By Dr Mohamad Hafifi Jamri and Dr Yusa Djuyandi

Work is a source of livelihood for an individual. At times, a person is willing to take on any type of job with a single goal in mind – to earn a halal income to support their family.

Some individuals are comfortable being self-employed, while others prefer working in government or private organisations. The choice of employment is undoubtedly influenced by personal reasons, whether related to comfort or the sustenance obtained.

At the organisational level, work inevitably involves cooperation and interaction among colleagues in pursuit of shared goals and success.

However, there are situations where individuals with narcissistic and toxic behaviour disrupt the harmony of the workplace environment.

Examples of such toxic and narcissistic traits include always believing they are right and acting in a “bossy” manner. This attitude reflects a “disease of the heart”, where every opinion voiced by others is deemed wrong, while only their views are considered correct.

Such individuals often issue unnecessary directives, show no respect for the roles and responsibilities of colleagues, and even undermine or oppose top management’s decisions.

Sabotage

Worse still, some engage in backstabbing and deliberately attempt to sabotage others to elevate themselves. This conduct is both vile and cruel, as it can severely impact the mental health of fellow colleagues.

Additionally, these individuals dislike listening to the perspectives of others, assuming they are the most experienced in the organisation or industry.

This is evident when they rarely provide opportunities for others to express opinions, insisting instead that only their views be heard and followed.

They may also take over others’ tasks under the pretence of speeding up completion, which in turn creates conflict.

Ironically, when disputes arise, they often manipulate the situation by playing the victim – a tactic designed to make outsiders believe they are the ones suffering from injustice within the organisation.

Another common trait is their disregard for other people’s time.

Toxic employees frequently intrude on colleagues’ personal time – for instance, by assigning non-urgent tasks during leave, disturbing them after work hours late at night or early in the morning, and at other clearly inappropriate times.

Lack of courtesy

What makes it worse is their lack of courtesy, as even a simple apology becomes too difficult to express when imposing on others.

This situation can be likened to a cancer within the workplace if such individuals are not screened at the entry stage of employment.

They have the potential to create division within teams, lower productivity, and cause affected colleagues to lose focus and motivation.

In severe cases, mass resignations may occur due to employees being unable to endure the toxic presence, leading to the loss of valuable talents – a tremendous blow to the organisation.

The organisation’s reputation may also suffer, ultimately deterring potential partners and investors from collaborating.

Performance evaluation

Performance evaluation is undoubtedly one of the best steps in addressing this issue, where top management must assess each employee holistically – not only based on achievements and contributions on paper but also in terms of governance, attitude, personality, teamwork, and interaction with colleagues.

Tackling toxic work environments must remain a priority for organisations, as it directly impacts employees’ happiness and mental health, which are essential aspects of workplace welfare.

Organisations must free themselves from such issues to preserve harmony within the workplace. Only then can organisations enhance the quality of work and foster stronger, more cohesive teamwork among employees.

-- BERNAMA

Dr Mohamad Hafifi Jamri is a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia.

Dr Yusa Djuyandi is a Lecturer and Researcher on Political Science and Security Studies at Universitas Padjadjaran, Indonesia.