Have you ever sat down and thought about what makes some people so terrible to work with? In a survey of employers, these six traits were found to be common among the worst people they’d hired:
63% failed to produce quality work- 63% failed to work well with others
- 62% had terrible negative attitudes
- 56% started missing work almost immediately after being hired
- 49% caused customer complaints – directly hurting the business
- 48% couldn’t meet deadlines
Put all this together, and you’ve got a good sense of the Worst Employee of the World. Ever have anyone like that work for you?
If so, you’re not alone, as these numbers show.
These employees can devastate a company, inside and out. They hurt morale, increase stress and anxiety, put people on edge, and eventually make your good employees not care as much and want to quit. This is made worse if you don’t fire them.
But especially in specialized and hard-to-fill positions, employers sometimes put up with terrible conduct because they fear their hellish employee is “irreplaceable”.
But are they?
The truth is – everyone is replaceable. The same fear drives companies (and governments and universities) to pay obscene salaries to people so “they won’t leave,” as if there’s no one else capable of doing the job. There always is.
But how do you find them? How do you find new and better employees so you can finally rid your business of the toxic ones?
You don’t do it by posting jobs on boards and hoping to strike gold. No – you need a coordinated and scientific strategy. That’s what we do. PainLess Hire specializes in expanding your pool of highly qualified candidates.
What to Do if You Have a Toxic Employee – 6 Warning Signs
These situations are never easy. Here are six warning signs that you hired someone who might wreck your office culture and business:
- Overly competitive
- Overly self-promotional
- Doesn’t listen, always interrupts
- Makes destructive comments about others (like former bosses)
- Makes excuses when they mess up
- Has an excessive need to “be me” instead of aligning with your company culture
If you see these attitudes, the first step is not to fire them. It’s to start documenting so you can build a case for firing them that will hold up in case they try to retaliate. It’s worth it. A bad employee can destroy your business.
Here’s a helpful article about why you probably can’t fire them immediately, and what can happen if you do this the wrong way. Read article: How to handle difficult employees
Need help with a new hire and want to avoid getting a toxic one? Sign up today for a free consultation about the position you need filled.