To our horror, one morning a few weeks ago, our son Justin suddenly started throwing up and sweating profusely.
It turns out he thought the wild mushrooms growing in the front yard were like the ones we had been putting in his salad. He took a tiny bite of one of these wild mushrooms… this was all it took. My wife and I spent the next several hours at the local hospital emergency room as the staff ran toxicology tests to determine if the poison had damaged Justin’s organs.
Thankfully, Justin is fine. But the day’s events were testimony to how a little toxin can cause significant damage.
Toxic workers have the same impact on an organization. One toxic worker can cause significant damage and destroy an otherwise healthy team.
5 Toxic Traits
In his book, Workplace Discipleship 101, author David Gill describes five types of toxic workers whose behavior may affect us and our careers and the organization’s health as well!
1. Inappropriate Sexual Behavior
Thankfully, we have become much more attuned to and less tolerant of inappropriate sexual talk and behavior in the last few years, but it still exists in the workplace. As long as male and female workers coexist in the workplace, there will be some who cannot control their mouths or their sexual urges.
2. Idolizes Success
Workers who make an idol of money or personal success will inevitably compromise their morals and company policies to advance their interests. All they care about is money, prestige, and position.
3. Bad Attitude
Workers who display their bad attitude using anger, jealousy, or envy will poison morale, reduce productivity, and increase turnover.
4. Creates Conflict
Workers who love to argue, create conflict, and promote dissension among the ranks are incredibly toxic. They undermine corporate direction and objectives when they openly challenge authority.
5. Substance Abuse
Workers who abuse substances, whether legal like alcohol or illegal like cocaine, are poison. They present a danger to themselves and other employees.
I’m willing to bet that any of us who have been in the workplace for a few years have experienced one or more workers who display one of these traits.
Paul’s Toxic Warning
The apostle Paul provided some insight into people with toxic traits when he described what he calls the works of the flesh as “sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, first of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like” (Galatians 5:19-21).
Comparing Gill’s list of toxic worker traits to Paul’s list of sinful works of the flesh, there’s much overlap.
Counter to the works of the flesh is the works of the spirit that Paul describes in the next verses as “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).
The opposite of the works of the flesh is the works of the spirit. For the Christian worker, the works of the spirit provide a spiritual antidote to the toxic works of the flesh workplace.
As I learned first-hand with Justin, it only takes a minute amount of toxin to cause a big problem. The same is true in our workplaces. It takes only one worker with a toxic trait to bring down morale, productivity, and even whole organizations!
The antidote to a worker with a toxic trait is a Christian worker filled with the works of the spirit!
More Articles
I have written several articles recently on a leader’s character. You can find them by typing “Character” in the search bar. Meanwhile, here are a few of my favorites.
- #484: Do You Recognize These 9 Warning Signs of a Failing Leader?
- #473: Are All Leaders Prone to Failure?
- #471: 7 Behavioral Do’s of Incredibly Effective Christian Leaders
- #444: Is It Important to Follow the Right Leaders?
- #443: The Folly of Wasting God’s Gift of Discernment
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. Have you experienced one or more of these toxic traits in a coworker? If so, what impact did they have on the organization?
I’d love your help. This blog is read primarily because of people like you who share it with friends. Would you be kind enough to share it by pressing the share button?
Category: Personal Development | Character
We had a few personalities in the police department who were toxic. They thrived on conflict, tried to enlist support, and undermined the professional culture we worked hard to promote. Fortunately, none of those people are there today. By setting a positive example, showing up at every roll-call (where the mutineers used to hold court), and by walking our talk, the negativists moved on.
It’s bad enough to have toxic folks the business world, but when they exist in the ranks of our first responders and military they put everyone, including the public, at risk! As challenging as the situation was for you back in the day, I wonder if the divisiveness that exists today is making it even harder for leaders to maintain esprit de corps!