What is a toxic personality and how to identify them?
In a perfect world, every one of our colleagues would be perfect and happy to do everything expected of them. But what if they develop a toxic personality that can damage your business? What are the warning signs of toxic personalities?
*Updated July 2024*
Post summary:
What is a toxic personality?
5 toxic personalities and how to spot them
What is a toxic personality?
What is a toxic personality?
Do they really exist in the workplace?
You would assume that people would only complain if they had a legitimate concern. Unfortunately, this is not so; the world is not perfect. When your team is small, you can easily pick out who does not fit, who is not pulling their weight, and who negatively influences group morale. However, as a company expands, identifying these individuals becomes increasingly difficult.
A toxic person is someone who brings conflict and negativity to your life. They're often controlling, manipulative, and even abusive.
These toxic personalities cannot be ignored.
These individuals often exhibit negative traits that can harm team morale and productivity. If left to fester, company morale would plummet, and you have not reached the point where your business can handle the loss of productivity that would result from letting such personalities run free. This guide will help you identify toxic personalities ruining your business and how to deal with them.
5 toxic personality traits
The Chronic Complainer
Identifying traits: The Chronic Complainer is somebody who always has a problem. “I cannot get all of my work done in 40 hours per week!” “My chair is uncomfortable!” “The coffee tastes bad!” This toxic personality is prevalent every day, with the chronic complainer stating what he/she does not like and telling everybody within earshot about it. Every word that comes from their mouth is about how horrible something is. Although many chronic complainers’ issues sound legitimate, they are often the only ones complaining.
Why they are a problem: Whilst most employees are willing to work around problems, the Chronic Complainer expects others to figure it out for them. This frustrates surrounding employees and creates resentment directed at the complainer or the company. Neither of these scenarios is beneficial and will ultimately sap morale. Chronic complainers may suffer from low self-esteem, which can exacerbate their negative outlook and behaviour.
How to respond: Remember that not every complaint is illegitimate. Sometimes, deeper issues cause your employees to appear to be this type of individual. Prose the reasons for the complaint to help distinguish the Chronic Complainer from somebody with a legitimate concern. Why can you not finish all of your work in 40 hours? Why is your chair uncomfortable? What brand of coffee would you prefer?
Foster a solution-oriented culture. When things appear to be going wrong, your workforce’s mantra ought to be “Find the problem. Fix the problem.” The Chronic Complainer cannot find the problem and cannot fix it. By challenging them to develop a plan of action, you will either silence them or find the conversation moving in a productive direction if the complaint is legitimate.
The Office Gossip
Identifying traits: Every other sentence from the Office Gossip’s mouth starts with “Did you hear about < blank>?” The Office Gossip is a toxic personality that will spread every dirty rumour and every secret, whether or not it is true. They are not above spicing up the rumours and secrets to pull in their audience. While they are captivating the office with stories about Ed in accounting (who naturally is not there to defend himself), computers sit idle and unused.
Why they are a problem: Office Gossip is a living productivity sink. It is like a black hole from which no work can escape. It also makes other employees feel insecure and damages morale. Rumours about an individual can cause the target to feel like an outcast and hamper the morale of an otherwise productive employee. Office gossip can spread quickly through mutual friends, creating a toxic work environment.
How to respond: Taking a hardline approach to slander is a good first step. People will talk, and the office rumour mill will churn, but that does not mean you should tolerate discussions about colleagues. You may be tempted to use the Office Gossip to feel out employee reactions to company initiatives. Resist this temptation as much as possible. Do nothing to justify the existence of the Office Gossip. Even feeding them false information to hamper credibility should be avoided (however tempting this might be) because doing so hurts your reputation as a manager and severely compromises your authority.
The Schmoozer
Identifying traits: If there is one thing you can count on the Schmoozer for, it is stroking your ego. They always have time for you and assure you they will always have your back. However, there is little evidence of their work when it comes time to determine what exactly they do with their 40 hours per week. The Schmoozer's self-centred behaviour often masks their lack of actual work. What little evidence do you find of “their” work closely resembles that of other employees? However, unlike other toxic traits, this toxic personality appears nice to all. Surely that gold watch they just gave you was not some crass attempt at buttering up to you in place of doing actual work right?
Why they are a problem: Few people are hated more in the office than the Schmoozer. His brown-nosing being done in place of actual work frustrates those who dedicate their time to ensuring tasks are completed on time. Should the Schmoozer be promoted, that frustration increases three-fold as hard-working employees believe their efforts will earn them nothing. In response, your best employees will start to defect from the company entirely or slack off in favour of some brown-nosing of their own. Either way, morale tanks.
How to respond: Foster a reputation for being a results-driven employer. Accept the praise and kudos from the Schmoozer if it pleases you, but do not let it influence you. However, when performance review time rolls around, make sure that the Schmoozer understands how much he has contributed. If he has genuinely put in hard work and is an asset to the firm, great! However, ensure your employees understand that rewards are given for results, not gratification.
This means you should have a system that documents every action your employees take and all their work. Specialised software that lists what employees spend their time doing is a good way to defeat the Schmoozer.
The Wally
Identifying traits: Fans of Dilbert comics will recognise the character who does nothing except punch a clock day in, day out. Wally is a toxic personality who contributes nothing and spends more time figuring out ways to get out of doing their job than doing their job. In fact, the ingenuity they display in not doing their job while bringing home a salary would be commendable if it did not cost your company money. You can identify a Wally by their lack of any verifiable contribution while claiming to your face that they are one of the hardest workers in your employ.
Why they are a problem: Besides being a payroll slot that a more motivated individual would better fill, the Wally also breeds resentment in other workers. Most employees work hard every day of every week, and having to work harder so another can slack off breeds resentment. This will sink morale as the hard workers begin to question why they should work hard at all. Wallys often fail to take responsibility for their own life and work, leading to a lack of accountability.
How to respond: First, verify the person you are dealing with falls under this category. Everybody has days where the letters on the screen appear nonsensical, and ability to concentrate is shot. The Wally will reveal himself only through weeks of nothing and excuses for every hour he was not working. Requiring as a rule that employees document their time working will give you cause for disciplinary action when the Wally fails to produce evidence of his supposed work.
Giving this toxic personality type specific tasks to accomplish and deadlines (that are always well in advance of when you actually need the job done) is also a good way to deal with this person. This forces them into a corner where they have no choice but to do the job they were hired to do or find another one.
The Narcissist
Identifying traits: According to the Narcissist, they are the most important person in your company. Without them, everything would collapse under its weight. Despite their obvious value that everybody must recognise, they are underappreciated, as Vincent Van Gogh was in his time. Many Narcissists exhibit traits of narcissistic personality disorder, which can make them particularly challenging to manage. Woe be to the Narcissist, to be so grand and yet so unrecognised. It would be a tragedy if anybody could figure out what these contributions the Narcissist boasts of actually were.
Why they are a problem: A Narcissist will actively demand the attention of others. All must bow to and recognise their greatness. If one does not acknowledge the “obvious” superiority of the Narcissist, there will be trouble. When this personality type manifests in your management team, the problem it poses is multiplied even further. Not only do they demand attention, but they also have the authority to enforce that demand. The damage a Narcissist can do to the office is bad enough on its own, when the personality manifests in management it can be a disaster.
***How to respond:***As with any other toxic personality type where belief does not match reality, the best way to disarm the Narcissist is with data. Do not engage them in a childish public shaming session, no matter how tempting. If somebody is this level of a nuisance, pull them aside privately and ensure they understand that their demands for attention are unprofessional and unappreciated. If they insist on claiming their value to you, while still in confidence, pull out the data that shows they are wrong and where they need to improve before their claims start to have any merit.
Just so you know, sometimes what appears to be narcissism may be a genuinely valuable employee who feels unappreciated. If, during your research, you discover this to be the case, then pull the individual aside and find out what they need to feel valued.
Don't let toxic personalities ruin your business: Establish healthy boundaries.
Left unchecked, any of these toxic personality types can cause havoc with morale and, thus, your business. Addressing toxic personalities is crucial for maintaining the mental health and well-being of your employees. You do not need to play whack-a-mole and try to crush every toxic personality on discovery, but you do need to try to isolate the hostility from the rest of your team. Should your employees be infected by the hostility, it will cause a catastrophic loss of morale, which could spell the downfall of your business.
Most of the damage these toxic personality types can cause can be mitigated through effective monitoring. By keeping track of what every employee is doing on a daily basis, you will know who your performers are and who is all talk. For the rest, simply talking to your employees regularly will help you identify the troublemakers and separate them from your hardest workers.
FAQs
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Companies can effectively manage toxic personalities by implementing clear policies and procedures for addressing toxic behaviour. This includes providing managers with training on how to recognise and address toxic behaviour, establishing open communication channels for employees to report issues, and taking prompt and appropriate action when toxic behaviour is identified.
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Managers can implement specific strategies such as setting clear expectations for behaviour and performance, providing regular feedback and coaching to employees, and offering support and resources for employees struggling with toxic behaviour. Additionally, fostering a positive work culture built on respect, trust, and collaboration can help prevent toxic behaviour from arising in the first place.
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The long-term consequences for businesses that fail to address toxic personalities within their organization can be severe. Toxic behaviour can lead to low morale, decreased productivity, increased turnover, and damage to the company's reputation. It can even result in legal action or financial loss in the worst-case scenario. To mitigate these risks, businesses must prioritize creating a healthy and supportive work environment where toxic behaviour is unacceptable.