5 signs of an aggressive employee

Aggression is good, but only in the battlefield and the playground, not at the workplace. However, there are few employees who don't understand this point clearly. They show an unwanted intensity in their attempts to finish work before the deadline and achieve great results. In doing so, they often lash out at supervisors, coworkers, or customers, which may or may not be followed by consequences.

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Aggressive employees, if not controlled at the right time, can put the entire team on pins and needles, and also drive all the customers away from the business. That's the reason most business owners try to get rid of them once they go out of control. Here are some of the common signs of aggressive employees.

They believe they can never be wrong

Most aggressive employees are self-obsessed and think that whatever they do is right. If someone points out any mistake in any of their project proposals or client presentations, they hold this against them and make enemies of them. To an aggressive employee, anyone who doesn’t agree with them is wrong.

Deliberate procrastination

Rather than straightforwardly refusing requests that they can't fulfill, aggressive employees keep procrastinate things until the very last moment. The reason behind doing so is because they would want to punish whosoever had the audacity to ask them for the favour in the first place.

Hostile attitude

They assume a lot of baseless things. Suppose their boss asks them to work on an immediate client presentation, for example, they assume that this is an intentional action by their boss to put more pressure on them. It may have never crossed their mind that if they had communicated their problem to their boss, he or she might have asked someone else to do the job.

Lack of courtesy and appreciation for others

No matter how many times people have done good for them, they only remember the occasions when others didn't come to terms with them. Aggressive individuals never show courtesy and appreciation towards anyone.

They believe in criticising, not complementing

More often than not, they try to poke fun at others (in a bad way). Aggressive employees don't compliment anyone, but at the same time, they don't let pass even a single chance to give bad press. Their rare compliments are more often than not just cheap comments in disguise.

Other signs of aggressive employees include manipulating other employees into doing what they want, exhibiting learned helplessness, seeking revenge, and, most importantly, backstabbing anyone who doesn't agree with them.

Such employees can prove to be nightmares for their companies and create a toxic work environment. Their actions not only spread negativity at the workplace but also prompt good employees to move to other jobs. So, it's important for senior leaders to confront them with the facts and warn them to stop their malicious practices right away or be ready for consequences.

Have you ever dealt with any aggressive employee at your workplace? If yes, how did you handle the situation?