Defining a ‘toxic’ worker as one that ‘engages in behaviour that is harmful to an organisation, including either its property or people’, the study drew on a pool of 50,000 workers across 11 companies to identify key traits of such workers. These included over-confidence, self-regard and a tendency to insist that rules should be followed.
Hidden costs of toxicity
The study found that toxic employees tended to be more productive than the average worker, but potentially came at a high price: ‘Even relatively modest levels of toxic behaviour can cause major organisational cost, including customer loss, loss of employee morale, increased turnover, and loss of legitimacy among important external stakeholders.’ Furthermore, such employees can cause those around them to become toxic.
Short-term gain, long-term pain
Legal consultant John Chisholm told Lawyers Weekly that reward structures in law firms can encourage toxicity and that while law firms may benefit financially in the short-term from a competitive culture, 'those gains will drop-off in the long-term.' Sources: Lawyers Weekly; Harvard Business School
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