5 Warning Signs That Your Boss Is Becoming Toxic

A 2023 survey found that nearly one-fourth of employees are working for their “worst boss ever.” A 2020 survey from the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) showed that a majority of workers believed their bosses could benefit from training in people skills. And, an overwhelming percentage of U.S. workers quit their jobs because of bad bosses. We all have dealt with poor bosses, but when is your boss crossing the line into toxicity?

Here are five warning signs that your current boss – the one who is far from perfect – is becoming toxic.

1. All Sticks and No Carrots. This is the boss who tends to punish when things go wrong, but rarely reinforces when things go right. Research on leadership clearly shows that the regular use of punishment is a terrible supervisory strategy. Rewarding employees for the good that they do is a much better strategy than over-focusing on correcting mistakes.
2. Stress-Contagious Boss. Bosses who fly off the handle, getting demonstrably angry when things go wrong, only make situations worse. Moreover, if a boss lets his/her stress get out of control, due to missed deadlines, overwork, or displeasure with employees, that stress can become contagious and “infect” others. The emotional contagion process in the workplace is subtle, but powerful – leading to stressed-out workers, increased absenteeism, and turnover.
3. The Boss Who Throws You Under the Bus. An employee told me that her boss assigned her to a new project and the two of them brought the project forward. It was a failure. When the company’s CEO confronted the boss, she told the CEO that it was “the employee’s project.” A boss who deflects blame, or even worse, takes credit for another’s work or ideas, is clearly on the road to toxicity.
4. The Lack of Tact. Another worker mentioned that his boss emailed him with the message – “You have been accused of a terrible breach of ethics and you and I will be meeting with Human Resources immediately.” The confused and stressed-out employee went to the meeting, only to find that the boss had identified the wrong employee. To make matters worse, the boss had also told several people about the employee’s supposed violation. A boss who accuses and confronts before knowing the facts, and who spreads rumors may be prone to becoming a toxic boss. Good bosses are tactful and thoroughly investigate before confronting.
5. Inconsistent to a Fault. Playing favorites, changing policies on a whim, or selectively enforcing rules, are all signs that a boss is slipping into toxic territory.

What should good bosses/leaders look like?

• Good bosses achieve results and don’t drive their employees-team members crazy in the process.
• They empower and work with followers to get things done.
• Through the empowerment process, they develop followers’ management-leadership capacity.
• Truly good bosses leave the followers, the team, and the organization better off than when they began managing them.