Homie don’t play that toxic behavior!
The presence of a single toxic employee can increase turnover of good team members up to 54%.
Read that again.
It’s frightening to think that one bad fish in a sea of many can taint the waters so badly that the others swim away.
What do you mean when you say “toxic”?
Toxic behavior includes bad mouthing coworkers and management, spreading your bad mood verbally or by the vibe you are putting out there, and complaining without finding a resolution.
That last part really gets me.
Complaining without finding a resolution.
How many times have you or someone you work with gone on a complaining spree without any sight of valuable steps to make it better?
Accountability is an important factor in most situations.
Did you mess up?
Own it.
Did you get caught spewing negativity?
Own it.
Did you do something out of character?
Own it.
If you don’t own it and you don’t make an effort to put in the work for change, what are you really doing?
You’re being a vital part of the problem, that’s what!
As a supervisor or manager, I am positive you get tired of hearing about problems but very rarely hearing about what that employee has done to try to alleviate the issue.
It’s exhausting to think about all of the ways each person could have played an active positive role in those moments to rewrite the story.
What if we do things differently?
What if, when an employee comes to you with an issue, they know that you expect a filled out sheet and a plan to take action?
Let me explain.
How about we toss the accountability ball at our employees.
No big speech. No soap box to stand on. No big glossy poster talking about the I in team.
Just a worksheet allowing them to write out what the issue is, how they have tried to handle it, and when to know that it is time for you to step in.
And why not add a fun chart to assist the process?
Listen, this isn’t rocket science.
But maybe if the precedence is set right from the get-go, your potentially toxic employees will know right away that “homie don’t play that”.
