If Your Manager Adopts These 10 Behaviors He is Toxic

If Your Manager Adopts These 10 Behaviors He is Toxic

You lose your confidence, you feel overwhelmed by work, stressed, angry… What if you were under the influence of a toxic manager? “You don’t quit the job, you quit the boss.” This fashionable expression is now a quantitative reality: 44% of employees leave their position because of a hierarchical superior, according to one American studies Reported by recruitment company BambooHRAlthough not all bosses are the same, toxic managers have common behaviors by which they can be identified. Poor distribution of workload, lack of support, unfair treatment or even harassment: all draining situations that impact employees’ careers.

Of course, here it is not a question of determining the exact number of bad managers, because the fear of expressing oneself in the world of work is a sad reality, but according to the American study, a number of indicators allow us to establish a worrying observation. 64% of employees prefer to avoid any kind of friendship with their superiors on social networks, and more than half of them refuse to maintain friendly relations with their boss in the office. A difference that speaks at length to the notion of hierarchy.

10 most toxic behaviors

“You can’t change your manager but you can learn to react differently so you don’t let yourself become overwhelmed by stress and can better protect yourself. And in doing so, we will gradually bring about a change in the other, not in personality, but in behavior,” explains Chantal Vander Vorst, coach, trainer and author of Toxic Management (IROLS). Step One: Identify the type of toxic behavior you’re dealing with in order to better deal with it.

Among the most frequently cited complaints, there is one behavior most often discouraging employees: lack of recognition at work. The survey shows that seeing your ideas monopolized by your manager without getting the slightest credit is considered “unacceptable” by 63% of employees. This sentiment is even more pronounced among older workers (77%) and women (71%). Other behaviors are also reported by employees, thus characterizing the typical profile of the toxic manager:

  • Taking credit for employees’ work (63%)
  • Not trusting your team and not providing needed resources (62%)
  • Ignoring employee workload (58%)
  • Not defending your employees in conflict situations (57%)
  • Favor questionable hiring or promotion (56%)
  • Not supporting your employees in times of difficulties (55%)
  • Lack of clarity in given direction (53%)
  • Practice micromanagement (53%)
  • Focus on weaknesses rather than strengths (53%)
  • Not setting clear expectations (52%)

Impact on employee productivity

I am alrightToxic management is inadequate. This not only affects employee morale but also puts brakes on the performance and appreciation of employees who make the company prosperous. Therefore inappropriate behavior on the part of the manager is not just a relational problem. Their attitude has a direct impact on the motivation and productivity of their employees. A good manager is one who provides his team with empathy, flexibility, adaptability and who provides them with the means to grow.

“We can’t change our manager, but we can learn to react differently so as not to let ourselves be overwhelmed by stress, better protect ourselves and slowly, gradually bring about changes in him, not in personality but in behavior. In,” assures Chantal Vander Vorst. , coach, trainer and co-author of Toxic Management. But once we recognize what type of harmful behavior we are dealing with, we can deal with it better. But in the face of this observation, a question echoes: How long will companies continue to ignore the harmful effects of poor management before they pay the price?