1. Micromanagement
A toxic manager will excessively monitor, control, and interfere with employee processes and/or decision-making.
2. Lack of Respect
A toxic manager will show disrespect for employees, their ideas or opinions, and/or the organization’s processes or policies.
3. Overbearing Control
A toxic manager will excessively influence the behavior and decisions of employees, limiting their autonomy in an attempt to control them.
4. Disregard for Employee Input/Feedback
A toxic manager will ignore employee input or feedback, fail to take it into account when making decisions, or be dismissive and critical of ideas.
5. Poor Communication and Expectations
A toxic manager will either fail to communicate expectations clearly or provide conflicting expectations and inconsistent feedback.
6. Unclear Objectives and Goals
A toxic manager will fail to provide employees with clear objectives and goals, leaving them uncertain of what is expected or how their performance is evaluated.
7. Impatience with Employees’ Performance
A toxic manager will be overly critical and impatient when evaluating employee performance, penalizing employees for mistakes rather than providing constructive feedback for improvement.
8. Inability to Empathize or Delegate Responsibilities
A toxic manager will fail to empathize with employees or consider their feelings when making decisions and may be unwilling to delegate responsibilities.
9. Pitting Team Members Against Each Other
A toxic manager will create an environment of competition and hostility among colleagues, pitting them against each other in order to achieve their own goals.
10. Unprofessional Behavior
A toxic manager will display unprofessional behavior such as bullying or badmouthing employees behind their backs, creating a hostile work environment.