Change is hard but necessary and inevitable. When a change is initiated in an organization, there is bound to be a division; some will support the change, others are fence-sitters, while others will resist the change altogether. How a change plan is created and communicated to the employees determines how they will perceive it. Organizations need change champions to convince others to embrace the change. The employees may find it hard to accept and cope with the changes; thus, there is the need to have managers who lead others to change and help them cope with the change. The change champions are termed as the toxic handlers and are important in every change process. This paper assesses a toxic handler, how one prepares to become one, challenges faced, and ways to combat the challenges encountered.
The Toxic Handler Concept
A toxic handler, as the name points is a person who deals with toxins. Applying this concept in a business, toxins are the changes or directives and decisions made in an organization that the employees perceive to be bad and harmful to them. The toxic handler's role is to handle the stress that follows the initiation of a change. In order to deal with these stresses, toxic handlers must employ good listening skills and have the ability to solve the problems taking care of the organization's goal and the employees' concerns. Toxins reduce organizational performance, hinders creativity and morale, leading to low productivity (Kasalak, 2019). It is therefore important to deal with the toxins to avoid low performance. Toxic handlers, therefore, stand in between the administration and the employees and bring them to an agreement; in other words, they cool the heat coming from both sides by striking a balance and listening to each side. Organizations have used the toxic handlers for as long as they can be remembered.
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Preparing to Handle Toxins
One should prepare well to be a toxic handler. The role is different from other roles performed by the individual; thus, a good time should be set aside to perform the duty. The time set aside should be adequate for the toxic handler to have enough information about the change and its effects on the organization and the employees. It is crucial to have this information because the toxic handler will need to respond to various questions and clarify issues posed to him. Convincing the employees to take the change in will need facts about the change. Having the information is, however, not enough. The information should be conveyed appealingly to show the employees why the change is necessary to both the organization and the employees .
Toxic handlers must prepare by anticipating the issues that may be raised by the employees and looking for solutions before meeting the employees. All the effects of change must be understood and dealt with effectively to convince the employees well. Confidentiality is of great importance when dealing with toxins. The employees find it more comfortable to address their issues to a person they trust (Daniel, 2017). To be effective, the toxic handler must be a person the employees find comfortable to confide in. this calls for good interpersonal relationships and the ability to filter information or communicate it in a calm and respectful manner to both the employees and the administration. One way of protecting the employees is by not disclosing their names to the administration, especially in cases of sensitive matters that may cost jobs. If the toxic handler is not careful, they may end up causing more harm than good to the organization.
Challenges Faced by Toxin Handlers
Toxic handlers face various challenges. Firstly, they deal with immense emotions, stress, and other people's pain. They spend most of their time with stressed people. According to Daniel (2017), dealing with these emotions can affect the toxin handler’s mental health and physical health. For instance, listening to people's pain and spending time comforting them can be exhausting; finding the solutions leads to involvement which may result in sadness.
Secondly, those that engage in guidance and counseling receive training on how to be objective. The toxin handlers do not receive professional training as it is deemed part of their responsibilities. Protecting themselves while dealing with the employees’ suffering and pain is difficult as even the professionals find it challenging to remain objective in some cases (Daniel, 2017). Burnout can lead to low performance among the toxin handlers and withdrawal from job.
Solutions to the Challenges
The challenges faced by toxin handlers can be minimized by recognizing that toxin handling is a separate job and includes it in the duties and reward it separately according to performance. According to Varma (2018), motivation leads to employee commitment, leading to high productivity. Compensating the toxin handler will not only make them feel appreciated, but it will lead to handling the toxins more effectively and performing other duties well. The toxin handlers should take care of themselves to avoid exhaustion. Daniel (2017) suggests that strategies such as taking off from stressful situations, sharing with a confidant, and paying attention to one's mental and physical health can help the toxin handlers.
Conclusively, toxin handling is important for organizational success. Toxic handlers take heat from the employees, listen to their stresses and come up with solutions; one needs to prepare by familiarizing themselves with the issues at hand, having good communication skills, and being confidential. Dealing with negative emotions without resources and training is a challenge to toxin handlers. To deal with these challenges, organizations should recognize it as a separate duty and reward it. Toxin handlers should also look for ways of remaining fit through taking breaks, sharing with a confidant, among other strategies. Let the employees benefit as the organization becomes successful.
References
Daniel, T. (2017). Managing toxic emotions at work: HR's unique role as the "organizational shock absorber." Employment Relations today , 43 (4):13-19. https://doi.org/ 10.1002/ert.21599
Kasalak, G. (2019). Toxic behaviors in the workplace: Examining the effects of demographic factors on faculty members' perception of organizational toxicity. International journal of research in education and science, 5 (1): 272-282
Varma, C. (2018). Importance of employee motivation & job satisfaction for organizational performance. International journal of social sciences & interdisciplinary research, 6 (2): 10-20
