Why Your Business Is Better Off Firing a Toxic Worker Than Hiring a Star

When putting your ideal staff together, you want to have the best and strongest employees possible. However, it may help you more if you look at the staff you already have and work on getting rid of a worker whose very presence poisons the rest of the team. When you think about it, you know who this person is; quite possibly, a name has just popped into your head. If you find the general atmosphere at work improves when this person isn’t around, consider how improved morale and productivity will be if you drop the toxic worker rather than spending time and energy bringing on a “star.”

• It’s more cost-effective.

Hiring a top candidate can bring in some good revenue, but dropping a toxic employee saves you even more money. A November 2015 working paper from Harvard Business School, including 11 global businesses and about 58,500 hourly employees, discovered that while hiring a “star” employee can bring in $5,300, firing a toxic employee can save a company three times that — $12,500.

• They can bring unwanted legal trouble.

Toxic employees, defined as those let go for violating company policies such as fraud, sexual harassment, or workplace violence, can bring on legal and regulatory fees and liabilities, putting a black mark on your company with regard to clients and other employees. And considering putting an end to such cases can take up significant amounts of time, it’s best to stay on top of any serious violators and let them go before they bring about a domino effect of trouble.

• Know the signs.

Interestingly, many employees who fall into the “toxic” category also have tendencies to strictly follow other rules and demonstrate more productive output than the average employee. Be warned, however, they may produce more, but the quality doesn’t always match the quantity. Look out for signs of overconfidence and self-centeredness. If you get the impression that a certain employee fits this mold, don’t wait — talk to a manager and see what you can quietly find out.

Everyone wants to hire a star employee, but you first have to make sure you don’t have a destructive force already on your staff. If you want vetted, quality employees every time, visit PrideStaff.