We have all worked with a less than model employee. For some reason their negativity tends to me more pervasive than that of the positive employees. Their attitude can cast a shadow over a team, and unfortunately can end up smothering the positivity of others. Bad employees tend to be easier to spot by their peers and it can take line management longer to spot. It is of course vital for team and organisational success to identify these employees, try and get them to improve their behaviours, or manage them out of the business. So what are the habits to look out for?
It does not matter what the boss or organisation does, they always have a negative angle on it – which they don’t mind sharing their thoughts on with the team
Whilst they are happy to air their views to the team, they struggle to integrate and collaborate.
Their output is noticeably weaker than their peers.
When things go wrong, they are quick to look to blame others and ‘saving their own skin.’
They are often late to the office, or try to slip out early. Furthermore, they often have a higher than average rate of absenteeism.
Everyone seems to be moving in one direction, and they are doing their best to move in another.
They have no problem acting undiplomatically and potentially causing unnecessary and unhelpful conflict.
It is as if they know their job description off by heart, and they will never go above and beyond.
They talk about colleagues behind their back, spread rumours, and even worse bully or harass those around them.
They have no time or interest in following rules and may even intentionally be non-compliant.
As said in the introduction, it can be difficult to observe some of these traits, as many of them will be disguised from management by the bad employee. However, bad employees are typically lazy and at some stage will expose themselves. At this point the line manager must quickly intervene to avoid the negativity and bad practices spreading to other employees.
