We’ve all had them. You know the type. Every time they walk into the breakroom, the air just gets... thinner. Maybe they’re the "brilliant jerk" who hits their numbers but treats the junior staff like footstools. Or perhaps they’re the subtle saboteur, the person who "forgets" to CC you on the email chain that actually matters. We’re talking about that one coworker that just gotta go, and honestly, it’s a miracle they’re still on the payroll.
Why does this happen? It’s not just your imagination. There is a specific, often frustrating cocktail of corporate inertia, fear of litigation, and misplaced "meritocracy" that keeps these people strapped into their Herman Miller chairs long after they’ve burned every bridge in the building.
When a teammate is toxic, it isn't just a minor annoyance. It’s a massive drain on the bottom line. According to research from the Harvard Business Review, avoiding a toxic hire or getting rid of one can save a company more than twice as much as the increased productivity from a "superstar" employee. Specifically, a study by Michael Housman and Dylan Minor found that keeping a toxic worker can cost a company over $12,000 in turnover costs alone—and that’s a conservative estimate from years ago. Today, with the "Quiet Quitting" and "Great Reshuffle" trends still echoing through LinkedIn feeds, the cost of one bad apple is basically a forest fire.
The Psychology of the Office Vampire
It's usually not about incompetence. If they were just bad at their job, they’d be gone, right? Usually, that one coworker that just gotta go survives because they’ve mastered the art of managing up while kicking down.
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They are experts at making the boss feel like they are the only person who actually understands the vision. Meanwhile, the rest of the team is spending 30% of their workday just venting about them on Slack or in hushed tones at the coffee shop across the street. This creates a "trust gap." Management sees a high performer; the team sees a localized disaster zone.
Robert Sutton, a professor at Stanford and author of The No Asshole Rule, has spent decades looking into this. He argues that many organizations prioritize "competence" over "character" to a fault. They think they can't afford to lose the person who knows the legacy code or the salesperson with the biggest Rolodex. What they don't realize is that for every dollar that high-performing jerk brings in, they’re costing the company five dollars in lost morale, mental health leaves, and top-tier talent walking out the door.
Spotting the "Gotta Go" Red Flags
- The Credit Thief: They use "we" when things go wrong and "I" when things go right.
- The Emotional Arsonist: They start fires just so they can be seen putting them out.
- The Constant Victim: Nothing is ever their fault. The client was mean. The software glitched. The dog ate the PowerPoint.
- The Gatekeeper: They hoard information like a dragon hoards gold. If they are the only ones who know how a specific process works, they think they’re unfireable.
Honestly, it’s exhausting. You’ve probably spent your Sunday nights dreading Monday morning specifically because of this person. That "Sunday Scaries" feeling? It's usually tied to people, not tasks.
Why HR Doesn't Just Pull the Trigger
You might be wondering why HR is seemingly blind. They aren't. But in the real world of 2026 corporate life, firing someone is a legal and administrative nightmare.
Most companies operate under "at-will" employment, but that’s a bit of a myth in practice. Companies are terrified of wrongful termination suits. They need a "paper trail." This means even if everyone knows that one coworker that just gotta go is a nightmare, HR has to go through the Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) dance.
The PIP is often a 90-day window where the toxic employee suddenly becomes the world’s best worker. They’re punctual. They’re polite. They’re helpful. Then, the moment the PIP ends and the "probation" is lifted, they revert to their true form like a werewolf during a full moon. It’s a cycle that can last years if the manager isn't willing to do the hard work of documenting the behavioral issues, not just the technical ones.
The Ripple Effect: It's Not Just About One Person
When you keep a toxic person on staff, you aren't just hurting the people who work directly with them. You are telling your good employees that their peace of mind doesn't matter. You’re signaling that "results" justify "abuse."
This is how cultures die.
I’ve seen it happen in tech startups and massive law firms alike. One person starts acting out, management ignores it, and suddenly, your three best developers have updated their resumes. They aren't leaving the company; they’re leaving the person. As the old saying goes: "People join companies, but they quit managers (and coworkers)."
How to Handle the Situation Without Losing Your Mind
If you're currently stuck in the orbit of that one coworker that just gotta go, you have to be tactical. Don't just complain. Complaints sound like "personality clashes" to management.
Instead, document the impact.
Don't say "Steve is mean." Say "Steve’s refusal to share the project specs delayed the launch by four days, costing us X amount of billable hours."
Focus on the business friction. If you can show that this person is a bottleneck for revenue or project completion, management will listen. They might not care about your feelings, but they definitely care about their year-end bonus.
- Keep a "Paper Trail": Save the emails. Screenshot the weird Slack messages. Keep a log of dates and times. You aren't being a snitch; you’re being an actuary.
- Grey Rock Method: This is a psychological trick. Become as boring as a grey rock. Don't give them emotional reactions. Toxic people feed on drama. If you don't provide it, they’ll eventually look for another target.
- Find Your Allies: You aren't the only one who feels this way. Check in with colleagues. A collective voice is much harder for HR to ignore than a single "disgruntled" employee.
- Set Hard Boundaries: If they try to pull you into their chaos after hours, don't respond. Guard your "me time" like it’s a sacred relic.
The Hard Truth About Moving On
Sometimes, the company won't change. Sometimes, the "toxic" person is the CEO’s nephew or the guy who brought in the company’s biggest account in 2018 and is living on that legacy.
In those cases, you have to ask yourself if the paycheck is worth the cortisol spikes. It rarely is. Mental health isn't something you can buy back later with a 401k.
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If you are a manager reading this, please, for the love of your team, look at the "hidden" costs. Look at the people who aren't complaining—the ones who are just quietly leaving. They are leaving because of that one coworker that just gotta go.
Actionable Next Steps for Career Sanity
- Audit Your Stress: For one week, rank your daily stress on a scale of 1-10. Note how many of those spikes are caused by a specific person. If the correlation is over 80%, it's time for a serious talk with your lead.
- Initiate a "Friction Conversation": Schedule a 1-on-1 with your manager. Do not lead with "I hate working with [Name]." Lead with "I’ve noticed some workflow bottlenecks that are affecting our delivery speed." Use the documentation you’ve been keeping.
- Update Your Exit Strategy: Even if you love your job, keep your portfolio and resume current. Knowing you can leave gives you a psychological "power position" that makes dealing with toxic people much easier.
- Research Company Culture Prior to Hiring: If you’re looking to jump ship, use Glassdoor or Fishbowl to look for keywords like "toxic," "micromanagement," or "high turnover." Reach out to former employees on LinkedIn for the "real" scoop. People are usually very honest once they no longer rely on that company for a paycheck.
Toxic coworkers are an inevitability in any long career. They are the weather—sometimes it's sunny, sometimes it's a category 5 hurricane of ego and incompetence. The goal isn't necessarily to fix them (you can't), but to protect your own professional trajectory and mental space while the organization catches up to reality. If the organization refuses to catch up, then you have your answer on whether or not you should be the one to go.