8 ways toxic people poison the workplace

Oddly enough, the obviously terrible employees don’t cause the real problems.

Why? Whether clearly incompetent or capable but lazy, they’re easy to spot, so they’re easy to get rid of.

The real problems are caused by employees who appear to be doing a reasonable job but in fact are slowly destroying the performance, attitude and morale of the people around them.

What do they do?

1. They frequently say, “That’s not my job.”

The smaller the company, the more important it is that employees think on their feet, adapt quickly to shifting priorities and do whatever it takes—regardless of role or position—to get things done.

This is essential, even if a manager has to help load a truck or a machinist must clean up a solvent spill, even if the accounting staff has to hit the shop floor to help complete a rush order, even if the CEO must cover a customer service line during a product crisis.