A few years ago I wrote about research showing that abusive behavior from bosses trickles down the organization, with those below them adopting similar behavior. It’s a conclusion confirmed by recent research from Anglia Ruskin University.

“This mirroring of negative behavior may have its roots in the reciprocal relationship between leaders and employees,” the researchers explain. “An employee who is mistreated may feel the only way to get ahead in their job is to treat others as they have been treated themselves—this may not always be intentional but it results in a race to the bottom among employees and damages job security and leads to stress and exhaustion.”

The researchers quizzed employees about their experience of abusive behavior in the workplace, whether from their managers or their peers. They were also asked about their level of emotional exhaustion and job security.

Trickle-down abuse

The researchers found a strong link between abusive behavior from bosses and abusive behavior from employees more broadly. Indeed, 68% of those who had experienced abusive behavior from a manager had also seen interpersonal aggression from employees as well.

What’s more, there was a strong association between abusive behavior from bosses and job insecurity and emotional exhaustion, which the researchers believe highlights the harm mistreatment can cause to employees.

“It’s clear from our study that hostile behavior at the top of a workplace is not only likely to be damaging to individuals in terms of their emotional exhaustion and job security, it is also likely to encourage other employees to act in unethical ways, creating a toxic environment across the entire organization,” the researchers conclude.

“Previous studies have shown that abusive behavior from leaders is associated with a lack of commitment from employees, and has a negative effect on emotional well-being. Our study suggests that the situation could be exacerbated by the negative behavior of general workers as well as the leader.”