What’s on the agenda today?
Hey {{First Name| there}},
👀Your best people are not quitting their jobs. They are quitting their managers.
And somewhere, right now, a toxic boss is being quietly protected because they "get results." This newsletter is about why that decision is costing you more than you think — and what HR needs to do about it.
In This Edition We Cover
What a toxic boss actually looks like
What they are actually costing your organisation
Why HR keeps protecting them
What HR should do instead
Advertisement
Own AI deployment, grow your career
Making AI actually work day to day is becoming its own job. Hear from three people doing it: Simone Santiago Broad (Yoco), Yelva Espinoza (Zumba Fitness), and Fin's Dave Lynch. They share what the role really looks like, how it came to exist, the skills worth hiring for, and the challenges they're tackling right now. Watch the full conversation on demand.
What a Toxic Boss Actually Looks Like
Not every difficult manager is a toxic one. But some patterns are worth calling out.
Fast Company notes toxic bosses often present as confident and polished — which makes them easy to miss. The red flags show up in what happens to the people below them:
😶 Employees stop speaking up or flagging problems early
🎯 Credit flows upward. Blame flows downward
😰 Fear replaces feedback — people do safe work instead of bold work
🚪 High turnover concentrated under one manager
🔁 Subtle retaliation after someone raises a concern
Crucial Learning's 2026 India research puts it well: the most reliable sign is asymmetric accountability — rules apply to everyone except the person enforcing them. Once employees absorb that lesson, mistakes get buried and candour disappears.
HR Playbook 8.0 isn’t just panels and debates. This edition ends with two hands-on masterclasses.👀
Dr. S. Naga Siddharth – From Creating Systems to Designing a Context: Unlocking Discretionary Performance.
CHRO & Principal Advisor at SHRP (Strategic HR Practice), Dr. Siddharth brings over two decades of HR experience across aviation, IT, healthcare, startups, retail, and real estate. In this session, he’ll explore how HR can move beyond designing systems to creating environments where people choose to perform.
Abhash Kumar – Claude Cowork for HR.
A live, hands-on session on how AI can support HR's everyday work, from hiring and L&D to policy creation and employee communication. No theory, just practical workflows you can use the very next day.
Come for one. Stay for both.
🎓 Certificate of participation for every attendee.
🎁 Lucky draw, leaderboard prizes, plus free HR toolkits and templates.
📅 August 12 (Wednesday) | 11:30 AM–7:00 PM IST
💻 Virtual
2️⃣ What They Are Actually Costing You
"But they get results" is the most expensive sentence in leadership.
💰 Toxic bosses drive 50–60% of voluntary attrition
📉 Disengagement costs an estimated $450–550B USD per year globally
🏥 Employees under toxic managers face 300% higher risk of depression
😶 57% of employees have left a job specifically because of their manager
Taggd's June 2026 research found withdrawal rises before attrition rises — but most HR teams only measure the attrition. By the time the numbers show up, the damage is done.
3️⃣ Why HR Keeps Protecting Them
Here is the uncomfortable part.
Only 25% of employees trust HR to act on toxic behaviour. 46% say they do not trust HR at all on this.
Why? Because the system makes action hard:
The toxic boss usually has strong relationships with senior leadership
Their results provide cover
Reporting pathways are unclear or quietly discouraged
HR is often positioned to protect the business — not the people in it
As Forbes' May 2026 report notes: toxic leaders outsource accountability but insource credit. And HR, too often, is complicit in the silence.
Advertisement
Bring SSP Automation Into Your Billing Platform
SSP under ASC 606 shouldn't live in spreadsheets. On July 22, Tabs' team shows how native SSP automation runs on real billing data, ties to your Product Catalog, and generates audit-ready documentation automatically.
July 22 · 1:30–2:00 PM EDT · Live + recording
4️⃣ What HR Should Actually Do
📊 Track exit data by manager — consistent attrition in one team is a manager problem, not a company problem
🔍 Make 360 feedback mean something — if scores are consistently bad and nothing changes, it is theatre
🚫 Stop promoting results at any cost — how outcomes are achieved matters as much as what is achieved
🛡️ Build real reporting pathways — multiple channels, genuine confidentiality, visible action
🔁 Create internal mobility — people should be able to move away from a harmful manager without a dramatic complaint process
💬 Run pulse checks between annual surveys — by the time an annual survey catches it, the best people have already left
Toxic bosses do not survive where accountability is genuinely equal. That is the culture HR needs to build. Not after the next exit interview. Now.
🎉 What’s Coming Up!
TSOW HR Meetup in Jaipur | August 1
An interactive session for HRs who want less theory and more “this worked for us.” Seats are limited save yours now!
TSOW HR Meetup in Kolkata | August 1
An HR meetup for meaningful dialogue and shared learning.
Get your seat while spots last.TSOW HR Meetup in Pune | August 1
Join fellow HR professionals in Pune for an evening of networking, practical insights, and meaningful conversations. Reserve your spot today!
💬Has your organization ever held a toxic manager accountable? What made the difference? Drop it in #general-q&a — our leaders are ready to answer. 🙌
The HR Pulse lands every Tuesday. Got something to share? You know where to find us.
