Are you doing everything you can to motivate your team and creating a winning culture–but still notice morale is low? You might have a toxic employee in your ranks. Lisa Copeland discusses how to recognize toxic employees that might be hurting your positive culture.

One of the biggest threats to a positive work culture is a toxic team member. No matter the industry you are in, it’s likely that, as a manager, you have had to deal with an employee whose negativity is lethal to your employees’ productivity. While it’s easy to identify those workers who are underperforming, it can be slightly more difficult to figure out which employees are creating a toxic atmosphere in your workplace.

A surefire way of figuring out whether an employee is toxic or not is by listening to others. Another way is to learn the signs your team has a toxic member. Here are five signs to keep an eye out for.

Learn to recognize toxic employees now before it’s too late to turn their attitudes around.

They’re not a team player.

A good team is a team that constantly supports one another no matter what. If a member of your team is deadly to your company’s morale, it’s likely he won’t root for others. Instead, he will do what he can to get ahead, throwing others under the metaphorical bus to achieve his goals.

Gossip is their main form of communication.

While gossip might seem harmless, it really isn’t—especially if it’s negative gossip. A toxic team member will constantly be up-to-date with the latest dirt, especially if it is negative news. Spreading destructive gossip will kill your team’s positive attitude, something that a toxic person could take pleasure from.

They make friends with leaders while ignoring their coworkers.

To a toxic team member, getting in with the leadership is a big leg up on the competition. Instead of creating relationships with his peers, someone with a negative influence on the company’s culture will instead try to buddy-up with his leaders. While it’s a great idea for employees to have relationships with their managers, if leadership is the only group of people an employee is becoming friends with, then you have a problem.

Demands are common.

Typically, a team member that can hurt morale is also a bit of a Negative Nancy. He might constantly demand a raise, more attention, or more perks—even though he doesn’t deserve it. There will continually be a whiny or complaining aspect to their demands, too.

They take credit where credit isn’t due.

One of the most common complaints entered about a toxic team member is that he or she has taken credit they don’t deserve. If you have an employee who constantly cites others’ work as his own, then it’s likely this person has a negative impact on your other employees’ morale.

Help your company maintain a better culture and catch when a team member is having a negative influence on your company’s culture. To help create a more positive culture within your workplace, don’t hesitate to contact Lisa Copeland today and set up a session to help crush mediocrity at your company. And don’t forget—the best way to build a positive culture is to motivate and empower your employees. For tips on how to do so, sign up for updates from Lisa Copeland today.