Having a toxic but highly skilled subordinate is one of the most troubling professional dilemmas a manager can deal with. You’re trying to weigh the productivity and profitability of your team with workplace morale and long-term health. Let’s review your options for handling this not uncommon situation in order to protect your career and your organization.
Size Up The True Cost Of Toxicity
A toxic team member can be very efficient in their own work, but the effects of their behavior reverberate through the team, draining productivity. Negativity, conflict, and lack of teamwork can turn off other employees, and that starts to cause turnover. Total up the hidden costs: are you losing valuable people, wasting valuable time resolving conflicts, or getting burned out because of the actions and attitude of one person?
Track Behavior And Performance
Before you make a move, start keeping detailed records. Document all conflicts, any disruptive comments, and their impact on the team’s mood and effectiveness. Keep these notes with the performance data. Having evidence in hand will enable you to show that the issue isn’t just interpersonal but can be measured in terms of team efficiency, retention, and the company’s performance as a whole.
Look At Coaching And Mediation
Sometimes these kinds of toxic employees can be salvageable. But you have to have a frank, structured discussion about their behavior. Use mediation or professional coaching as tools. If the person responds in a positive way, you may be able to transform a high performer into a better team player. But if things just keep muddling along as usual, at least you can show that you tried to fix the situation.
Always Put Your Team’s Morale First
Even the most skilled employee isn’t worth sustaining a toxic workplace culture. If others begin pulling back or even quitting because of one toxic subordinate, the financial and emotional damage is hard to make up for. Talk openly with your team about your true values and expectations. Keep hammering the idea that respect, collaboration, and accountability are just as important as raw technical skill.
Put In Place A Succession Plan
Part of your hesitation could stem from not wanting to lose institutional knowledge or technical expertise. That’s where training new people comes in. Delegate key responsibilities to other team members or generate documentation of processes. This cuts down on the “indispensable” factor and gives you some breathing room if you want to part ways with this (or any other) problem employee.
Weigh The Financial And Legal Risks
Firing a long-tenured or highly capable worker can open the door to wrongful termination claims if you don’t handle things properly. HR and employment law experts can help you marshal the necessary documentation and guide you through the right procedures. A lawsuit or settlement could be far more costly than the expense of coaching or transfer to a different department.
The True Worth Of Experience
Experience is valuable, but it isn’t everything. A lot of organizations fall into the trap of keeping a toxic “star performer” at the expense of everyone else’s stagnation. In the long run a strong, collaborative team will outperform one brilliant but chaotic individual. Over time, keeping that negativity on board hollows out financial results and diminishes your stature as a leader.
Short-Term Pain Vs Long-Term Gain
Losing your most capable team member will cause a downward trend in efficiency. But if you’ve prepared things beforehand with training, documentation, and succession planning the long-term dividends will more than make up for the short-term uncertainty. As time goes by, you’ll start to see a healthier, more productive culture that drives consistent positive results.
Make Your Decision With Confidence
After weighing out the costs, tracking and documenting behavior, and considering coaching, you’ll get to a point where you can’t put things off any longer. Either you readjust the employee’s attitude successfully or you exit them out of the organization. Whatever path you take, make your decision with confidence. Uncertainty and hesitation are worse than taking decisive steps for your organization and its bottom line.
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