There are no groups of individuals who cause more trouble in a workplace than the bullies, the liars, the passive-aggressive people, and the saboteurs. Those four types of people will run ethical, hardworking, and talented people right out the door of an organization regardless of compensation, benefits, perks, and work-life balance. Because employees cannot experience a good work-life and employers cannot have a good workplace culture with these people. Saboteurs in particular can cause you to lose employees, as well as customers, funding, and opportunities.

As we travel out and about our universes, we have all had occasion to wonder, “Why on earth did anyone hire that person?” Alternatively, “Why are they keeping that person?” Usually, that person’s manager is wondering exactly the same thing, or even, “That’s not the same person who came to the interview” or “That’s not the same person who temped for us for 6 months.” They ask themselves over and over, “How could I have known?” Nevertheless, this indeed is the same person and if the employer had known for what to look and the right questions to ask, they would have easily known to skip getting to know that person any further.  

Once you know what to look for it is downright easy to skip hiring bullies, liars, passive-aggressive people, and saboteurs. Skipping hiring them is important because they will damage your workplace culture, create complaints, and can even cause lawsuits on both their own behalf and from other employees. When they find a workplace that allows them to operate unheeded, they almost never leave. They also create risks on the operational side of the business as well. You cannot change them and besides, they do not think there is any reason for them to change. Managing them is an almost full-time job that requires copious and accurate documentation while watching your own back every day. Not something, most managers have the time or inclination to do.