. You must also be mindful not to allow the behaviors to infect you and poison your ability to lead and inspire others.

Here are some things you can do:

#1 — Don’t Hire “Toxic” People in the First Place
Obviously, if you are reading this, you may be past the point where this advice would be useful, but I think it’s crucial to screen for toxicity during the recruiting process.

Experts suggest interviewing for civility, which means asking questions that get to the heart of how a person interacts with others and how they behave in the workplace. Also, you should observe behaviors and responses through the lens of civility during the interview process.

Here is an example of what you could ask a potential candidate. Describe a scenario where the interviewee would be on the receiving end of incivility. Ask how they would respond. A desirable candidate is one who would address things constructively, directly, professionally and respectfully.

#2 — Take a Closer Look
Although you should not be expected to take on the role of therapist or counselor, you can use emotionally intelligent communication to determine if the toxicity is work-related. What is going on in their life to create these unproductive behaviors? Are they dealing with issues at home? Is the employee frustrated with career development? Are they stressed out from working long hours?

If the toxic behaviors have arisen from dissatisfaction or stress with work, you can provide relief in the form of time off and or the re-evaluation of the individual’s responsibilities. You need to get to the heart of what is happening to create this type of behavior especially if it is out of character and the norm for the individual. We owe it to them to find out what is happening before we write people off as "toxic" employees who lack the attitude, values, and behaviors that foster teamwork and deliver collaborative results.

#3 — Communicate Directly
Toxic behaviors are incredibly disruptive, but many of the people who engage in such actions do not even realize that they are causing such strife and discomfort for others. You cannot assume that the person is aware that they are creating trouble in the office, and it's your job to give them direct feedback on their behavior.

Explain the behavior and how it is impacting the organization, using specific examples that you have observed yourself. Describe the practices you would like to see and collaborate on a plan of action. Finally, outline the consequences for continued toxic behaviors, and always make sure that your interactions with the employee are agreed to and are well documented.

#4 — Create a Non-Toxic Workplace Culture
One of the most valuable big-picture aspects of leadership is fostering the appropriate workplace culture. You are responsible for what happens in your workplace, and you are the architect who defines the culture. If you promote values like self-awareness, positivity, honesty, collaboration, and vulnerability, your team members will follow suit. But if you create a culture of negativity, stress, blame, and victimization, you should not be surprised if employees start behaving in a toxic manner.

What Do You Think?

Dealing with “toxic” people and behavior is a tremendous challenge, but it’s not an impossible one. The tips I’ve outlined above can have a positive impact, but I’m interested in hearing what you think and what you have done to combat toxic behavior in the workplace. How have you handled such actions within your organization? Have you experienced negative impacts on the bottom line due to this type of behavior? Do you think it’s possible to change such toxic behaviors?

Let me know what you think by sending me an email at joanne.trotta@leadersedgeinc.ca. I would love to hear your perspective on this subject.

‍