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How to Detect and AvoidTOXIC EMPLOYEES

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WHATDOES TOXIC MEAN?TOXIC TOXIC

Definition: Acting as or having the effect of a poison; poisonous.

It comes down to PEOPLE andthe BEHAVIORS they exhibit.

How is this “POISON” expressedin the workplace?

AND...TOXIC BEHAVIOR IS CONTAGIOUS.

EXAMPLES OF TOXICEMPLOYEES’ BEHAVIORS:

- WATER COOLER TALKERS

- “AFTER THE MEETING” GUYS

- DOUBTING THOMAS’S

- NAYSAYERS

- PEOPLE WHO CONSISTENTLYPROJECT NEGATIVE EXPECTATIONS

OR NEGATIVE OUTCOMES

WHATDOESTOXICMEAN?

Definition: Acting as or having the effect of a poison; poisonous.

It comes down to PEOPLE andthe BEHAVIORS they exhibit.

How is this “POISON” expressedin the workplace?

AND...TOXIC BEHAVIOR IS CONTAGIOUS.

EXAMPLES OF TOXIC EMPLOYEES:

- WATER COOLER TALKER

- “AFTER THE MEETING” GUY

- DOUBTING THOMAS

- NAYSAYER

- NEGATIVE OUTCOME PROJECTOR


WHAT DAMAGE CAN BE DONE?

Toxic employees have a remarkably strong impact on voluntary attrition

They “destroy the social fabricof the organization by creating

friction, drama, tension and hostilityamong other employees”

Coping with ‘Hurricane’ Employees. Knowledge@Wharton (2013, November 18)

Cornerstone/Kellogg 2014

Did you know that the estimated ‘costs’of hiring a single Toxic Employeeamong a team of 20 is $13,000?


30% drop in team performancedue to one bad apple69% of employers report being adversely affected by a bad hire41% estimated the cost of a bad hire to be more than $25,00024% said a bad hire cost more than $50,000

54%increase in the

likelihood of losing agood employee due to

the presence of justONE toxic employee

$$loss of revenue

due toclient dissatisfaction

after exposureto a toxic employee

LOWER PRODUCTIVITY:

INCREASED TURNOVER: DECREASED REVENUE:


$25K

$50K

STUDIES SHOW TOXIC EMPLOYEES CAUSE...

30% drop in team performancedue to one bad apple69% of employers report being adversely affected by a bad hire41% estimated the cost of a bad hire to be more than $25,00024% said a bad hire cost more than $50,000

54%increase in the

likelihood of losing agood employee due to

the presence of justONE toxic employee

$$loss of revenue

due toclient dissatisfaction

after exposureto a toxic employee

LOWER PRODUCTIVITY

INCREASED TURNOVER DECREASED REVENUE


STUDIES SHOW TOXIC EMPLOYEES CAUSE...


- Companies spend an average of 5-7 seconds looking at resumes – focusing mainly on

previous experience & salary requirements

Wharton, 2013

But, it is harder than ever to predict a good hire:

It is CRITICAL that employersfocus their attention on avoidingtoxic employees in the first place.

Buzz!

- Candid reference checks beyond a person’s name

and employment confirmation

are rare

- Job seekershave learned to

game the onlineapplication system

by using key ‘buzz’ words


TEST.

So how can you PREDICT if anew hire will meet the company’s needs

or sabotage the company’s culture?

The good news is that there are valid assessments that can beused to identify potentially bad hires.


Pre-Employment Tests Can HelpIDENTIFY Toxicity


COGNITIVE ABILITY TESTS

Identify if they are not intellectuallyup to the demands of the job

PERSONALITY TESTS

Identify if their behavioral tendenciesare not suited to the job

MOTIVATION TESTS

Identify if they lack the drive andmotivation your business needs


COGNITIVE ABILITY TESTS

Research showsCognitive Ability is the

single best predictor ofjob performance

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

A hire with a misaligned cognitive score: · Is less likely to follow rules and procedures · Is more likely to deplete team energy and efficiency


Low intelligence teams had: · Lower task performance · Worse safety compliance · Less safety participation

In a study of 312 nuclearpower plant operators:

Zhang J., Li Y., Wu C. (2013)

The higher the operators’ ability, the more likely they are to reflect more thoughtfully,avoid overload and have better mutual monitoring.

In highly complex working environments such as NPPs, operators have to make a correct judgment of the current situation and decide the most proper sequence of procedures to adopt before taking any actions or making suggestions.


PERSONALITY TESTS

Based on theFive Factor Model –the most researchedmodel of personality

The Five Factor Model

Openness toExperience

Conscientiousness*

Extraversion

Agreeableness

Stability*

1 2 3 4 5

Colbert, Mount, Michael, Harter, Witt & Barrick (2004)


A hire with misaligned personality scores will more likely engage in deviant behavior when the employee has a negative perception of the workplace. · Low conscientiousness · Low agreeableness · Low stability · Poor fit with work assignment

In a study of 853 employees from a variety of work settings:

Colbert, Mount, Michael, Harter, Witt & Barrick (2004)

Workplace deviance occurs when an employee voluntarily pursues a course of action that threatens the well-being of the individual or the organization. Examples: stealing, hostile behavior and withholding effort.

When employees have unfavorable perceptions of their situation at work, they are more likely to violate organizational norms.


MOTIVATION TESTS

Predict effort,performance,

resilienceand turnover

A hire with a low motivation score is more likely to decrease the engagement of co-workers and direct reports. Subsequent engagement items were rated lower in a toxic environment.

In a study of 2,853 employeesfrom 365 work units:

Wonderlic (2015)


Toxicity Affects Employee Engagement

Wonderlic (2015)

Respondents with toxicleaders rated low on

Respondents with toxicco-workers rated low on

· My SUPERVISOR will reward successful performance

· I have a relationship with my SUPERVISOR which would be difficult to break

· My SUPERVISOR treats me with fairness and respect

· I am inspired by my SUPERVISOR to do my best

· I am inspired by my ORGANIZATION to do my best

· I will be fairly rewarded for achieving my objectives

· I feel safe to share my ideas with my ORGANIZATION

· I speak highly of my TEAM when talking to others

· I enjoy working with my TEAM

Survey research shows...


Wonderlic’s powerfully simple pre-employment solutionassesses and ranks potential employees in the areas

scientifically proven to predict job performance.

Try it for FREE!No credit card required. Get started now.

Start your free trial

These three components – cognitive ability, personality, motivation –

can help identify toxicity.

Start Testing to Avoid Toxic Hires.

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RESOURCES

1. Cornerstone/Kellogg Study: Toxic Employees in the Workplace Hidden Costs and How to Spot Them

2. Havoc in the Workplace: Coping with ‘Hurricane’ Employees. Knowledge@Wharton (2013, November 18)

3. Fierce, Inc. Study. Fierceinc.com

4. The Real Costs of Keeping a Toxic Employee By Will Yakowicz. Inc.com

5. CareerBuilder 2012 Survey. CareerBuilder.com

6. 7 Warning Signs That You've Got a Highly Toxic Employee By Peter Economy. Inc.com
https://www.wonderlic.com/?utm_source=nurture&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nurturepdf_toxicemployees_eb&utm_term=nurturepdf_toxicemployees_eb&utm_content=nurturepdf_toxicemployees_ebhttps://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0CDW3uHNns5VXhNdkE3VXdtdDA/view?usp=sharinghttp://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/corporate-disaster-zones-coping-hurricane-employees/http://www.fierceinc.com/resources/surveys/toxic-employeeshttp://www.inc.com/will-yakowicz/one-toxic-employee-will-spoil-whole-bunch.htmlhttp://thehiringsite.careerbuilder.com/2012/12/13/cost-of-a-bad-hire/https://www.inc.com/peter-economy/7-warning-signs-that-you-ve-got-a-highly-toxic-employee.html

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