4% Believe Leadership Unaware in Toxic Workplaces Study Finds Leaders Often Know and Enable Toxic Culture

NEW YORK, Oct. 8, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- Capdeca Solutions, LLC, a company founded by Jennifer Brick, has released a study titled "The Toxic Workplace Report 2026," which surveyed 8,478 workers and revealed that a mere 4% of those in toxic work environments believed their leadership was unaware of the situation. Two-thirds of the respondents (67%) stated that their leaders were aware and either did nothing (27.4%) or participated directly (39.2%) in the toxic culture.

The study also found that when leaders were complicit, speaking up was a riskier endeavor. Reporting to a complicit leader was nearly three times as likely to make things significantly worse for workers (33% compared to 12%).

Even after leaving a toxic job, the damage lingers. Among workers who had been out of a toxic job for two years or more, 88% still experienced severe symptoms. While anxiety and distrust eased over time, hypervigilance and fear of future toxic work experiences increased.

The report, which drew on 8,478 responses, including 543 voluntary first-person accounts, utilized factor, cluster, regression, and moderation analyses, with 95% Wilson confidence intervals. Brick, who has amassed a following of 475,000 people across social media, explores modern work culture and power dynamics through her platform, Career Glow Up.

The findings of this study underscore the critical role that leadership plays in maintaining a healthy work environment. According to the report, toxic work cultures are not just a result of individual behaviors but are often enabled and perpetuated by those in positions of authority. The study highlights the importance of addressing these issues at the highest levels of management to create safer and more supportive workplaces.

The report is available for further insights at ToxicWorkplaceReport.com.