My boss is awful, and we all want to leave. How do I avoid burning bridges?

July 24, 2026 — 5:01am

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Like many people I work with, I have decided to look for a new job. A manager we all have in common has proved to be a nightmare. They are mean and incompetent, and they make our lives hell. I am proud of what I achieved in this job before the manager arrived. I want to be able to talk about it with future employers. I would love to have a reference from other leaders at the organisation.

My worry is that things have got so bad, I find myself going through the motions. I don’t care what my boss thinks, but I don’t want to burn bridges with other people. What can I do?

My immediate question is: who manages this person? I suspect from your longer email that this nasty and inept manager isn’t the highest authority at your place of work. So why is such a terrible influence on the culture of the organisation allowed to continue their corporate reign of terror?

If it were just you looking to leave, decision-makers might be forgiven for shrugging this off as a clash of personalities or work styles. But it sounds like there’s about to be a mass exodus.

Office........

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