Are your best employees leaving because others are being given a free pass on their bad behavior?

Poorly behaved or toxic employees:

• Cause emotional turmoil
• Damage morale
• Disrupt work
• Decrease productivity
• Spread their bad behavior to others

Sometimes toxic employees are easy to identify: they shout at other employees, make snide comments, tell inappropriate jokes, or exhibit behaviors that may even rise to the level of harassment.

But other times, toxic employees are more subtle. Their behavior may occur in private, such as the employee who talks down to others or makes them constantly question their actions, or the employee who is always gossiping or spreading misinformation.

If management allows these behaviors to continue, or permits some employees to repeatedly shirk their responsibilities, put forth only minimal effort, or call in sick every time a big project needs to be completed, forcing others to step in to pick up the slack, eventually, your good employees will resent it and begin to lose their trust in you. They may start exhibiting the same toxic behaviors. Or you may lose good employees to another firm.

Don’t let toxic employees steal your best professionals from your law or other professional services firm.

If you want help determining whether toxic employees are damaging your firm, please contact me. Or to see more on working with employees in your firm, see these videos and posts:

• Mentoring Women in Your Firm
• Stop Co-Worker Interruptions [video]
• How Training Benefits Your Firm [video]
• Don’t Let Toxic Employees Push Out Good Employees
• One Size Doesn’t Fit All in Your Law Firm [video]
• What Training is Available At Your Firm? [video]
• What Happens When You’re Not Clear About Advancement Opportunities [video]
• Be Transparent About Advancement in Your Firm
• What Does It Cost To Hire A New Employee? [video]
• Managing Staff Interruptions