Poles assess bosses: trust is growing, but bad management remains

Three studies cited on the occasion of Boss’s Day (October 16) show that employees trust their supervisors more often, while at the same time many leave because of poor management. What they expect most are clear communication and appreciation.

According to the ManpowerGroup report “Talent Barometer 2026,” 65 percent of Polish employees trust their supervisor, 7 percentage points more than in the 2024 edition. The study covered more than 500 people from Poland. The same data show that 28 percent of respondents do not believe in their boss’s good intentions, and 39 percent are thinking about leaving their job.

The InterviewMe study shows the other side of the picture. The company surveyed 621 people between June 15 and 29, 2026. According to HRstandard.pl, 71 percent of them consider poor management in Polish companies to be a frequent or very frequent phenomenon. 62 percent had considered changing jobs because of a toxic supervisor. Nearly one in three respondents submitted their notice for this reason. The most frequently indicated behaviors were favoritism toward selected people (48 percent), unequal allocation of tasks (46 percent), constantly changing expectations (44 percent), and micromanagement, that is, closely controlling every step of an employee (36 percent). 24 percent experienced psychological pressure or intimidation.

In a Grafton Recruitment survey described by pulsHR.pl, 48 percent of participants indicated communication as the most valued competence of a supervisor. Empathy received 28 percent, organizational skills 21 percent, and innovativeness and creativity 3 percent. As the expected form of support, 51 percent chose appreciation, 25 percent an individual approach, 18 percent knowledge sharing, and 6 percent motivation. The number of respondents and the timing of the survey were not provided.

The studies measure different things: trust, the frequency of bad practices, and expected competencies, so their results cannot be directly compared. A broader context is provided by Gallup’s report “State of the Global Workplace 2026”: in Poland, 7 percent of employees are engaged in their work, compared with an average of 12 percent in Europe.

For teams, this means that in the InterviewMe study, decisions to leave are linked to a supervisor’s everyday behaviors, such as unequal treatment and constantly changing expectations.