As many as 27% of employees in Poland say they have encountered toxic or harmful behaviour from their colleagues. Almost one in four respondents also assess their manager’s influence on the team negatively. The problem is particularly common among employees under the age of 25, according to an international study conducted by SD Worx.
Workplace relationships affect not only employees’ comfort and wellbeing, but also their engagement and the overall effectiveness of an organisation. The latest data show that toxic behaviour, inappropriate management styles and feelings of exclusion continue to affect a significant proportion of employees in Poland.
One in Four Employees Encounters Toxic Behaviour
According to the international 2026 HR & Payroll Pulse survey, conducted by SD Worx among 5,936 employers and 16,500 employees across 16 European countries, 27% of Polish respondents have experienced toxic or harmful behaviour from one or more colleagues.
The European average was 24.8%.
Such experiences are reported most frequently by employees under the age of 25. In this group, the proportion reaches 31.2%.
Among employees aged between 35 and 49, the figure stands at 25.9%, while among those over the age of 65 it falls to 4.4%.
Differences are also visible between women and men. Women are slightly more likely to experience toxic behaviour at work, with 28.7% of female respondents reporting such incidents, compared with 24.7% of male respondents.
Employees Are Critical of Their Managers
The problem is not limited to relationships between colleagues. Almost one in four employees in Poland, or 24% of respondents, believe that their manager has a toxic influence on the team.
This places Poland near the top of the European ranking for negative assessments of managers.
Higher proportions were recorded only in Italy, at 27.9%, and in France and Spain, both at 26.6%.
Employees are considerably less likely to identify a toxic influence from managers in Finland, where the figure stands at 17.1%, Germany at 20.1%, and the Netherlands at 20.6%.
Almost One in Five Employees Feels Isolated
The study also highlights the scale of workplace isolation in Polish companies.
Almost one in five employees in Poland, or 19.6%, say they feel isolated or do not consider themselves part of their team.
This is one of the highest results in Europe. A greater sense of isolation was reported only in Ireland, at 19.8%. In the United Kingdom, the figure stands at 18.7%.
Feelings of exclusion may result not only from open conflict, but also from less visible forms of behaviour, such as excluding an employee from decision-making, failing to provide feedback, ignoring their opinions or restricting their access to information.
Toxic Behaviour Often Begins with Small Warning Signs
Paulina Zasempa, People Country Lead at SD Worx Poland, notes that workplace situations are rarely clear-cut in practice.
“Toxic behaviour in the workplace often begins with small warning signs, such as a lack of feedback or ignoring an employee’s voice. Such behaviour is frequently not driven by bad intentions, but may instead result from a lack of appropriate skills or tools that would enable managers to provide feedback quickly or manage working time effectively,” Zasempa said.
She emphasised that managers carry particular responsibility because they have the greatest influence on the everyday culture of an organisation.
“This is why it is so important to invest in leadership development, build an environment based on trust and respect, and provide managers with tools that help them manage teams effectively,” she said.
“New technologies not only improve communication, but also relieve managers of many time-consuming tasks and allow them to focus on what matters most: building healthy relationships within the team,” Zasempa added.
Source: CEO.com.pl
