Some people are toxic, plain and simple. There’s no point in sugar coating it. Obviously these are not the people you want working for, even worse, running your company.
Toxic employees tend to share three common traits: They’re resistant to change, they get aggressive and/or defensive, and they are disorganized & lacking in credibility. Adding toxic people to the mix can impact your company in a number of ways. It can drive down productivity, cost you money, and worst of all, force your best employees out.
Earlier in the year, Cornerstone OnDemand, a talent management and performance management software company published a report on toxic employees and hidden costs. Among other data, they reported that one toxic hire into a 20 person team can cost three times as much as a non-toxic hire.
Now that I’ve made you sufficiently paranoid about hiring the wrong person, let’s move onto the positive stuff. There are steps you can take, qualities you can look for when hiring, to guarantee that you never hire a toxic employee.
Loyalty marketing provider, Rymax, Inc., compiled an infographic that lays out the qualities of a non-toxic employee. Aside from position-specific skills, here are the 6 traits to look for when building your essential team:
- Their values match the company’s message (If you’re company doesn’t already have core values, listen to Tony Hsieh talk about how critical they are to building a company’s culture).
- They show enthusiasm for the position.
- They possess a desire to learn.
- They are good communicators.
- They offer long-term potential.
- They are trustworthy and responsible.
