North Texas Dentistry Volume 9 Issue 6 2019 ISSUE 6 DE | Page 22

Exhibit One: Negative Nancy.
practice management
THE
TOXIC
EMPLOYEE
Styles, Signs, and Solutions
by Bethany Petty
Take one look at her and you will notice her scowl, her
drooped shoulders, and her negative energy. Nancy is
always frustrated about something and is perfectly content
to complain. She is quite easy to spot because when you see
her coming, you want to turn away. She drains you. She
drains the team. She is hard to please, easy to frustrate, and
almost always discouraging.
Exhibit Two: Drama Mama Donna.
She’s normally the more vocal one. Donna is loud, proud, and
somehow always causes drama because she simply cannot
keep her mouth shut. You will find her at the center of almost
every single controversy – whether with the team or with
patients. She very clearly speaks her mind and feels justified
in doing so. Donna divides teams easily and causes count-
less headaches for practice owners.
Exhibit Three: No Change Norma.
She is likely valuable in many ways, but Norma resists
change with every ounce of her being. She likes the way
things are and has a routine that works for her. For doctors
who love to always improve systems and technology, Norma
can drag progress and implementation down to a slow or
non-existent pace. She can sometimes be hard to spot
because she comes across as agreeable and willing but
simply never implements and talks negatively about the
changes to others.
Exhibit Four: Chronic Underachiever Claire.
In most situations, they are easy to spot. The impact of their
attitude and actions linger in an almost visible pattern in the
practice. Yet, there are times that the toxic employee is well
hidden – disguised as a sweet and helpful teammate. So,
how do you spot them? Let’s take a little walk through the
museum of characters who spread toxicity.
22 NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY | www.northtexasdentistry.com
If there is a way to skim by on performance, Claire does it
consistently. She is the one that does just enough to get the
job done but never more. She often skids into the office right
on time and leaves right as the last patient gets up out of the
chair. She is the last one that you want to ask to do more
because she really is not dependable. Although you think
that they do not notice, the team notices Claire and grows
weary of her. They have to pull the extra weight because she
will not.
Exhibit Five. Millennial Maggie.
This category is obviously growing in number as more
mature employees are replaced by a generation of younger
millennials. Not all millennials but many have very high
expectations of their workplace. They want to be noticed,
appreciated, and praised for performing their standard
duties. It is often hard to get them to go above and beyond
without some sort of incentive. In addition to being noticed
and praised, they also want to have a job that is emotionally
fulfilling and rewarding. So, after a brief workplace honey-
moon period, Maggie can be found complaining to others
about her lack of job satisfaction and already looking for new
opportunities.