Toxic personalities in the workplace

OPINION: "The day this person left our company is considered an annual holiday!" This quote is from Dr Mitch Kusy and Dr Elizabeth Holloway's research on toxic personalities in the workplace, writes Mary-Jane Thomas in this week's Work to Rule.

Now I have really gone beyond the call of duty and interviewed (via telephone) the two American authors of the research. I think the topic may well be one of the most relevant I have heard about certainly for anyone who employs, works with or attempts to manage a "toxic personality".

So what is a "toxic" personality? The research concentrated on employees who fall below the threshold of bullying or harassing which are relatively easy for an employer to address formally through a disciplinary process and those who exhibited more subtle behaviours that eventually took their toll on other employees and profitability.

They identified three types of toxic behaviours:wshaming behaviour humiliating others, taking pot shots and using sarcasmwpassive hostility passive-aggression, territorial behaviour, distrust of others' opinions, difficulty with feedback; andwteam sabotage, which is when people meddle, and use their authority to punish others.

The researchers say that if left to "run rampant", these behaviours decrease both productivity and retention of (good) employees. With costs of recruiting a replacement ranging from 1.5 to 2.5 times their salary, organisations can't afford to ignore toxic behaviours.

When I asked the authors what had led to this research, they both indicated they had been subjected to toxic personalities in the workplace and didn't want others to suffer like they had. Dr Kusy noted that to this day a certain perfume makes him sick to his stomach as it reminds him of one toxic individual from his past.

I often have people in tears in my office about workplace relationships. People can't sleep, they get sick, their relationships suffer, they lose the enjoyment of going to work. In the past I have said to people "life's too short" and urged them to simply get another job. My fear is that in the current economic downturn people will be even more likely to stay in an environment with a toxic personality that is simply not healthy.wNext week I will outline what myths surround toxic personalities at work. If you can't wait until then, buy the book Toxic Workplace! Managing Toxic Personalities and Their Systems of Power (2009, Jossey-Bass) by Dr Mitch Kusy and Dr Elizabeth Holloway.

» Mary-Jane Thomas is a partner at Preston Russell Law. E-mail questions to Mary-Jane.Thomas@prlaw.co.nz.

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