By Dr. Z 

As the organizational leader, you have responsibilities that will require dedication and diligence from your staff.  While you value many of your employees, there are a few who either under-perform, behave in an unprofessional manner, or disrupt the workplace.  This may happen for any number of reasons, including excessive leniency on the part of the leader.  We have presented other articles that provided insight into team members that are bizarre or dysfunctional.  The purpose of this article is to help you as a leader to identify and effectively confront and neutralize 5 toxic employees before they impact performance in the workplace.

The Frequent Absentee

Frequent Absentees are never at work.  Whenever they call it is always to let you know that there is yet another illness, another funeral, another house fire, another car in the shop, another canceled train, or any other event that is much more important than work.  While circumstances may certainly arise, Frequent Absentees seem to experience more catastrophic circumstances within a within a few months than any other employee. They can usually be spotted within the first 2 recorded absences, which usually occurs within only a few days.  Identify the pattern early, provide direct support, document, and consult HR and the collective bargaining agreement to take progressive disciplinary steps as needed.

The Time Bandit

Time Bandits violate time in a very different way than Frequent Absentees.  These employees will always show up but are basically immature when it comes to time. They are to likely arrive late, leave early, or take longer breaks.   Time Bandits may even test the limits by showing up every day within a minute of the start time just to punch the time card on time but will start working much later.  Time Bandits do not use work time effectively during the workday. For example, you can spot the Time Bandits playing on social media, shopping online, making personal calls, chatting with other employees, or coordinating a group lunch order, 2 hours before lunch.  If Time Bandits are sent to a special work-related training for a few hours in the morning, you can be sure that they will disappear for the remainder of the day. The good news is, Time Bandits are very good at self-preservation. This means that you can stop them long before the behavior pattern takes root. Be clear about time rules, and enforce them quickly and directly.

The Slick System Gamer

Slick System Gamers seem like model employees on the surface.  They are never absent, never late, and seem complete all assignments on time.  Upon closer inspection, you will find that they have a very special oppositional set of skills.  They are able to learn all of the rules, by-laws, cultures, and angles of any given workplace the moment they are hired, only for the single purpose of figuring out how to strategically and legalistically bend or break the rules without consequences.  To this end, they will learn and weaponize every comma and period of their union contract and job description. Slick System Gamers are easy to spot during the candidacy process when you know what to look for. They are the candidates that repeatedly ask clarifying questions about minimum work requirements and maximum benefits at work meetings, with the focus on figuring out how much they can get away with, and how little they can work.  You will also be able to identify them by their work product, which is usually completed with a careless and thoughtless bare-minimum approach. These individuals need to be spotted and confronted during the initial phases of employment so as to rule them out during the recruitment or probationary periods. They should be made fully aware of that bare-minimum requirements are well below the company’s standard of excellence, which every employee should be striving to achieve.  Anything less than excellence will ultimately end the company’s relationship with that employee.

The Hostile Pugilist

Hostile Pugilists are irrational fighters with hair-triggers for conflict.  They are neither interested in organizational goals nor job outcomes. Instead, Hostile Pugilists have an ax to grind with the world, and the job is just another battlefield.  To this end, they will argue with co-workers on just about any issue, work-related or otherwise. They will also argue with clients about service issues.  The worst part is, Hostile Pugilists are not interested in being right or proving a point. They are just fighting for the sake of fighting. Do not tolerate Hostile Pugilists.  The moment you see these behaviors, quickly stop them, restate the zero-tolerance policy, and warn them only once.  If all else fails, then consider counseling them out of the organization.

The Walking Dumpster

Walking Dumpsters not only have a hygiene problem, they are also human health hazards.  They create an unpleasant workplace with a variety of nasty issues, including dirty disheveled appearance, body odor with bad breath, messy workspace with gnats, and bed bugs crawling on their clothing.  They are probably nice people but are unpleasant to be around.  But, the bigger problem is, they wear the company badge which means they wave the company flag.  If someone outside your company were to encounter the Walking Dumpster, they would immediately assume that such an individual fully represents your company’s image.  Deal with Walking Dumpsters directly by setting up a meeting, citing the policies on appearance and occupational safety, and by providing any other support needed to change. Remind them that a clean and safe workplace is a requirement, not a suggestion.

Photo by Michael Mroczek from Unsplash