A difficult colleague can ruin the work experience for everyone. Such a person always sees negativity, provokes and bullies others. And working with or around them is nothing but a mocking experience.

Writer Thomas Murphy notes that if you have a toxic worker in your office, that behaviour needs to stop—one way or another.

Negativity, gossip, and other toxic behaviours often affect engagement and retention—employees don’t like working in unhappy places. The longer they remain unhappy, the more likely they are to leave. Organisations frequently hold onto these people far too long, harming the rest of the workers in the process, he notes.

Murphy advises that as the leader, you need to know when to fix the situation and when to let a bad influence go.

Maureen Ashimwe, a human resource manager, says such employees need to be confronted and held accountable for their actions.

She notes that such behaviour affects workers emotionally and psychologically.

"It also affects their output and this in turn affects the company’s success. This is why such individuals shouldn’t be neglected,” she says.

Ashimwe notes that firing shouldn’t be the first solution, however, it can be an option if all fails.

"It’s important to first understand where this particular person is coming from. Could they be facing difficulties or passing through a certain phase in their life? One needs to go to the root cause of their behaviour. However if this person fails to change, then letting them go could be the best way to handle this.”

Define boundaries

Murphy notes that many toxic people continue their behaviour because they lack context.

Establish boundaries with employees; that way, when you must become the disciplinarian, you don’t have to worry about changing the nature of the relationship. Be ready to say "no” a little more often and don’t be afraid to take a hard stance to end a conversation, he writes.

He also adds that documenting such behaviour helps in dealing with toxic employees.

Toxic behaviours rarely manifest as big blowouts. Usually, a greater number of small offenses add up over time. Keep your sanity in check by making a list of memories and actions that gave you cause for concern, he explains.

"Human resource leaders need this information to justify disciplinary action, so keeping a list could help with that too. Every time we look at our company culture, we update our office policies to reflect the new expectations.”