Toxic employees are like zombies. They're contagious. Learn how to avoid and fix the mistake of hiring them.

1. BEWARE: TOXIC EMPLOYEES
ARE LIKE ZOMBIES
T H E Y ’ R E C O N TA G I O U S . H OW TO AVO I D A N D
F I X T H E M I S TA K E O F H I R I N G T H E M .
By Tika Davé-Harris, WitNoodles

2. WHO ARE
THEY?
There are two (2) types of toxic
employees that can suck the life
right out of your company.
1) 1) Those that engage in
workplace behaviors for
which you should terminate
them such as: violence,
theft, drug and/or alcohol
abuse, dishonesty/fraud and
sexual harassment.
2) 2) Those that commit lesser
workplace infractions such
as: undermining others,
constant complaining,
rudeness, bullying and low
quality of work.
By Tika Davé-Harris, WitNoodles Beware: Toxic Employees Are Like Zombies pg. 2 of 8

3. DON’T BE FOOLED…
• Despite their bad behavior, toxic employees produce more
than non-toxic employees.This is because they work
faster since they are not distracted or stressed by toxic
employees----they ARE the toxic employees who are
doing all the distracting and stressing.
• Toxic employees may be more productive, but don’t be
fooled! The quality of their work stinks.
• Their higher productivity is their strategy to cover for the
low quality of their work.
• When you hold them accountable, they’ll use how much
they’ve done to excuse their low quality of work.
• They’ll brag about their skill level, but their competency
level will betray them.
Studies show that toxic employees are more productive than non-toxic employees (click to
Tweet), but you can still recognize them. Here’s how…
By Tika Davé-Harris, WitNoodles Beware: Toxic Employees Are Like Zombies pg. 3 of 8

4. AVOID HIRING THEM OR IT’LL COST
YOU BIG TIME
• Those that don’t turn bad will walk.
A recent study of global companies showed
that good employees are 54% more likely to
walk away from a job when they have to work
with toxic employees, which costs you to
replace them.
COSTS OF HIRING TOXIC EMPLOYEES
• Toxic employees are like zombies.
They can turn good employees into bad ones
like them, making even more toxic employees.
Toxic employees have a strong negative influence
that’s contagious and bad for your company’s
health.
• Just one toxic employee is one too many.
Based on recent research done by Harvard
Business School, one toxic employee will cost
you 135% more ($7,200) in turnover costs
than a top 1%, stellar employee could
contribute to your bottom line. What if
there’s more than one? That’s HUGE.
• And don’t forget about these costs....
Toxic employees create costs to employers
in the form of lawsuits; time spent to manage
the behavior; decreased employee morale;
lost productivity of those impacted; and lost
work time due to employee stress.
By Tika Davé-Harris, WitNoodles Beware: Toxic Employees Are Like Zombies pg. 4 of 8

5. AVOID HIRING THEM OR IT’LL COST
YOU BIG TIME
THREE STEPS TO AVOID HIRING TOXIC EMPLOYEES
1) Screen for toxic behaviors before hiring.
– Use proper assessment tools like personality exams and talk to prior employers.
2) Pay attention to toxic indicators during the probationary period.
(click to Tweet)
– Check attendance, team interactions and work quality. If they’re not up to par, the
honeymoon is over.
3) Don’t second guess.
– If you identify behavior concerns early in the hiring process or your gut warns you,
don’t second guess yourself. Don’t hire. Avoid the mistake of thinking it will get better.
It won’t.
By Tika Davé-Harris, WitNoodles Beware: Toxic Employees Are Like Zombies pg. 5 of 8

6. SO YOU HIRED A TOXIC EMPLOYEE?
HERE’S HOW TO FIX IT.
FIX IT, BUT DON’T FORGET IT.
• Identify the toxic ones through their behaviors and
the warning signs.
• Start holding toxic employees accountable by
addressing the behavior, (click toTweet) documenting
and disciplining, if necessary. It’ll send a positive
message to others.The toxic ones will either
conform or exit.
• Don’t ignore the majority of your employees doing it
right. Encourage and motivate them to stay and
continue doing so.
• Assess your hiring practices to ensure you will not
forget or repeat the mistake of hiring a toxic
employee.
DON’T GIVE UP. IT CAN HAPPEN TO
THE BEST OF US.
By Tika Davé-Harris, WitNoodles Beware: Toxic Employees Are Like Zombies pg. 6 of 8

7. • U s e s t r a t e g i c h i r i n g p r a c t i c e s t o a v o i d h i r i n g
t o x i c e m p l o y e e s a t a l l c o s t s o r i t ’ l l c o s t y o u r
c o m p a n y b i g t i m e .
• H i r i n g t o x i c e m p l o y e e s c a n c o s t y o u r c o m p a n y
i n d o l l a r s , t i m e , s t a f f , m o r a l e a n d m o r e .
• H i r i n g j u s t o n e t o x i c e m p l o y e e c a n c o s t m o r e
t h a n j u s t o n e s t e l l a r e m p l o y e e c a n c o n t r i b u t e .
• H o l d t o x i c e m p l o y e e s a c c o u n t a b l e a n d r e t a i n
g o o d e m p l o y e e s t o f i x a n e x i s t i n g m i s t a k e .
THE WRAP-UP
Reference: Torres, N. (2015). Harvard Business Review. It’s better to avoid a toxic employee than to hire a superstar. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2015/12/its-better-to-avoid-a-
toxic-employee-than-hire-a-superstar
By Tika Davé-Harris, WitNoodles Beware: Toxic Employees Are Like Zombies pg. 7 of 8

8. Q U E S T I O N S ? H O W C A N W E A S S I S T Y O U ? W E ’ D L O V E T O K N I T O U R
W I T W I T H Y O U R S . C O N N E C T W I T H U S . E N J O Y E D T H I S ? S H A R E I T .
W I T N O O D L E S : C O N N E C T @ W I T N O O D L E S . C O M
A U T H O R : T I K A @ W I T N O O D L E S . C O M
T W I T T E R : @ W I T N O O D L E S
F B : H T T P : / / F A C E B O O K . C O M / W I T N O O D L E S
B E W A R E : T O X I C E M P L O Y E E S A R E L I K E Z O M B I E S . 2 0 1 7 W I T N O O D L E S . A L L R I G H T S
R E S E R V E D .
W i t N o o d l e s h e l p s C a l i f o r n i a h u m a n r e s o u r c e s
p e o p l e t o f i n d a c a r e e r, c o n n e c t t o o t h e r
p r o f e s s i o n a l s f o r s u p p o r t , a n d b e c o m e b e t t e r i n
t h e i r f i e l d s . W i t N o o d l e s h e l p s b u s i n e s s e s r e d u c e
e m p l o y m e n t r i s k a n d f i n d t a l e n t t o h e l p t h e i r
b u s i n e s s e s b e s u c c e s s f u l .
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