Ask yourself, how quickly will one rotten blueberry affect the others?! Slowly, it will infest the others, making the whole punnet unhealthy to eat… Just like a rotten employee in the workplace.

If I asked you how to solve the problem of a rotten blueberry in a punnet, most of you would say remove the blueberry, so why in the workplace do employers struggle to deal with a rotten employee?

Time and time again, we see employers grasping for support to help them deal with an employee who, in their words, is making their ‘workplace toxic’. I often ask myself (and them), how’s it got to this? Why haven’t they done something before? Why haven’t others complained? What impact is this having? What outcome do you need for your business?

The reality is the employee didn’t come into the business looking rotten at first. Only once their feet are under the table can these traits become obvious. 

So, how do we stop this in the first place?

Leadership

Set clear standards and expectations of staff for your business. Lead by those pillars (and examples) you’ve built in your business. Hold all, including the leadership team, to account.

Address

As an employer, you need to stick true to your values. Any inappropriate behaviour by an employee that is not akin to your workplace values should be addressed promptly and directly. Talk to them and be clear about your expectations, standards and culture. Nip the behaviour in the bud before it grows and affects others too much.

Listen

When you hear feedback from staff about an employee, take the time to listen. Yes, sometimes it is just instantaneous moaning. Still, other times, it’s the subtle hints that an individual is upsetting people and creating an uncomfortable and, if left unattended, even toxic atmosphere.

But what do you do when it’s gone too far?

As HR professionals, we know employers regularly fear addressing poor behaviour and ‘rotten’ individuals can slowly wear away at the culture through lack of attention. However, it’s never too late to address, and there is always a way to solve these situations.

It’s important to take action when someone complains about an individual, or you notice an ongoing pattern of inappropriate behaviour. Perhaps there is a high turnover of staff in an area or regular whispers of people being upset:

1. Consider if there is actually a formal grievance that allows you to investigate what’s going on. 
2. Performance manage poor behaviour through gathering evidence and real examples of such behaviour.
3. Carry out surveys (but only if you will do something with the feedback).
4. Be confident when discussing how people feel one-to-one to see if there is a common thread of evidence to support your action.
5. There could also be a disciplinary matter should an investigation identify sufficient evidence.
6. There may be grounds for a some other substantial reason (SOSR) dismissal (subject to investigation).
7. Possibility of a managed exit under a settlement agreement.

There are multiple avenues to address these situations, so seek legal advice to agree the best approach in the circumstances. Ultimately though, your business will feel so much better once the bad blueberry is out of the punnet. You will see productivity and employee wellbeing improve, attrition and employee contentiousness reduce!

If this is your business, speak to us confidentially to discuss the best option to promptly address the issue!