Tessara Smith, PayScale
There is no denying that retaining employees is one of the best ways a company can continue to grow and thrive. The more time and effort an employee invests in their career at your business, the more committed they become to watching it succeed. However, no matter how long someone has been with your organization, they may actually be contributing negative energy to your office environment. That being said, here are a few employees you should probably do something about ASAP.
- The Attention Grabber– “I am so special look at me!” This employee is the first to announce their accomplishments and the first to point out another’s mistakes. They are a self-seeking professional looking to get ahead of everybody else through any means possible. Their ambition is admirable, but this employee is not a team player and may be better off starting their own business instead of working for your company.
- The Wallflower– This employee may be productive however they have no desire to get to know other employees, move up the career ladder, or genuinely immerse themselves in the culture of the company. They aren’t hampering office productivity but they aren’t necessarily adding much value to your team. Evaluate whether or not this person is happy working for you and decide if someone new might be a better fit for the position as well as the overall office culture.
- The Energy Vampire- This employee comes in to the office grabs their coffee, and comes in energized and peppy. However, when it comes time to get their work done, they would rather do anything but complete their tasks for the day. Instead of putting their focus on doing their job, they chat up other employees and distract them from completing their own assignments. These employees like to stir the pot and frequently become the center of all workplace drama. You don’t need them; find a replacement that recognizes that the office is not a high school cafeteria.
- The Rebel– These are the employees who are the non-conformists. Your company’s dress code is formal attire; they show up in sweatpants. You set specific deadlines; they take their sweet time completing projects. This type of person can prove to be one of the most creative innovators that you have ever employed but on the other hand they could just be a huge road block to the success of your team. If the latter is true, then give them a chance to adapt and become more compatible with your team or send them on their merry way.
- The Victim– No matter how much you do for this employee, there is always a reason why they can’t complete their work. I don’t have enough support, I have a headache, I don’t get enough hours. These employees view themselves as hard working individuals and your company as a road block to their success. The bottom line is you should not have to put up with this attitude when you are paying them x amount of money to do their job. Start your search for new candidates who would be grateful just to be employed.
- The Know it All– These employees are possibly the worst offenders among toxic employees in the workforce. These people are confident individuals who believe that they know anything and everything. While great in areas such as sales, this type of person isn’t going to get your company anywhere fast when placed in other departments. They are not good at taking criticism and lack desire to try to learn anything new throughout their time at your company. Their unwillingness to accept external input and “I can do everything by myself” demeanor means that they are not a good fit for any job that involves partnering with others. If these employees work independently and are an asset to your company, great! But more often than not they simply won’t play well with others.
- The Non-Believer– These employees should be the first to go. Even if they are getting the work done and not necessarily inhibiting other employees from succeeding, their attitude of “This Company isn’t going anywhere” will spread like wildfire among your other workers. A job is an individual’s livelihood, it is how they live and survive in this world. If an employee doesn’t believe that your business can succeed and they aren’t totally invested in your company’s welfare then it’s time to cut them loose.
Perhaps your company is short on quality employees and still struggles to find new candidates who can replace employees you know are not up to pair. However, holding on to employees that could be considered toxic or dead weight will only hurt your company in the long run. When considering whether or not to keep an employee on board, ask yourself if you would replace them if a better candidate came along? If the answer is yes, it may be time for you to let go of the old and make room for the new. This is especially true if you find that your HR department is in a perpetual state of trying to resolve employee conflicts. At the end of the day, you shouldn’t settle for employees who are anything but the best for your company.
Is your company in danger of failing? Check out these Five Telltale Signs to find out.
Enjoy!
This is a very crucial point. I have always used the analogy that these individuals must be viewed as a cancer inside the organization. There is a tendency to do nothing because removing the cancer will likely damage the company but failure to do so will kill the company. Failure to act is an acceptable strategy if the plan is to shut down or sell the organization in the near future.
it is true in almost in every organist ions but we can remove them to change their behavior by training , warning for non productive work and through team team work.. if they not bring changes in their behaviors ultimately eliminate them because organization established to achievet it goal not for excuses and blame to organisation.