TheHostile,theUnfair,

andtheToxic

BADBOSSINDEX2025

WhatwouldyoubewillingtotradeforagoodNomatterhowgoodajobis,abosscanstillmakeorbreak

boss?Afancy,covetedpositionatGoogle?theemployeeexperience.Themajorityofemployeeswill

(66%ofpeoplesaythey’dchooseagoodbossoverworkingorsimplyfrustrating.Andwithstagnatingwagesandalagging

foraprestigiouscompany.)jobmarket,neitheremployeesnoremployerscanaffordtobe

stuckwithbadmanagers.

considerleavingtheirjobiftheirbossisunempathetic,unfair,

Abiggerpaycheck?

(49%ofemployeespreferhavingagoodbosstoearningaTolearnmoreaboutthestateofbadbossesintoday’s

highersalary.)workplace,wesurveyedover1,000USemployees.Read

ontofindoutjusthowcommonbadbossesare,theworst

Thecomfortofworkingfromhome?behaviorsemployeesexperience,andhowbadbossescould

beimpactingyourorganization.

(44%wouldoptforagoodbossoveraflexibleworksetup.)

*Quoteshavebeenlightlyeditedforclarityandconcision.

Top-notchhealthcare?

(42%ofemployeeswouldratherhaveagoodbossthan

betterbenefits.)

TheHostile,theUnfair,andtheToxic:BadBossIndex20251

TheHostile,theUnfair,andtheToxic:BadBossIndex20252

KeyFindings

?Supportive,communicative,andempoweringmanagersarehighlyvalued,whilefavoritism,poorcommunication,andmicromanagementaremajorissueswithbadbosses.

?Womenandyoungerworkersreportahigherprevalenceofbadbosses.

?Topdeal-breakersforemployeesincludeunethicalbehavior,hypercriticism,and

unrealisticexpectations.

?Goodorbad,bossesimpacttheemployeeexperience:70%ofrespondentsfelt

theirbosshadapositiveimpactonjobsatisfaction,but53%saidtheirboss

influencedtheirdecisiontoleaveajob.

?Whenfacingissueswithmanagers,most

employeespreferdirectcommunication

(72%),while31%wouldpreferinvolvingHR.

?Morethanhalf(59%)ofrespondentsworryaboutretaliationwhenprovidingfeedbackorreportingissueswiththeirmanagers.

?Badbossesseemtooutnumberthegood,

with70%ofrespondentssayingitwas

somewhatorverycommontoencounterbadbossesatwork.

HowCommonAreBadBosses?

The“badboss”isawidespreadculturalarchetype,buthow

manypeopleactuallyhaveabadboss?Asitturnsout,itmaybealot:70%ofemployeesreportthatbadbossesareeithersomewhatorverycommon.

Theperceivedprevalenceofbadbossesdiffersamongage

groupsandgenders.Slightlymorewomen(72%)reporttheprevalenceofbadbossesthanmen(68%),but

generational

differences

inbadbossexperiencesareevenwider.

Almost8in10(77%)GenZemployeesagreethatbad

bossesarecommon,comparedtojust62%ofBabyBoomeremployees.ThesentimentsofMillennialandGenXemployeesfallsomewhereinthemiddle,at74%and72%,respectively.

WhoThinksBadBossesAreCommon?

PetPeevesvs.Dealbreakers:

WhatAretheWorstBadBossBehaviors?

Notallbadbossesareequallybad—whileemployeescan

tolerateafewannoyinghabits,certainbadbossbehaviorsareabsolutedealbreakers.

Weaskedrespondentstorateavarietyofcommonbadbossbehaviors.

Onthemorebenignendofthespectrum,toppetpeevesinclude:

?Disorganized(33%)

?Micromanaging(29%)

?Unapproachable,inflexible(27%)

Onthemoresevereend,topdealbreakersinclude:

?Beingunethical(62%)

?Beinghypercritical(54%)

?Overworkingtheteam/unrealisticexpectations(54%)

“Theywerenotcommunicatingwitheveryoneand

alwaysshoweduplate.Whenwehadadeadline,they

weren’tthere—theyshowedup20minuteslate.”

FULL-TIMEWORKER|NORTHDAKOTA

TheHostile,theUnfair,andtheToxic:BadBossIndex20253

OverHalfofEmployeesSayTheirBossIn?uencedTheirDecisiontoLeaveaPreviousJob

Badbossescausemoreharmthanjustworkplacefrustration.Problemswithbadmanagementcanleadtoplummeting

retentionrates

,withoverhalfofrespondents(53%)sharingthattheirbossplayedaroleintheirdecisiontoleaveajob.

Anadditional22%ofemployeessaythatabadbosshasmadethemthinkaboutleaving.

Someofthemostcommonbehaviorsreportedastriggersforleavingajobincludeinterpersonalproblems(47%),favoritism(36%),andmicromanagement(33%).Notably,despite

employeesrating

micromanagement

asmerelyapetpeeve,it’sstillacommonreasontoleaveajob,suggestingthatan

employee’spatienceforevenmildlybadbehaviorscanonlylastsolong.

TopReasonsforDeparturesDuetoaBoss

“Micromanagementfeelslikeharassment,especially

whenI’malreadyprovidingexcellentresults.”

FULL-TIMEWORKER|NEWYORK

Ontheflipside,havingagoodbossappearstobeabigfactorinemployeesatisfaction:70%ofemployeesfeeltheirboss

hadasignificantorsomewhatsignificantpositiveimpactontheiroveralljobsatisfaction.

Inshort,abossshapestheemployeeexperience,whether

they’reboostingsatisfactionlevelsorchasingemployeesoutthedoor.

GettheDe?nitiveGuidetoEmployeeRetention

Theimpactofvoluntaryturnoverisn’tjust

aboutproductivity.It’saboutlosinginstitutionalknowledge,skill,andoverallbusiness

momentum.Getourfreeguidetolearnpracticalstepsformitigatingvoluntaryturnover,andto

seehowothercompaniesarefaring.

STARTREADING

MoreThanHalfofEmployeesFearRetaliation

Howdoyouapproachabadboss?Mostemployees(72%)wanttohandletheproblemthemselvesandcommunicatedirectlywiththeirmanager.

Thatsaid,confrontingyourbossiseasiersaidthandone,andmanyemployeessaythey’dseeksupportfromathirdparty,

suchastakingtheproblemtoHR(31%),askingcolleaguesifthey’rehavingsimilarissues(22%),andrequesting

mediation

(20%).Asizableportionofrespondents(14%)wouldsimply

startapplyingfornewjobs.

Howdoemployeesprefertoresolveissueswithmanagers?

TheHostile,theUnfair,andtheToxic:BadBossIndex20254

Apossibledeterrentfromspeakingupaboutabadbossis

retaliation

.Overhalfofemployees(59%)fearretaliationwhenraisingaconcernaboutamanager,and47%of

employeesagreethatgoingtoHRcanleadtoretaliation.

Fearofretaliationisfairlyhighamongalldemographicgroups,butsomegroupsexpresssignificantlygreaterratesofanxiety,particularlyyoungemployees,peopleofcolor,andLGBTQ+

workers.Thesedisparitiesinretaliationfearssuggestthathistoricallymarginalizedgroupsintheworkplacemayfeel

underprotected

bytheirorganization.

WhoFearsManagerialRetaliation?

Unfortunately,fearsaboutretaliationaren’tunfounded.Morethan3in4employees(77%)reportexperiencingsometypeofretaliationforspeakingoutagainstamanager.

“Ihadamanagerwhowasverydishonestandhostile.

Theymadefalseaccusationsandtreatedemployees

unfairly.Itloweredmoraleandproductivity.”

FULL-TIMEWORKER|MARYLAND

Respondentsidentifiedawiderangeofretaliatoryactions,

frompoorperformancereviewstophysicalabuse.Thetop

reportedformsofretaliationincludereceivinganinaccurateperformanceevaluation(31%),beingreprimanded(30%),andexperiencingincreasedscrutiny(28%).

ManagerialRetaliationExperiencedbyEmployees

WHENISRETALIATIONILLEGAL?

The

EqualEmploymentOpportunityCommission(EEOC)

definesretaliationasanytreatmentthatis“materiallyadverse”enoughtodeteremployeesfromtakinglegallyprotected

action(e.g.,makingaharassmentcomplaint).BasedonEEOCstandards,alloftheformsofretaliationexperiencedby

respondentsarepotentiallyillegal.

Ifyouaren’tsureifa

retaliatorybehavior

isillegal,besure

tocheckstatelaw,aswell.Eachstatehasitsownanti-

retaliationstatutes,andtheymayprovideadditionalprotectiontoemployees.

HowtoIdentify—and

Correct—BadBossBehaviorsintheWorkplace

Sowhat’sHRtodo?

Problematicbosses

oftenneedadditionalcoaching,and,dependingontheseverityoftheirbehavior,

aformalreprimandordisciplinaryaction.Ifamanagerhascreatedanirreparablyunsafeenvironmentorisarepeat

offender,itmaybetimeto

partways.

Butbadbossescanalsobeasignofa

cultureissue

,andthat

requireschangeacrosstheorganization.Here’sabreakdown

TheHostile,theUnfair,andtheToxic:BadBossIndex20255

ofthebadbehaviorsmostcommonlycitedbyrespondentsandwaysHRcaninterveneonateamwithabadbossculture.

FAVORITISM&UNFAIRTREATMENT

Favoritismisoneofthetopreasonsemployeesleaveajobduetoaboss.Whenbossestreatemployeesunequally,basedonpersonalbiasinsteadofperformance,itbreedsfrustration,

resentment,and

lowmorale

.

REDFLAGSTOWATCHOUTFOR:

?Preferentialshiftassignments:Shiftscheduling

decisionsdon’tappeartodefertomerit,seniority,oroperationalefficiency.

?Unfairperformancereviews:Themanagergives

performancereviewsinconsistentwithactualemployeeperformance(e.g.,onesalesemployeereceivesgreat

performancereviewsdespitenevermeetingsalesgoals,whereasanotheremployeeregularlyexceedsgoalsbutreceivesmiddlingreviews).

?Unjustifiedperks:Themanagerawardsperkstocertainemployees(suchaslongerbreaks)thatareseemingly

unrelatedtoemployeemeritororganization-wideengagementinitiatives.

HOWHRCANINTERVENE:

?Developandapplystandardizeddefinitionsfor

performance

expectationsandratings.

?Reviseanyunfairperformancereviewstoaccurately

reflectKPIoutcomesand

feedback

fromcrediblepeersandsupervisors.

?Re-engageimpactedemployeeswithmeaningful

career

developmentopportunities.

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POORCOMMUNICATIONANDLACK

OFTRANSPARENCY

Whenabossdoesn’tkeeptheirteamintheloopandwon’ttakeanyfeedback,employeesarelefttoflounder.Poormanager

communicationleavesemployeesoverwhelmedbytheir

workloadandcanleadtotheperceptionthatthebossismoreinterestedintheirownagendathanintheiremployees’needs.

“Hewasn’twillingtositdownandtalk,andwasn’tinterestedinmyinputaboutthejob.Hewantedmeto ignoresafetyrulessoproductionwouldgohigher.”

PART-TIMEWORKER|GEORGIA

REDFLAGSTOWATCHOUTFOR:

?Notopentofeedback:Themanagerconsistently

ignoresordismissesemployeeinputandfeedback.

?Vagueexpectations:Employeescomplainofreceivingtaskswithoutclearinstructions,goals,orsupport.

?Informationhoarding:Ariseinemployeeperformanceissuesthatindicatelimitedaccesstoimportant

informationtheyneedtodotheirjobseffectively

(e.g.,in-storeretailemployeesunawareofnew

corporatepolicies).

HOWHRCANINTERVENE:

?Useregularfeedbackchannels,suchasa

nonymous

surveys

,togaugeemployeewellbeingandgetdirectinputfromindividualcontributors.

?Implementmandatory

managertraining

onactivelisteningandleadershiptransparency.

?Facilitateteam-buildingworkshopstoimprove

communicationskills

.

UNPROFESSIONALANDUNETHICALBEHAVIOR

Unprofessionalandunethicalactionsaresomeofthemost

toxicbadbossbehaviors.Poorinterpersonaltreatmentisthe

leadingreasonformanager-relatedjobdepartures—nobody

wantstoputupwithcruelbehaviorintheworkplace.Unethicalbossbehaviorcanalsoleadtoseriouslegalissues,especiallywhenthebadbossretaliatesagainstcomplainingemployees.

TheHostile,theUnfair,andtheToxic:BadBossIndex20256

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REDFLAGSTOWATCHOUTFOR:

?Harassmentorbullyingcomplaints:Employeesaremakingformalorinformalcomplaintsaboutbeing

harassedbythemanager.

?Informationaldiscrepancies:Themanagerhasan

emergingpatternofdiscrepanciesinfinancialreportsorotherimportantrecordkeepingresponsibilities.

?Confidentialitybreaches:Themanagerhasatendencytodisclosesensitiveinformationabouteithertheir

employeesorthebusinesswithoutproperconsent.

?Pooremployeewellness:Employeefeedbacksurveysshowdroppinglevelsofemotionalwellbeingwithinaparticularteamordepartment.

HOWHRCANINTERVENE:

?Enforceastrictpolicyaround

employeeconduct

.

?Informemployeesoftheirrightsandofferaclear,

confidential

processformakingcomplaints.

?Thoroughly

investigate

anycomplaintmadeabout

employeemisconduct,including

off-dutymisconduct

.

?Requiremandatorytrainingonethics,harassment,and

compliance

.

MICROMANAGEMENTANDLACKOFAUTONOMY

Althoughmostemployeesconsideritjustapetpeeve,

micromanagement

isasilentkillerforretentionrates,with1in3employeeswillingtoleaveajobtogetawayfroma

micromanaging

boss.

“EverytimeIwoulddosomething,I’dbewatched

andcritiqued.”

FULL-TIMEWORKER|SOUTHCAROLINA

“Theworstexperienceishavingmyschedulechanged

bymymanagerandnothavinganyinputinthedecision,

andthenbeingyelledatforthis.Theydidnotrespect

employees’opinionsandmadedecisionswithout

consultingtheemployeesornotifyingthem.”

FULL-TIMEWORKER|ARIZONA

REDFLAGSTOWATCHOUTFOR:

?Reluctancetodelegate:Themanagertakesonan

unreasonablylargeworkloadandrarelydelegatestaskstoteammembers.

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“Theycussedouteveryoneandstolefromourpaychecks.

Veryunethical.”

FULL-TIMEWORKER|TENNESSEE

“Theytriedtohitonme.Iwasmarriedanduninterested.”

FULL-TIMEWORKER|PENNSYLVANIA

?Unilateraldecision-making:Themanagerneverseemstoconsultwithteammembersbeforemakingdecisions,evenwhenthedecisionisdirectlyrelatedtoanother

employee’sexpertiseorday-to-dayresponsibilities.

TheHostile,theUnfair,andtheToxic:BadBossIndex20257

?Lowemployeemotivation:

Engagementand

productivity

levelswithintheteamappeartobe

waning,andemployeesseemdisinterestedincareergrowthornewprojects.

?Learnedhelplessness(i.e.,

weaponized

incompentence

):Employeesexhibitanoverrelianceonclosesupervisionandstep-by-stepinstructions,

andhavemadelittletonoprogressingainingtheskillsneededforapromotion.

HOWHRCANINTERVENE:

?Implement

performancemanagementstrategies

thatemphasizeoutcomesoverrigidprocesses.

?Createclearerguidelinesforautonomylevelsanddecision-makingresponsibilitiesforeachrole.

?Leadworkshopsoncollaborativeproblemsolving.

LACKOFSUPPORTANDAPPRECIATION

Everyonewantstohear“thankyou”onceinawhile.Beyond

that,employeeswanttheirmanagerstosupporttheir

career

development

andprovide

constructivefeedback

ontheirwork.Withoutasupportiveandappreciativeboss,

employee

morale

bottomsout.

REDFLAGSTOWATCHOUTFOR:

?Noendorsements:Themanagerrarelyrecommends

teammembersforawardsorpromotions,ignoringhigh-achievingcontributors.

?Lowsenseofvalue:Onfeedbacksurveys,employeesreportnotfeelingvaluedbyeithertheirbossor

theorganization.

?Neglectofemployeeneeds:Themanagerfailsto

providetheresourcesorassistancenecessaryforemployeestosucceed.

HOWHRCANINTERVENE:

?Createa

recognition

andrewardsprogramto

encouragebothindividualcontributorsandmanagersto

celebrateemployeeachievements.

?Requiremanagerstoholdregularone-on-one

meetings

withdirectreports

todiscusscurrentworkprojects,

performance,andlong-termcareergoals.

?Establishaconsistentjoblevelingsystemasaclearerguideforpromotionpaths.

5HabitsofHighlyEffectiveBosses

It’snotallbadoutthere:68%ofemployeesalsosaythatgoodbossesarecommon,andmanyrespondentssharedpositive

experienceswiththeirsupervisors.Herearesomeofthetopgoodbossbehaviorsthatrespondentshighlighted.

SUPPORTIVEANDUNDERSTANDING

Aneffectivebossgenuinelycaresabouttheir

employees’

wellbeing

.Employeeshighlyvaluebosseswhounderstandthehumansideofaworker’slifeandofferflexibilityto

dealwithemergenciesandpersonalmatters.Bylistening

empatheticallyandwithoutjudgment,peopleleaderscanbuildtrustandopennesswithintheirteams,enhancinginnovation

andcollaboration.

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“Theyunderstoodthatthingshappenandtheyletyou

makeuptimewithoutusingpersonal/sick/vacation

time.Theywon’tcountitagainstyou.Itmademewant

tobethereandworkevenharder.”

FULL-TIMEWORKER|PENNSYLVANIA

TheHostile,theUnfair,andtheToxic:BadBossIndex20258

EFFECTIVECOMMUNICATIONANDFEEDBACK

Goodmanagersmaintainan

openlineofcommunication

withdirectreports,givinghelpfulfeedbackandpayingattention

toemployeestrengthsandneeds.Employeespraisebosseswhogive

constructivefeedback

,expressinganincreasedmotivationtoimproveandagreatersenseoftrustintheir

boss’ssupport.

“Theyknewhowtoreadpeople,focusingontheir

strengths.Theywereagoodcommunicatorand

problemsolver.”

PART-TIMEWORKER|NEVADA

“Theyprovideconcreteexamplesandinsightsthathelp

theemployeeunderstandhowtheycanimproveor

continueexcellingintheirrole.”

PART-TIMEWORKER|SOUTHCAROLINA

EMPOWERMENTANDTRUST

Incontrasttothebroaddislike