Some of a team’s biggest setbacks happen beneath the surface: behaviours that quietly undermine trust or momentum without obvious warning. With 61% of employees citing culture as their reason for leaving (Percy, 2024), it’s clear that the real cost of inaction is steep.

“You would have to hire four superstar performers to make up for the value destroyed by a single toxic employee,” warns Hogan’s Chief Science Officer, Ryne Sherman (2025).

This is why early risk-spotting matters - practitioners who can detect issues before they escalate help protect both business results and workplace wellbeing.

What (and Who) is ‘Toxic’?

Hogan’s research makes it clear: there’s no single “type” that creates toxicity. As Sherman puts it, “People aren’t toxic, but bad behaviour at work is.” These behaviours can range from discrimination and manipulation to impulsivity or aggression - and they often go unnoticed until the damage is done. Hogan’s data doesn’t just describe these problems after the fact; it offers specific pattern signals that let you predict where toxic behaviours could emerge next, even in high performing teams that appear successful on the surface.

Predicting Risks

Hogan’s research points to several scale patterns that may signal increased potential for the kinds of behaviours that undermine culture:

• Manipulation: Sometimes observed with higher Mischievous scores.

• Impulsivity: May be more likely with low Prudence, high Mischievous, or low Adjustment scores.

• Aggression/Hostility: Can be associated with low Adjustment or low Prudence.

Spotting these patterns, especially in team data, gives practitioners a chance to raise awareness and introduce safeguards before behaviours become a problem for the team or organisation.

Insights to Action

Here’s how you can use Hogan data to take preventative action:

• Scan for potential risk clusters: Identify if more than one team member scores high on Mischievous or low on Prudence, or if several individuals share patterns linked to impulsivity or aggression. Make note of these clusters, even if the team’s results are generally strong.

• Highlight possible future impact: Clearly outline what these patterns might mean if left unaddressed. For example: “Current data suggests a tendency towards risk-taking or testing boundaries: valuable for innovation, but more structured decision-making or defining of roles could help.”.

• Prompt reflection and ownership: Invite those receiving feedback to share their own examples or observations. For example: “Are there times when you’ve seen the strengths of a ‘high mischievous’ profile start to tip into risk?”.

Final Thoughts

Every Hogan debrief, report, or data summary offers an opportunity to make risk visible, prompt reflection, and reset habits before issues take root. By inviting your senior leaders to complete Hogan, and sharing both individual and team-level insights, you’re helping build a high-trust, resilient workplace.

References

Robinson, E. (2025, September 19). The hidden cost of a toxic workplace environment. Hogan Assessments. https://www.hoganassessments.com/blog/cost-of-toxic-workplace-toxic-employees

Percy, S. (2024, August 1). Safe to speak up? 4 Ways to build Psychological Safety at work. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/sallypercy/2024/07/24/safe-to-speak-up-4-ways-to-build-psychological-safety-at-work/