If you work in Atlanta and think your boss is unusually cruel, it turns out you might be right. A new survey confirms what many local workers already suspected – the city ranks 9th nationwide for boss nastiness.
🔍 What We Know: Atlanta managers earned their spot on the workplace wall of shame with a particularly troubling statistic – 41% of employees report witnessing their boss insult or humiliate a coworker, the highest percentage in the entire country. Only 24% of Atlanta workers say their boss is never mean, the seventh lowest rate nationwide.
🧑💼 Who Made it Happen: English learning platform Preply conducted the survey, asking Americans about their managers’ communication habits and the language used toward employees. The results paint a picture that’s less “Ted Lasso” and more “Devil Wears Prada” for many Atlanta workers.
🤔 Why It Matters: Workplace culture directly impacts employee retention, productivity, and mental health. When over 75% of workers experience some form of meanness from management, it signals a concerning trend in how Atlanta businesses operate.
💡 Why This Should Catch Your Attention: Curiously, while Atlanta bosses rank high for public humiliation tactics, they scored lowest nationwide for profanity – just 10% of employees report their boss cursing at people. Apparently, our local managers prefer the sophisticated art of the cutting remark over four-letter words. This tracks. Southerners don’t like to curse, but have no problem being mean as snakes.
⏭️ What’s Next: As workplace culture continues evolving post-pandemic, companies might need to address management styles that drive talent away. With Atlanta’s competitive job market, businesses with kinder leadership could gain an edge in attracting and keeping top performers.
🤝 Remember The Golden Rule: If you’re in management, remember that how you speak to employees today determines whether they’ll still work for you tomorrow. Also, treat everyone with respect— those you encounter on your way up may be the same people you need on the way down.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
