Hiring and developing top performers in the workplace has been quite a hot topic over the last couple of years, whereas less attention has been paid to the effects of a toxic company environment. The term “toxic workers” is currently in vogue with the media tossing it around loosely to describe anything from disengaged employees to top-down management approaches to sexual harassment but who really are these people?

A Harvard study including a large data set of over 50,000 workers across 11 different companies defined toxic workers as one that “engages in behaviour that is harmful to an organisation, including either its property or people.” Toxic workers are not low-status or low-functioning employees, generally they are talented and productive people who tend to act out in a derogatory way in a business and social standpoint often affecting your bottom line.

So whether you sit on the board, are in a top level management position or on the production floor, ignoring the problem rather than exposing it will only make it bigger and more damaging. “When light shines in the darkness, darkness cannot overcome it.”

Here are 5 significant signs of a toxic company environment:

Gossip

Toxic workers often act out their unhappiness through idle gossip. They will come together in their cliques after meetings to put a negative spin on what has just been discussed or even just to crucify management and the company’s direction. They are often defined as the corporate teenagers whose time in the company is about to expire and they rely only on each other for strength and safety. You need to keep an eye on their whereabouts as they may go out of their way to befriend new hires to vilify someone and simply spread their cancer.

Low morale

If you find uninspired and unmotivated employees, you can generally point to a toxic management culture. This is usually a sign of a fear-based culture that does not welcome input or creativity or contributions to the overall company strategy from its employees because they have been seen as “cogs in a wheel” rather than worthy colleagues. This environment will suck the life, inspiration and motivation out of any employee.

Absenteeism

A soulless, toxic environment is stressful and unhealthy. It can contribute to employees experiencing many mental and physical health issues including fatigue, depression, anxiety or burnout. Furthermore, as more employees become discouraged and frustrated under the grip of a toxic culture, you will notice a rise in temperament, conflicts and irritability, not to mention more absenteeism, sick days and turnover of staff.

Dictatorship

Dictatorship managers foster a toxic culture of distrust and fear that makes it unsafe to disclose information, contribute or make suggestions or to work in close collaboration. Workers under dictatorship are experiencing job survival on a daily basis due to the unpredictability of the environment they are in.

Human Touch

Another major sign of a toxic culture is where people are considered as objects rather than company assets and there is little concern for their happiness and/or well-being. These employees are often sacrificing their personal or family life for the job as evidenced by 50+ hour working weeks, little or no holiday time and 24/7 availability for work communications. They are often pressured to compete against one another internally enforcing individual performance rather than teamwork performance. Furthermore, in an environment like this there is also a lack of empathy and leadership compassion for its employees.

Coping with toxic workers:

Everyone is responsible for keeping a finger on the pulse of the company to ensure people are safe and not working in a hostile environment. However, if you feel like you have been targeted by a toxic worker here are our suggestions of how to cope with them:

• Surround yourself with like-minded colleagues who you can trust to be your allies and watch your back.
• Avoid toxic workers at any cost. Create a physical distance between them and you.
• Research indicates that if you are more than 100 feet away from somebody, it feels like they are in another country.
• Communicate confidently when dealing with bullies and toxic colleagues, state the facts and document everything that goes on.
• Stay away from office gossip, be professional, do your work and go home. Avoid confrontation with toxic co-workers, however, if they target you don’t back down. Be confident to stand up for yourself or you will become a more vulnerable target. Just make sure to pick your battles wisely!
• Stay positive. Focus on the good work of others and the positives in your life. It may help to keep a gratitude journal and record things that you’re thankful for on a daily basis. Studies have shown that this exercise is the quickest way to boost your optimism and positive attitude.