Articles
| Open Access |
DOI: How Toxic Bosses and Poor Leadership Contribute to Employee Depression and Anxiety
Olena Derkach , CPHR, SHRM-SCP, Human resources specialist focus on employee mental health Winnipeg, CanadaAbstract
The article examines the detrimental impact of toxic management and poor leadership on employee well-being and organizational performance. Unlike demanding but fair managers, toxic leaders actively undermine employee morale and workplace effectiveness. Through authoritarian and destructive behaviors such leaders negatively affect employees' mental health, causing increased anxiety and depression.
In contrast, toxic leaders create a detrimental environment by actively undermining workplace conditions and employee well-being. Poor leadership, characterized more subtly by passivity, indecisiveness, and inadequate feedback, further exacerbates these problems. Passive leaders frequently avoid conflict resolution and decision-making, resulting in confusion and instability within the workplace. The absence of constructive feedback additionally impedes employees' ability to develop skills and achieve professional growth.
The article proposes solutions for mitigating these negative impacts. Organizations can benefit from adopting practices such as early identification of problematic leadership behaviors through constructive feedback mechanisms, including regular and structured feedback sessions and evaluations. Leadership behavior assessment tools and timely interventions, such as 360-degree feedback, can help identify and address problematic managerial behaviors before they become deeply embedded in organizational culture. Additionally, fostering an open and supportive culture is essential, enabling employees to safely express their concerns, thus promoting workplace well-being.
The article emphasizes the importance of proactive organizational measures to recognize and reduce toxic leadership behaviors, thereby safeguarding employee mental health and enhancing overall organizational effectiveness.
This study will benefit managers, HR professionals, researchers, business owners, and anyone involved in organizational management and employee welfare.
Keywords
toxic leaders, poor leadership, mental health, depression and anxiety, stress management
References
I. U. Khan, M. Siddique Impact of toxic leadership on employees’ performance: to what extent employees’ resilience matters! // Journal of Social Research Development. - 2024. - No. 5(2). — P. 108-118.
State of the Global Workplace 2023 Report // Gallup. URL: https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx (accessed 02/19/2025).
The state of worklife wellness 2025 // Gympass. URL: https://hs.gympass.com/hubfs/WLW_UK_English_FINAL.pdf (access date: 02/24/2025).
R. Hare, E. L. Mayer, J. Rocuant-Salinas. Psychopathy and crimes against humanity: A conceptual and empirical examination of human rights violators // Journal of Criminal Justice. - 2022. - No. 81(1).
Laurent Cappelletti - Le Management De Proximité Du Potentiel Humain, Facteur Actif De Satisfaction Sociale Au Travail Et De Productivité Durable // Sciencespo. URL: https://www.sciencespo.fr/liepp/fr/actualites/laurent-cappelletti-le-management-de-proximite-du-potentiel-humain-facteur-actif-de-satisfac/ (access date: 02/15/2025).
The main reasons employees don’t speak their mind at work // Fastcompany. URL: https://www.fastcompany.com/90526638/the-main-reasons-employees-dont-speak-their-mind-at-work (accessed on 27.02.2025).
How Bad Bosses Impact Employee Mental Health // LinkedIn. URL: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-bad-bosses-impact-employee-mental-health-tom-johnston (accessed on 26.02.2025).
How an EAP Works // Health Assured. URL: https://www.healthassured.org/blog/how-an-eap-works/ (accessed on 01.03.2025).
D. A. Garvin, A. B. Wagonfeld, L. Kind Google's Project Oxygen: Do Managers Matter? // Harvard Business School Case. — 2013.
O. H. C. Dalvi, S. B. Sawant, R. A. Mohite 60-Degree Feedback as a Tool for Improving Employee Performance // Tuijin Jishu/Journal of Propulsion Technology. - 2023. - No. 44(4).
From Salesforce, Another Example Of How Companies Can Embrace Transparency And Reduce Risk // Forbes. URL: https://www.forbes.com/sites/caterinabulgarella/2022/05/12/from-salesforce-another-example-of-how-companies-can-embrace-transparency-and-reduce-risk/ (accessed: 03/03/2025).
S. Dust, H. Liu, S. Wang. The Effect of Mindfulness and Job Demands on Motivation and Performance Trajectories Across the Workweek: An Entrainment Theory Perspective // Journal of Applied Psychology. - 2021. - No. 107(2).
Article Statistics
Copyright License
Copyright (c) 2025 Olena Derkach, CPHR, SHRM-SCP
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain the copyright of their manuscripts, and all Open Access articles are disseminated under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CC-BY), which licenses unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided that the original work is appropriately cited. The use of general descriptive names, trade names, trademarks, and so forth in this publication, even if not specifically identified, does not imply that these names are not protected by the relevant laws and regulations.