Polish employees like their bosses, but do not always trust them

Positive, partnership-based relations with a manager, as well as mutual trust, have a major impact on employee wellbeing and job satisfaction. Numerous Hays Poland studies show that the manager is one of the key factors professionals take into account when changing jobs. Meanwhile, the latest data indicates that a significant proportion of specialists not only do not like their bosses, but also have doubts about their leadership skills.

• The vast majority of specialists say they like their manager. At the same time, 20% of all employees say they do not trust them.
• 65% of professionals believe their manager performs well in times of uncertainty. However, as many as one in five employees still see a lack of effectiveness and agency among their superiors.
• Specialists do not expect radical changes or a revolution in management styles. What they miss most are the basics: transparent communication and consistency in decision-making.

The perception of the managerial role has changed over the years, also affecting the importance of relationships between managers and employees.

“In the past, a managerial position was associated with status, authority, power, hierarchy and decision-making. Today, employees expect more from their bosses: a partnership-based approach, empathy, support and care for mental wellbeing. A modern leader should also create a sense of security, which includes, among other things, transparent development and communication of the team’s strategy and goals,” explains Justyna Chmielewska, Director at Hays Poland.

In practice, however, a large group of specialists admit that they cannot count on this.

You can like your boss and still not trust them

The latest survey by recruitment and HR consulting agency Hays Poland, conducted in May 2026 among nearly 500 specialists and managers, shows that most professionals — 71% — like their boss. A further 15% are unable to give a clear answer, while 14% say they do not like their manager.

The high proportion of employees who like their manager is a positive sign. It may indicate that, in HR processes — either independently or with the support of external recruitment agencies — companies attach significant importance to matching candidates with the organisation, its culture and team identity. In this way, they are able to connect employees with the right leaders.

This does not mean, however, that companies have nothing to improve. On the contrary, there remains a large group of professionals who do not like their boss, as well as those who do not trust them. Among Hays respondents, this figure stands at 20%. Interestingly, as many as 12% of professionals who like their manager admit that they either do not trust them or have doubts in this respect.

Do you trust your boss?

Source: Hays Poland survey, May 2026.

“Today, being liked is not enough for employees. Good relations with a boss do not always automatically translate into a sense of security and trust in the manager. Yet these are precisely the elements that influence team effectiveness, especially in an environment of volatility and business pressure. What managers can do to increase the trust of their subordinates is, above all, work on transparent and regular communication — regarding expectations, goals, results, opportunities and risks within the company. Ordinary human empathy and openness to understanding the other side will also be crucial, and this is also a task for employees. Being an ideal manager is not easy,” says Justyna Chmielewska from Hays.

Managing in difficult times

Managing a team while maintaining strong performance is not an easy task, especially in times of change and pressure. It is a test for many leaders, assessed not only by management boards, but also by employees, who are often directly affected by the decisions being made.

The Hays survey shows that two-thirds of specialists positively assess their boss’s effectiveness and attitude in times of uncertainty. This is both a high and a low result, considering that as many as 20% still say their manager does not cope well in such conditions. At the same time, 15% of respondents are unable to clearly assess their boss’s competence in this area, which may indicate a lack of consistency and clarity in the actions of today’s leaders.

Does your boss cope well in times of uncertainty, change and pressure?

Source: Hays Poland survey, May 2026.

“Managers today stand between the expectations of employees and management boards. This is a demanding situation in which consistency, logic, flexibility and self-confidence prove crucial. Many leaders lack analytical skills and the ability to draw conclusions from internal and external data, which would undoubtedly help them make decisions that bring profit to the company rather than losses,” notes the Hays expert.

Data on how employees assess leadership skills should serve as an impulse to develop managerial competences, especially soft skills. A lack of faith among teams in a boss’s agency and effectiveness may lead to lower employee engagement, reduced proactivity and job satisfaction, as well as increased staff turnover.

Simple, basic changes instead of advanced transformations

Employees are clear: they are not looking for a workplace revolution, but for the most basic elements that strengthen their sense of belonging, security and stability. They want to know where the company is heading and how they can be part of the changes taking place. They are also tired of chaos and inconsistent information.

This is confirmed by the survey results. What professionals currently expect most from their managers is, above all, honest and open communication — indicated by 30% of respondents — followed by consistent and coherent decisions at 18%, and reducing chaos in the team at 11%. By contrast, their lowest-priority needs relate to motivation from the manager and psychological support.

What do you currently expect most from your boss?

Source: Hays Poland survey, May 2026. Multiple answers were possible.

“There is a lot of talk about communication, but very often this is not followed by concrete changes. In practice, dialogue within an organisation — for example in the form of satisfaction surveys, development conversations or support groups — sometimes serves only as an image-building activity, without any real impact on reality. As a result, professionals do not feel truly and fully heard, and quickly lose job satisfaction or the willingness to engage in additional initiatives,” explains Justyna Chmielewska from Hays.

The solution should ideally be multidimensional. For management boards, the task may be to support the development of leaders’ managerial competences. For managers, it is about building trust and authority through transparency and consistency, as well as regularly communicating the actions they take. Their subordinates, in turn, can develop the ability to formulate their needs and expectations. None of the parties should lack ordinary empathy and understanding.