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Lately, we take been hearing a lot from our clients about "toxic" coworkers and teammates. This issue isn't new; there take been bad coworkers since the beginning of organized work. But these days, their touch feels bigger and more than destructive. Businesses demand teamwork to part. And teams need to be more collaborative, adaptable, and proactive than e'er. The days of top-downwardly decision making are long gone in many companies and industries, every bit information technology's replaced by grassroots innovation that'south unleashed through coworkers openly networking and sharing information across boundaries. Because of this new dynamic, dysfunctional teammates can harm the results of a whole team in a style that was much harder to do in the old, siloed models of working.

The most common and subversive toxic behaviors nosotros see include:

  • backstabbing, criticizing, and blaming
  • gossiping and spreading rumors
  • agreeing in meetings, but not following through afterward
  • hoarding information
  • purposely undermining others
  • caring only about personal agendas (over squad and visitor goals)

We've studied thousands of teams and collected information across all industries, sectors, and geographies to learn what makes some teams high performers and what makes others neglect. Our enquiry indicates that the single about of import factor in team success or failure is the quality of relationships on the team. In fact, lxx% of the variance betwixt the lowest-performing teams, which we call saboteur teams, and the highest-performing teams, or what we take labeled loyalist teams, correlates to the quality of team relationships — non some or most of the relationships, justall of them. Thus, one toxic team member is all information technology takes to destroy a high-performing team.

Toxic squad members are subversive because they:

Create unnecessary drama and distraction. They suck the positive energy and creative brainpower out of the room. Team members waste product precious fourth dimension watching their back, instead of openly innovating, taking risks, and speaking upwards candidly about what's on their minds.

Erode the "team brand." Their bad behavior poorly represents the team and creates a negative impression with colleagues exterior the team. In fact, in our enquiry, stakeholders outside the team are 2,000 times more likely to view loyalist teams as being effective in delivering results, every bit compared with saboteur teams. It's clear that team dysfunction is highly correlated with squad brand and results.

Undermine the values of the leader and the company. It breeds cynicism when companies espouse values and norms of behavior, merely don't hold some employees to the aforementioned standards.

Dethrone the team culture. The saboteur'southward behavior becomes the normde facto. Well-intended team members brainstorm to reflect this bad behavior as well, treating a toxic teammate with disrespect, griping behind their dorsum, and keeping them out of the loop whenever possible.

If you are the squad leader, the way forward is clear. Y'all demand to admit what's happening with the team, and you must hold the toxic team member to a college standard of beliefs. Regardless of their productivity, results, technical expertise, raw intelligence, or invaluable experience, you cannot tolerate beliefs that drags downwards anybody else on the team.

You and Your Team Series

Conflict

  • How to Control Your Emotions During a Difficult Conversation

Only what can you do if the toxic person is your peer? Many employees tell united states of america that they feel powerless to change peer behavior. In fact, some end up only leaving the squad or visitor after the bear upon becomes detestable to them.

Here are four steps y'all can take to bargain with a toxic coworker:

Have an honest, candid conversation with the person. If you don't attempt to do this, you lot are 100% ensuring that the relationship will, at best, continue in its electric current, dysfunctional state. You lot cannot assume this person will suddenly wake up and realize the error of their ways, and so make an honest attempt to provide productive feedback. Focus on the impact the behavior is having on y'all. Ask for feedback on your ain behavior besides. Sometimes, others don't realize the impact they are having on you lot. Enquiry shows that most of us lack self-awareness, especially at work.

Members of loyalist teams are 106 times more probable to give each other feedback than those of saboteur teams, even when it's tough. Act as a loyalist yourself by opening up an honest, candid dialogue.

Raise your own game, and continue your ego in check. Don't stoop to their level. Sentry for and manage your fight-or-flight response. The more than you can maintain your focus on team goals, the less likely yous are to get blinded by win/lose thinking with this toxic peer. Be the office model for how you want the squad to act. Set a standard with the rest of the team that supports collaboration and open dialogue, not retaliation.

On loyalist teams, team members are 35 times more likely to evidence a visible commitment to each other's success, and 47 times more than probable to piece of work hard to build and maintain trust, equally compared with saboteur teams.

Talk with your boss. Proactively suggest to your dominate that the team agree a meeting to gear up team norms and begin to address some of the challenging behaviors and conflicts on the team. This session should not be a ruse for taking the toxic team fellow member to task. Information technology should be a real and authentic interaction, in which team members can gain insight into one another's perspectives, set articulate standards of expected behavior, and increase peer-to-peer accountability.

On loyalist teams, team members are 73 times more than likely to have a ready of norms and behaviors they live past and 125 times more likely to address unacceptable team behaviors promptly.

Finally, take care of yourself. Don't allow this toxic behavior damage your emotional and physical health. Ain what you can, permit go of what you can't influence, and make a change if you have to. If y'all have worked your tail off to develop ameliorate relationships with your saboteur coworker(s), and it's going nowhere, or getting worse, consider seeking the advice of an 60 minutes professional person or trusted mentor on what else y'all might try. Only if you've washed everything you can, yous should consider leaving. Life is too short for work to suck the life out of you.

When yous're working with a toxic coworker, there is no question that you lot're suffering from the feel. And it's probable that business results are suffering, likewise. Quite oft, the pain provides strong motivation to address the problems and propel things forrad, but the piece of work ahead is not easy, and we aren't going to lie to you: Rebuilding relationships and developing new habits takes a lot of free energy and courage. However, once you fully commit to turning around your difficult relationship, you lot are likely to see improvements. Exist well-intentioned in your efforts — and persistent — and yous'll reap the rewards.