Toxic employees are damaging to medical practices

(HealthDay)—Toxic behavior can harm medical practices and should not be tolerated, according to an article published Dec. 10 in Medical Economics.

Noting that toxic employees can sap the morale of staff and impact patients' perceptions, Judy Bee, a medical practice consultant from Practice Performance Group in La Jolla, Calif., discusses how to identify and manage toxic employees.

Bee notes that availability, attitude, and ability are the three components of employee performance, in that order of priority. Lack of availability can generate resentment and depress physician production, especially in a smaller practice. Good attitude, including cheerful demeanor, willingness to help, being courteous and cooperative, and being considerate of others will affect the practice. For toxic employees, conducting a performance review is important, allowing objective criteria and less serious behaviors to be discussed. Tolerating an employee's negative attitude has a knock-on effect, with the remaining staff losing respect for the manager or physician in charge. If a toxic employee improves their behavior after performance review, it should be noticed and rewarded.

"If a toxic employee can't or won't make the changes you need them to, it's time for physicians and managers to make the decision to part ways with that employee, and to give that toxic worker an opportunity to find a job where showing up with a positive attitude isn't a requirement," Bee writes.