There’s a co-worker in your office you just don’t get along with. They frequently miss deadlines, and you’ve been told they sometimes talk about you behind your back. But are they just having a bad day or is there something more complicated going on?

What is a Toxic Co-worker?

Before we dig in, we want to outline what a toxic co-worker is. As defined by a study put out by Harvard Business School, a toxic worker is one who “engages in behavior that is harmful to an organization, including either its property or people.” So, someone that acts in such a way as to cause emotional or physical damage to the company, it’s property, or most often, other co-workers. It doesn’t mean that they’re a bad person; just that, for whatever reason, they’re hard to work with. Here are a few warning signs to look for. (more…)