Experts spoke about the impact of toxic management on employees
In Russia, most companies face the consequences of toxic leadership, when excessive control, devaluation of employees and work "under threat" reduce productivity and motivation. Experts emphasized that such management practices lead to professional burnout, increased staff turnover, and financial losses for companies. All the details are in the Izvestia article.
The consequences of destructive management
The problem of toxic leadership in business is often a defect in the management system, and not just a feature of the boss' character. When management is based on fear, devaluation, and microcontrol, employees switch to survival mode. As a result, people spend energy protecting themselves from pressure rather than performing professional tasks, which leads to a decrease in initiative and the quality of decisions made.
Such managers become expensive for businesses due to hidden costs. HR expert Natalia Cherkasova notes that this creates a risk of staff turnover, loss of initiative and an increase in the cost of hiring. Even if the plan is executed, the system buys the result at the cost of burnout of specialists and the destruction of the employer's reputation.
"A toxic manager is not just an unpleasant person in the system. This is a management node through which the company loses money, people, speed, trust and the ability to think for the future," Cherkasova emphasized.
The survival effect
On a physiological level, chronic stress due to boss pressure increases cortisol levels, which suppresses the work of the prefrontal cortex of the brain. This leads to a deterioration in analytical thinking and concentration. Employees begin to work at the minimum possible, using psychological defense mechanisms such as learned helplessness or "silent sabotage."
Business psychologist Yulia Kulikova-Tsai points to the formation of emotional dependence, in which subordinates begin to justify the aggressive behavior of the leader. Prolonged work under conditions of humiliation can lead to organizational trauma resembling PTSD, followed by anxiety and a painful reaction to any criticism.
"Today, a strong leader is not the one who keeps the team at bay, but the one with whom people are able to think, make mistakes, discuss difficult decisions and maintain internal stability. Because trust increases efficiency much more than pressure," Kulikova-Tsai said.
Management risk assessment
A "red flag" when hiring managers is their belief that people don't work without strict supervision. A mature leader focuses on clarity of goals and criteria for results, rather than overseeing every move of a subordinate. Companies where the average staff turnover significantly exceeds market indicators receive a signal about defects in the management circuit.
Cherkasova recommends estimating not only the average percentage of layoffs, but also the full cost of management: the cost of replacing specialists, the timing of job closures, and the level of engagement of remaining employees. In modern conditions, psychological safety is becoming a factor of direct economic benefit for companies.
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