Some managers think their title gives them a free pass to do whatever they want. They’re the boss, right? They make the calls, lead the team, hand out the paychecks. But that kind of thinking doesn’t earn loyalty, it just breeds resentment.
Once resentment starts to build, that one thing you remember from physics class happens: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
When managers start acting unprofessional, people react. They stop caring as much, stop putting in extra effort, stop suggesting great ideas. Some push back by calling in sick more often or being present but not present, and others just decide they’ve had enough and leave.
Here’s what we found in a recent study of employees who were ready to leave their jobs:
- 24% said they don’t have a good relationship with their manager.
- 45% felt that supporting employees isn’t a priority for management.
- 53% said the concerns they raise are consistently ignored.
It doesn’t matter how experienced or skilled a manager is. If they engage in the kinds of behaviors I describe below, they’ll damage trust, kill morale, and create an “us vs. them” dynamic that no amount of incentives can fix.
Here are six things unprincipled managers do that I can guarantee will cause anger and disengagement from your team:
Calling out, insulting, or yelling at employees in front of everyone.
It’s an obvious one—but still far too common.
Few things will make some hate their manager more than public embarrassment. When a manager scolds, mocks, or yells at someone in front of the team—or worse, in front of clients—it doesn’t just affect that one person. It puts everyone on edge.
Now the team is thinking, “Am I next?” or “What happens if I make a mistake?”
Correcting performance is part of the job. But how you do it matters. Speak privately. Be respectful. Focus on solutions. You’re not just giving feedback; you’re setting the tone for how your entire professional relationship with this person will unfold.
Not following your own rules.
Imagine being reprimanded for coming back two minutes late from lunch while your manager regularly disappears for hours with no explanation. Or being told punctuality is “a sign of professionalism” while watching your manager casually stroll in an hour late.
Employees notice everything—every personal call you take when they can’t, every time you leave early, every rule you knowingly bend or break. The authority that allows you to ignore the rules might feel like power, but the power becomes totally meaningless when your best employees decide they’ve had enough of your behavior and walk away.
Taking credit for successes, pointing fingers after failures.
When things go well, some managers are quick to claim success. They use words like “we accomplished this.” Meanwhile, it’s the employees who stayed late, skipped breaks, and sacrificed their work-life balance to get the job done.
But when something goes wrong, these same managers love to point fingers.
I once worked a chaotic retail shift where our manager “stepped in to help” for just under an hour, then went to have lunch while my coworker and I were left scrambling with no break. Later, he told the general manager—right in front of us—that we would have been totally swamped without him. I looked him straight in the eye and said, “Yes, you helped us for a grand total of 48 minutes. Thanks, I guess?”
He turned bright red, and I later stood there quietly while he yelled at me. But I didn’t care. The truth needed to be said.
Treating employees like they’re easily replaceable.
Some managers learn too late what happens when you mistreat good employees—especially the quiet ones who show up, get the job done, and rarely complain. These are the steady, reliable people who keep everything running, but too often they’re underestimated or taken for granted.
I’ve seen managers assume that long-tenured employees won’t leave because they’re too afraid to start over. But every person has a breaking point. And when someone with a highly specialized skill set walks out the door—often with no one lined up to replace them—the loss is going to hit you like the iceberg hitting the Titanic.
Employees are not robots. They’re not interchangeable like car parts, and they’re not “lucky to have a job”—they’re contributing to your success, so consider yourself lucky to have them. When managers treat people like tools for profit rather than human beings, that resentment doesn’t stay quiet forever.
And while some managers might believe that AI will soon make most of their employees obsolete, I can promise you—it won’t. You can automate tasks, but you can’t automate loyalty, common sense, creativity, or the ability to navigate real-world problems. When you lose good people, you’re losing experience that not even the most advanced AI can replicate.
Playing favorites.
One of the most frustrating things employees deal with is favoritism. It’s demoralizing to work hard, meet expectations, and act with integrity—only to see someone less capable rewarded simply because they’re louder, more visible, or better at schmoozing the boss.
Some managers rise through the ranks not because they’re skilled leaders, but because they know how to say the right things to the right people. And the employees who don’t want to play politics—who just want to be recognized for their actual work—end up sidelined.
When the same people get the promotions, the lead on projects, and even the praise, others disengage. Why bother, when performance clearly isn’t the deciding factor?
To be fair, some of these “favorites” do have talent—and sometimes they do earn their opportunities. But let’s not pretend that’s the whole story. The perks can come just as much from laughing at the boss’s jokes, offering compliments, or even joining in when the manager mocks someone else (which, unfortunately, I’ve witnessed firsthand). And this sends one message: play the game, or get left behind.
Ignoring feedback from employees.
Have you ever raised a concern to management—only to be ignored—and then blamed when the problem actually happened? Or had a manager who asked for feedback on an idea, solution, or design, you—and many others—gave the same feedback, and then the manager ignored it and just did their own thing? You’re not alone.
When employees speak up about slow systems, difficult coworkers, or safety issues, and nothing gets done, it sends that message that they don’t matter. I can’t emphasize this enough: when people feel like management doesn’t care, they stop caring too. Eventually, they find a company that listens.
You won’t be able to act on every suggestion, but acknowledging feedback and following up gets respect, trust, commitment, and loyalty. Ignoring it destroys it.
It only takes one bad move to lose your team’s trust. Respect is hard-earned—and very easily lost.