Bad Managers Cause Turnover: 5 Tips to Prevent It

If you have turnover, you have bad managers.

Unfortunately, you likely have some bad managers: Almost 75% of employees have either left a job or considered leaving because of a bad boss, according to research from Unmind.

Of course, most companies aren’t busting at the seams with bad managers. In fact, most managers are good, if not great. But one bad manager can spoil an entire team.

“Bad managers lack the skills necessary to lead and inspire employee well-being and productivity,” says Dr. Nick Taylor, Co-founder and CEO of Unmind. “And working under a bad manager can significantly impact employee stress levels and mental health.”

Identify Bad Managers

Naturally, HR pros want to avoid promoting bad bosses. But if they make it into leadership positions, you want to either help them become better leaders or weed them out.

The ideal situation is to help them become the kind of manager employees want to follow. But first HR needs to identify bad managers in their midst.

But this isn’t a witch hunt. HR doesn’t want to purposefully pursue bad bosses. You want to keep an eye out for anyone who might be failing their teams.

A few signs you may notice:

• constant turnover on the manager’s team
• poor team performance
• team attendance issues
• inability to collaborate with colleagues and other teams, and
• disengagement.

Then there are some issues that are more apparent to employees.

“There are many factors that can cause employees to feel their boss is a bad boss,” says Taylor. “Some of these factors include:

• workplace harassment

• a fear of negative consequences when sharing ideas
• fear of disagreement
• not being able to openly discuss their mental health
• a lack of appreciation and recognition
• inadequate support, and
• workplace isolation.”

When you identify bad managers, you’ll want to make efforts to help them and their employees.

5 Ways to Help Bad Managers Improve

To help managers who aren’t performing up to standards — and are likely negatively affecting employees or whole teams:

1. Amp Up Training

“In today’s workforce, as employees at all levels experience feelings of burnout and work-related stress, it’s essential that managers have the skills and tools to address these challenges,” says Taylor.

In fact, Unmind found 84% of managers had no formal training in people leadership skills. And 47% believe that contributes to lost productivity. So bring in leadership training that can help all managers lead consistently across your organization.

2. Hone in on Positive Leadership

Any leadership training can help. But if you can help managers get better at offering support, providing effective feedback and fostering trust, you can make a bigger impact. 

“Positive leadership behaviors show a strong correlation with both the emotional well-being of employees and reduced stress levels,” says Taylor.

So you’ll want to lean heavily into training for soft skills and emotional intelligence.

3. Talk About Mental Well-Being

Mental well-being in the workplace has come a long way, but probably not long enough. Bosses who are stressed usually struggle to manage well. And they’re less equipped to help employees who are under pressure.

“With the right training, managers can nurture psychologically safe work environments where mental health and wellbeing are championed and employees can flourish,” says Taylor.

So normalize talk about well-being with onsite opportunities such as therapist sessions, meditation demonstrations or sessions, well-being seminars, etc.

4. Pair Them

Below-average managers might benefit from the experience and expertise of above-average managers. Try mentoring or partnerships where bosses who struggle can learn from, ask questions of, and get feedback from others.

5. Know When to Move On

Some managers can’t improve. Others don’t see issues and will choose not to improve. When bad managers are unwilling to try, it’s likely time to move on.

“HR should note that great leaders aren’t built in day seminars and change cannot happen instantaneously overnight,” says Taylor. “Real development requires continuous learning and investment in formal training and upskilling for leaders from organizations.” 

Help Employees Under Bad Managers

Employees who’ve been working under poor leadership will likely need some attention. They probably suffered for some time and need a refresh on goals, expectations and feedback.

Here are three ways to do that:

1. Get More Feedback

Whether employees brought a bad boss to your attention or not, they likely need to feel they can “share feedback openly, without fear of any negative repercussions,” says Taylor.

Offer them several channels — one-on-one meetings, roundtables, anonymous email, if necessary, and employee portals — to share thoughts and feelings around their bosses.

“Organizations should strive to create a psychologically safe environment for their employees,” says Taylor.

2. Build a Culture of Trust

Employees who’ve worked for a bad boss probably don’t have a positive outlook on the culture. For now.

So start by helping those employees rebuild a positive team culture with connections and trust. Give them time and resources to connect outside of daily work — perhaps with group meals or breaks.

When appropriate, “focus on understanding the impact of leadership on team well-being. A key question to ask is, ‘How are you feeling?'” says Taylor.

It gives them time and space to share thoughts and find their place again.

3. Realign

If there is a team shakeup, work with employees individually to review and update personal goals, job responsibilities and expectations. Once you’ve worked with each person, help the team get realigned so they can move forward together in a positive direction.

“Working under a bad manager can significantly impact employee stress levels and mental health,” says Taylor. “HR departments should take proactive steps to address this issue and ensure that affected employees have the necessary resources to cope with increased stress or receive mental health support.”