According to the iHire's 2025 Toxic Workplace Trends Report, which surveyed 2,285 U.S. employees and employers, three in four (75%) workers have been a part of a toxic workplace at some point in their careers, and more than half (54%) have quit a job because of a negative work environment.
Of the 75% of employees who had experienced a toxic workplace, 79% said poor leadership or management was to blame.
When asked why they believed their company’s leadership contributed to workplace toxicity, 72% of respondents said management showed a lack of accountability, 66% noted favoritism or biased treatment of employees, and 52% witnessed unethical behaviors or practices.
Interestingly, employees and employers view things differently, with the latter having a much brighter outlook.
83% of employers rated their organization's work environment as "very positive" or "somewhat positive," while just 45.0% of employees said the same about their current or most recent job's atmosphere (although respondents did not necessarily work for the same companies).
Despite employees’ grievances with leadership, 76% of employers rated relationships between employees and managers at their company as "excellent" or "good." Additionally, 57% of employers rated employee morale as "very high" or "high."
81% of employees believe clear communication from the higher-ups helps ensure a positive workplace—more than staff recognition and appreciation (70%) and strong work/life balance (69%).
Perhaps unsurprisingly, 70% of workers who had experienced a toxic environment reported poor communication across the entire organization. Of that group, 89% encountered mixed or inconsistent messages from leadership, and 65% observed a lack of transparency.
iHire's report also showed that 60% of employees had experienced stress-related health issues, and high stress levels/burnout was the fourth most cited characteristic of a toxic environment.
Of the 65% of employees whose toxic workplace comprised high stress levels/burnout, 72% said stress was due to unmanageable workloads, and 68% reported a lack of support for a healthy work/life balance.
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Employers are aware of most of these problems. 79% of them claim they are regularly gathering worker feedback on how to improve their companies, relying mostly on 1:1 meetings (74%), informal conversations (65%), and anonymous surveys (57%).
However, just 53% of them admit to using employee feedback to foster a positive work environment.
