20 Toxic Traits Forcing Employees to Quit Jobs They Once Loved in 2023

Toxic work culture was the number one driving force for 2022’s Great Resignation. Today, one in five workers work in a “toxic” workplace, admitting that their employer negatively affects their mental health. 

Toxic work culture is an epidemic that drives more people to quit than any other reason, even more than salary or work-life balance issues. 

Toxic work cultures don’t discriminate—statistics show that they have developed across a variety of factors. For example, women are 41% more likely to experience toxic work cultures, it affects both blue- and white-collar employees equally, and remote workers are not exempt either. CEO of ClearForce Tom Miller says, “Remote workers are also experiencing harassment through email, video, and phone calls or chat apps.”

A toxic workplace culture isn’t created overnight. It’s a wide-reaching problem that stems from an individual’s toxic personality traits—usually leaders’—and is perpetuated in an organization, creating a toxic workforce. Toxicity is chasing away top talent and organizations can no longer afford to ignore toxic traits that drive their best people away.

Combatting toxic culture begins with identifying the individual symptoms of the overarching disease. In this article, learn how to identify specific toxic traits to eradicate a toxic work culture and develop a strong, nurturing company culture. 

What Are Toxic Traits?

Toxic traits are habitual behaviors or attitudes that are unhealthy, unproductive, and interpersonally damaging to surrounding people. In a workplace, toxic traits create a culture of negativity that hurts morale, performance, and employee retention.

At work, toxic traits rear their ugly heads as micromanagement, unethical leadership, and resistance to change. They diminish collaboration, stifle innovation, and undermine trust between coworkers. 

Toxic employees spread their negativity like a virus—impacting even star performers over time. Leaders who turn a blind eye allow these behaviors to become ingrained in the organization’s culture. When identified and addressed, though, toxic traits can be eliminated to build a thriving workplace. 

20 Toxic Traits in the Workplace (With Examples)

1. Micromanagement: Micromanagers constantly monitor employees and control every detail of their work. This excessive oversight leaves workers feeling inadequate, stifled, and anxious, dampening motivation and innovation. 79% of workers have experienced a micromanaging boss in their careers and 85% of those who have said it negatively impacted job performance. Micromanagement could look like a manager insisting on approving every email before it’s sent.
2. Closed-Mindedness: Closed-minded leaders adamantly reject ideas that challenge their worldview or processes. They shut down brainstorming and steamroll over opposing perspectives rather than consider ways to evolve or adapt. For instance, an old-guard executive may refuse to even trial a new collaboration software that could boost efficiency.
3. Selfishness: Self-serving coworkers put their own interests far above those of teammates, customers, and the organization as a whole. They hog credit, refuse to help on projects, and lobby for recognition and rewards over higher-performing peers. For example, a selfish salesperson may intentionally withhold an important sales lead from the team to try and keep the commission for themselves.
4. Blaming: Toxic blamers always shift accountability for mistakes and failures onto others, no matter how unreasonable. They dodge responsibility for errors rather than owning them and working to prevent recurrence. For instance, an unreliable blamer may fault missed deadlines on unclear instructions from their manager rather than taking steps to clarify expectations proactively.
5. Gossiping: Americans spend an average of 40 minutes per week gossiping. Those who gossip and spread rumors drain massive energy and breed toxicity. They divulge sensitive information, sabotage reputations, and stir conflict through mean-spirited speculation. For example, a gossiper may pull a work friend aside to spread rumors about how their coworker really got their promotion.  
6. Negativity: Pessimists sap inspiration with constant complaints, cynicism, and fixation on the negative. They shoot down promising ideas with knee-jerk pessimism and spread gloom by predicting worst-case scenarios. For instance, a toxic naysayer may grumble that an ambitious new product launch is doomed to flop before it’s even off the ground.
7. Inconsiderateness: Inconsiderate coworkers disrupt others with distracting habits, poor communication, tardiness, and general disregard for courtesy. For instance, a loud speakerphone talker may regularly drone on just outside your office door, destroying your focus.
8. Passive-Aggressive: Passive-aggressive workers avoid making decisions or taking action but are quick to complain loudly behind closed doors. Passion and direct conversations can be powerful in the workplace, but passive-aggressive employees share their passion underhandedly. Agreeability can be positive, but passivity enables toxic people by empowering bullies and limiting constructive feedback. For example, a passive-aggressive employee may stay silent when a manager asks for constructive feedback in a team meeting but quickly shares all their negative criticisms with a friend.  
9. Resistance to Change: Change-averse workers stubbornly resist updates and improvements to processes, tools, and strategies. They default to the attitude of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” even when new approaches could dramatically improve performance. For instance, a technophobic manager may insist their team use an outdated inventory system rather than adopting a more efficient digital platform.
10. Laziness: While 89% of employees admit to wasting time at work, an outright lazy coworker exploits others by chronically cutting corners and shirking duties. They dodge the grunt work and avoid staying late or pitching in when needed, breeding resentment within teams. For example, a lazy accountant may consistently pawn off data analysis to an intern or assistant to avoid tedious number-crunching.
11. Dishonesty: A contender for the ultimate toxic work trait. A dishonest retail employee will cost their employer an average of $1,551 during their employment. In a corporate office, liars destroy organizational trust and open the door to unethical conduct when others follow suit. Even small lies violate policies and reflect poorly on the organization. For instance, a dishonest worker may falsely claim they completed compliance training.
12. Narcissism: Narcissists have inflated self-importance and a sense of entitlement to special treatment. Their arrogance and hunger for validation stifle teamwork and demean others. For example, a narcissistic executive may interrupt teammates constantly to shift focus back to themselves.
13. Sabotage: Toxic saboteurs work to deliberately undermine team initiatives through passive-aggression. They may agree to help but then drag their feet, sow confusion, or otherwise work to guarantee failure. For example, a resentful employee passed over for a promotion may quietly attempt to set their replacement up for failure.
14. Hostility: One in five workers face a “hostile or threatening” work culture. Angry, aggressive, and confrontational attitudes poison morale and spark conflict. At best, hostility makes coworkers uncomfortable. At worst, it can escalate to threatening behaviors, bullying, or violence. For instance, an out-of-control staff member may have emotional public outbursts over minor frustrations.
15. Untrustworthiness: Untrustworthy coworkers destroy bonds and morale by violating confidence. They may gossip about or mock others behind their backs. This makes their teammates paranoid about what is being said when they are not around. For example, an untrustworthy worker may privately share embarrassing details about a colleague’s health issues.
16. Manipulation: In the U.K. 58% of workers have experienced gaslighting at work. Toxic manipulators exploit psychological tactics like gaslighting, guilt trips, and emotional extortion. They pressure and deceive teammates to get their way rather than earning trust and respect. This could look like a toxic manager who deliberately makes an effort to diminish a negative work experience by downplaying the trauma of it. 
17. Rudeness: Rude employees hurt morale through discourteous, insulting, demeaning, or abrasive behavior. Their lack of basic politeness signals poor judgment and carelessness. For example, a brutally blunt worker may tactlessly mock a colleague’s presentation in front of the team.
18. Irresponsibility: Irresponsible coworkers are chronically undependable and fail to follow through on duties. Their flakiness damages team productivity and continuity. For instance, an irresponsible HR manager may frequently botch the onboarding of new hires.
19. Intolerance: Intolerant workers discriminate and ostracize team members based on prejudice. Their closed-minded hostility toward diversity corrodes inclusion and damages employer branding. For example, an ageist employee may ignore or dismiss input from younger colleagues.
20. Unethical Conduct: The number one reason CEOs of the largest 2,500 businesses part ways with their companies is ethical misconduct, even more than those who left for financial performance reasons. Unethical behavior like theft, embezzlement, cheating, or fraud contaminates culture like nothing else. It makes leadership seem complicit and normalizes rule-breaking that can spiral out of control. This could happen when a warehouse worker repeatedly “misplaces” valuable inventory and their manager willingly allows it to happen. 

Your Manager’s Toxic Traits Revealed

“People leave managers, not companies.”

Marcus Buckingham

More than any other factor, managers set the tone for an organization. Toxic traits live or die at the hands of managers. 

At a glance, toxic managers can look like a good manager. After all, they are often effective managers, at least in the short term. But in the long run, a toxic manager will spread their toxic traits like wildfire, ultimately burning down any positive culture that took years to build. 

The data suggests that you currently work for a toxic manager, as 84% of workers in the U.S. work for a manager who creates unnecessary stress for their employees. And 76% of employees admit that their current manager has exhibited toxic behaviors.

Toxic Traits List: 7 Signs of a Toxic Manager

The traits can be subtle, but recognizing them is the first step to overcoming a toxic boss. Here is a toxic traits list of what toxicity looks like from a manager.

1. Micromanagers suffocate employees by controlling every detail of their work. Nothing happens without their approval, stifling independence and innovation.
2. Absentee managers offer little guidance at all, leaving employees confused and unsupported.
3. Narcissistic managers crave constant validation and credit for team wins while blaming employees for losses. 
4. Insecure managers establish rigid hierarchies that reinforce their authority rather than developing employees’ skills and leadership capabilities.
5. Reactive managers swing wildly between ignoring issues and overreacting to them. This inconsistency breeds uncertainty and distrust.
6. Authoritarian managers demand rigid adherence to arbitrary rules and processes simply because they say so. They dismiss constructive feedback and quash dissent. This squashes morale and blocks progress.
7. Erratic managers frequently change direction at the drop of a hat, with no regard for planning or follow-through. The resulting whiplash breeds chaos and makes it impossible for teams to gain traction on initiatives.

Without intervention, toxic leadership corrodes culture, spurs attrition, and cripples results.

What Can Leaders Do to Overcome a Toxic Workplace?

“People aren’t running to better pay. They’re running from feeling overworked, undermined, and unappreciated.”

John Baird and Edward Sullivan

John Baird and Edward Sullivan, from Harvard Business Review, uncovered 40 years of notes and case studies to answer this very question. After three years of research, they’ve formalized their findings on what managers can do to combat toxic people traits in the workplace. 

Their research shows that it comes down to the quality of conversations between managers and their employees. Managers who lead impactful conversations do so in a way that “made their teams feel seen, heard, appreciated, and supported, and as a consequence, their teams delivered better results.”

Managers need to understand more than just what their teams are working on or whether they are hitting quarterly goals. Leaders can squash toxic work culture by understanding the people, not the numbers. 

Dynamic leaders ask their people questions that probe deep feelings while uncovering concrete action items for the business to act on. 

These questions can include:

• What are your greatest gifts?
• What fears are holding you back?
• When do you feel most engaged? 
• What do you need to do your best work?
• Do you feel there is purpose in the work you do?

Questions like these require established social capital between managers and employees, which is earned over time. Leaders can build social capital in their organization by demonstrating a history of making human connections, rewarding trust, and displaying authenticity.

How to Deal With Toxic Traits at Work

“We can change culture if we change behavior.”

Dr. Aubrey Daniels

Have you asked yourself, is your job, the company, or its mission worth the stress and effort to correct them? If the answer is “no,” it’s time to join 30% of the global workforce actively looking for new employment.

However, if you’re committed to doing your part to mend the toxic culture of your workplace, there are a number of actions you can take. Although, there is no guarantee that your work will improve. After all, toxic culture isn’t created in one day, and it’s certainly not eliminated overnight, either. 

Here are ideas for overcoming toxicity:

• Voice your concerns to HR or your direct manager about toxic behaviors you’ve noticed. It helps if you have documented instances of these behaviors. 
• Speak up respectfully when you observe toxic behaviors. Silence enables these patterns to spread.
• Shut down toxic behavior when it comes up. For example, if your work friend wants to gossip about who just got promoted over him, politely inform him that you don’t participate in closed-door gossip.
• Set a positive example through your own conduct: practice extreme ownership, vulnerability, and honesty.
• Bond with like-minded coworkers interested in progress. There’s strength in numbers when advocating for change.
• Kill toxicity by seeking understanding before placing blame. Kindness and empathy will open doors that negativity cannot. Set personal boundaries without stooping down.
• Focus on what you can control: your attitude, self-care, and decision to rise above toxic influences.

When to Walk Away From a Toxic Workplace

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”

Steve Jobs

How long are you willing to put up with a toxic workplace? 60 days? Six months? A year?

On average, employees work for a single employer for 4.1 years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

If you don’t take action, you’ll likely stay put in poor work culture for years. Despite your best efforts, some toxic workplace environments are beyond saving. 

Consider leaving if you see these red flags:

• Ongoing resistance to any positive changes proposed
• Persistent stagnation, chaos, or stress with no hope of change
• Chronic scapegoating, blame-shifting, or refusal to take responsibility
• Unethical, illegal, or abusive conduct that leadership condones or ignores
• Frequent changes in the company’s narrative about finances or growth trajectory
• Active gaslighting, bullying, hostility, manipulation, or mistreatment from managers

No job is worth damage to your self-worth and mental health. 

Have courage, set boundaries, and be ready to walk away when necessary. With so much demand for talented workers today, you can find a healthier workplace aligned with your values. The most toxic environments only change when the right people leave.

Want more? Read more about toxic bosses, dark empaths, and toxic productivity.