How do we get rid of toxic teammates?

Anonymous

June 9,2023 at 12:32PM UTC

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How do we get rid of toxic teammates?

I joined this team a little over a year ago, and unfortunately, I think we’re going under. We have two problem people on our team. The first one, I’ll call Bob, and the second one is his manager, Sally.

Bob appears to have no specific accountabilities, which results in him being all over the place and having his hands in others’ accountabilities (in a sneaky way). He has been given feedback about this behavior from nearly everyone on the team, and most of us really dislike working with him. Additionally, Bob does not actually execute any work. He talks, talks, talks - but no actual execution can actually be attributed to him.

The problem is, his manager is the same person, and they knew each other from a previous role which is why he was hired. His manager will not correct his behaviors, and his manager spends most of her time competing with other team members at her level.

We will be going through a reorganization soon, and not only am I terrified of losing my job, I’m terrified that somehow Bob and Sally will come out on top.

Is there anything that can be done?

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AnonymousJune 9,2023 at 6:10PM UTC
Usually during a reorganization and/or downsizing your skills and impact on the current business are taken deeply into consideration by people that are aligning the business not to fail. That means cleaning house if anyone not directly contributing to the success. There's usually no room for friends who slack.
Bob and possibly Sally might not be as seen as valuable on paper. Just saying.....
Diane LinkeJune 9,2023 at 6:24PM UTC
some things you can't do anything about unless you are Bob and Sally's boss. Sounds like this situation is one. You can worry about you, the skills you bring, how you impact the dept culture, what you have accomplished and your positive impact to the organization. If this company can't recognize contributors from those like Bob and Sally, then it's not a good place to be. Sometimes losing a bad job is ok.
AnonymousJune 9,2023 at 11:37PM UTC
Keep your head down and do your work to make yourself as valuable as possible, and Karma will take care of the rest. If the company is restructuring, the "higher-ups" know what's going on with Bob and Sally unless there is some form of nepotism/favoritism.
cliffJune 10,2023 at 12:24PM UTC
send a typed Anonymous letter (not e-mail) to the president or board of directors...provide as much detail as possible. They will retaliate if they find out it is you if you are the "whistleblower". HR is not your friend
AnonymousJune 10,2023 at 1:55PM UTC
NO!
Ally MorganJune 10,2023 at 1:25PM UTC
Man. I was just recently on a team with a toxic person. He would steal and take credit for others work, he never knew what the f was going on in the projects, always late, never contributed anything useful. I nicknamed him Bare Minimum Bro. And then. I wake up to an email the other day. Bare Minimum Bro was no longer with our company. Management had seen him for what he was too, and fired him. I rejoiced!! Maybe the same can happen for you. Crossing fingers for you.
AnonymousJune 10,2023 at 1:54PM UTC
Yes, the toxic people will come out on top. Toxicity is a feature, not a bug here.
You don't have the power to get rid of them, but you have the power to document your excellent work, document any bullying you experience, and negotiate a good severance plan when/if they force you out.
Brush off that resume and don't look back!
AnonymousJune 10,2023 at 3:51PM UTC
I would not recommend taking on a manager. if Bob is a favored employee you will get yourself fired trying to go after him. I agree it may be better to leave. the ideal work place rarely exists and adulting is not just what you know but who you know, for better or for worse.
AnonymousJune 10,2023 at 4:03PM UTC
I actually just went through this myself. I work at a start up. My coworker knows our boss since they were young. 4/8 employees in our office went to the same all boys school.
I decided to leave. And I'm happy I did. The person who is my bob at work actually got promoted this year? I did 99% of the project he was responsible for...
There isn't much you can do about this. And you have to be really careful.
AnonymousJune 11,2023 at 10:55AM UTC
This is more common than I thought. Same situation where I am currently working, however one of the people decided to leave. Do I think this will make a difference - for a short term solution yes - but the other individual needs to redeem their credibility. It made more than one team uncomfortable for quite some time. You can keep telling yourself things will get better - but until someone makes a move or until leadership takes a hard stand - it's up to you to make the decision to stay or leave.
AnonymousJune 11,2023 at 11:25AM UTC
With the reorg I would suggest focusing on you at this time. Are there opportunities for your own growth with the organization that would allow you to move, even if laterally. You can only control what you can control. Also, follow up emails will serve you well on being clear of what was discussed and next steps to allow for clarity. You need to become an ally.
AnonymousJune 11,2023 at 12:38PM UTC
Most reorganization result in some people being let go. I agree with the idea of focusing on your career growth and looking for other opportunities, instead of staying in a toxic environment.
Crystal HowellJune 11,2023 at 1:13PM UTC
Find a recruiter immediately, your mental health comes first.
See how it pans out, no gossiping, and decide. Who is above Sally? Can the owner see the disappointed employees, the numbers down?
AnonymousJune 12,2023 at 12:41PM UTC
My ex-VP was the toxic one in this scenario. He started bringing over his favorites from his old company, who were also toxic and wildly incompetent. I decided that I had to leave because I was outnumbered. It wasn’t worth the fight, and as a result, I saw a 40 percent bump in my base comp with my new role. Better things await us when we choose ourselves over a toxic working environment!