Toxic behaviour: the silent killer of your employer brand
Every HR professional understands the importance of a strong employer brand, especially in a tight labour market. But even the best reputation can easily crumble due to one internal factor: the ‘bad apple’ in the workplace. Just one toxic colleague is often enough to poison team dynamics – with ripple effects that reach far beyond day-to-day collaboration.
Toxic behaviour isn’t always visible. It often hides in subtle yet systematic patterns: gossiping, withholding information or excluding others. The impact, however, is all the more visible. Employees feel unsafe, undervalued and don’t dare to be themselves. That gradually seeps into their motivation, performance and loyalty – ultimately undermining the health of the entire team.
A domino effect
This is also evident in recent figures from IDEWE, Belgium’s largest external service for workplace prevention and protection. In March 2025, they reported that 9.5% of the more than 27,000 employees surveyed experience bullying behaviour – such as gossiping, exclusion or systematic obstruction – on a weekly basis. While this figure is slightly lower than in 2023, it remains alarmingly high. At the same time, reports of aggression and sexually transgressive behaviour have been increasing. The message is clear: a psychologically safe work environment is not a luxury, but the cornerstone of sustainable HR policy.
Yet many organisations continue to look the other way, often because the issue ‘only’ concerns one person. But that one person can trigger a domino effect: strong employees leave, internal tensions rise and the workplace atmosphere shifts from one in which cooperation is prevalent to one of mistrust.
Internal tension leads to reputational damage
What happens inside an organisation rarely stays behind closed doors. Today, job site reviews and LinkedIn posts give candidates an unfiltered view of your workplace culture. One negative experience during a job interview – or even a rumour about a toxic atmosphere – can be enough to deter potentially excellent candidates. When your internal culture doesn’t align with your external employer brand, your credibility as an employer suffers. And that kind of damage is difficult to undo. Candidates quickly see through glossy values on paper that don’t match the reality in the workspace.
Additionally, internal tensions also tend to result in increasing staff turnover. And the more pressure there is to hire quickly, the greater the risk of a bad fit. This creates a vicious cycle: internal problems undermine recruitment, and poor hires only make those problems worse.
How do you break the cycle?
It all starts with awareness – and action. Be clear about the behaviours you expect from your team and give managers the right tools to recognise toxic behaviour and address it openly. Coaching or mediation can help, but you also need to be prepared to let someone go if necessary. The well-being of the team must take precedence over one individual.
You can also take a preventive approach during recruitment. Ask culturally-focused questions, involve team members in the interview process and be transparent about your organisation’s values. What do you expect from a team member? What behaviour is acceptable? Where do you draw the line? And: what happens if this line is crossed?
Finally: keep listening. Feedback sessions, confidential advisers and exit interviews can often provide you with timely warning signs. The sooner you act, the greater your chances of limiting the damage.
One rotten apple can spoil the whole basket
The impact of toxic behaviour may be hard to quantify, but the consequences are clearly discernible: absenteeism, falling productivity, reputational damage, candidates dropping out of the recruitment process, and so on. These are the ‘silent leaks’ that can drain your organisation over time. A sustainable talent strategy starts with a healthy workplace culture.
One rotten apple can spoil the whole basket. The best employers aren’t perfect – but they do stay alert. They keep listening, take action when needed and consistently work towards a culture where people feel safe, valued and connected.
Text: Josefien De Bock
