Nearly 9 in 10 workers have had toxic manager

Toxic management is far too common in the workplace, according to a new survey.

Overall, 87% of professionals say they have been under the tutelage of a toxic manager, and 30% have had this experience with more than one manager.

According to the report from FlexJobs, managers who are deemed toxic by their workers:

• are “poor communicators” (43%)
• act “dismissively” (41%)
• are “micromanaging” (40%)
• exhibit passive-aggressive behavior (40%)
• fail to foster growth (34%)
• are rude or offensive; used sarcasm and put-downs (33%)
• had unreasonable expectations (30%)

Image management is the enemy of a healthy company culture and HR leaders need to start stamping it out in their organizations, according to one expert.

How did working for this type of a manager affect workers? Here are some of their responses, according to FlexJobs:

• increased anxiety (51%)
• mental fatigue (44%)
• physical symptoms (33%)
• increased depression (32%)
• decline in engagement (30%)
• questioning of skill set (30%)
• decline in productivity (24%)
• decline in performance (24%)
• misdirected stress on friends/family (21%)
• imposter syndrome (16%)

A recent study from Accountemps found that 59% of people have been micromanaged by their manager – with that number rising for those in remote work.

Why do workers stay?

Over two in five (43%) of those who had worked for a toxic manager quit or left their job because of the toxic behavior, according to FlexJobs’ survey of over 8,400 professionals conducted Aug. 2 to 17, 2023.\

However, the majority (57%) chose to stay.

Rajeev Vijayan, CEO and co-founder of The Able Mind, cites the following reasons for this occurrence, via LinkedIn:

• Workers choose financial stability.
• They lack alternatives.
• They might lack the necessary skills to succeed in a different or more challenging work environment.
• They may not receive a positive reference from their employer.
• They are loyal to the company.
• They hope for change.
• The employee may see the toxic boss as a learning opportunity and a chance to develop resilience and coping skills.

Dealing with a toxic manager

Of those that didn’t outright quit, some do the following to deal with their situation, finds FlexJobs:

• Give feedback directly to their boss, which was ignored (28%)
• Give feedback to HR, which was ignored (21%)
• Do “quiet quitting” on their job (12%)
• Give feedback directly to their boss, which was applied (11%)
• Give feedback to HR, which was applied (8%)

How can employers address this toxic culture in their workplace? Vijayan shared the following tips:

• Encourage regular feedback sessions and ensure that employees feel comfortable expressing their concerns without fear of retaliation.
• Lead with integrity, empathy, and respect.
• Invest in training programs that enhance emotional intelligence skills among managers.
• Foster a culture of respect and inclusion.
• Establish clear channels for conflict resolution within the organization.
• Conduct regular employee surveys.
• Hold managers accountable.

There is rampant toxicity in tech workspaces, and executives are to blame, according to a previous report.