A new survey from LiveCareer UK suggests toxic management is not a marginal workplace problem but a major driver of resignations and disengagement across Europe. The company said its Bad Bosses Report, based on responses from 1,000 employed professionals in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, found that 19% had already quit a job because of a manager, while a further 41% had seriously thought about doing so.

Employees see little accountability for poor leadership

The findings point to a wider accountability gap. According to LiveCareer UK, 76% of workers believe bad managers are a common or unavoidable feature of modern workplaces, and 48% said poor managers are either promoted or left in post without consequences. Only 6% said they had seen a bad manager improve through coaching or training. The survey also found that 54% of employees do not feel safe escalating concerns to HR, suggesting that formal reporting channels are often seen as a risk rather than a remedy.

Toxic behaviours linked to burnout and turnover

The report adds detail to the behaviours employees associate with toxic leadership. Among the most frequently cited were favouritism, credit-taking, shifting expectations and public humiliation. Employees also linked bad management to conflict inside teams, high turnover, missed targets, stress and anxiety, low trust and burnout. Dr Jasmine Escalera, a career expert at LiveCareer UK, said the problem was now an operational one as much as an interpersonal one, arguing that organisations which tolerate such behaviour are sacrificing retention, mental health and trust.

Findings reflect broader workplace trends

The results align with other recent workplace research. Monster said in February that 56% of workers had left a job primarily because of a bad manager, while Gallup has found that a significant share of turnover is preventable if employers act early. Other studies have also suggested that toxic culture, weak frontline leadership and abusive behaviour can outweigh pay as reasons people quit. Taken together, the evidence points to a simple but uncomfortable conclusion: many organisations still reward output while failing to police the conduct that drives people away.

Reward Strategy’s Say

Poor management isn’t just a simple fix, but it’s an important one. With the majority feeling unsafe when raising concerns with HR, it shows that this may be a much more prevalent issue that has gone undetected in organisations. This emphasises the need for a system that detects the early warning signs associated with poor management: burnout, anxiety, conflict, high turnover and missed targets. Organisations needs to stop viewing these as separate issues and use them as puzzle pieces to see the wider picture. This picture is what will enable early identification of the issue and a solution to be enacted to help restore employee trust and ensure organisation success.

   - Lukas Montgomery

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