When Leaders Don’t Feel Safe: The Silent Struggle of Senior Professionals with Workplace Conflict and Bullying

Inappropriate behaviour at work doesn't stop at the shop floor. It climbs boardroom stairs, slips into HR offices, and often settles quietly behind executive titles. Senior managers and HR professionals are not immune to bullying, exclusion, or interpersonal dysfunction—but they are uniquely isolated in how they experience and respond to it.

Having spent over two decades in recruitment and now in conflict resolution advocacy through WorkplaceDisputes.ie, I've seen how these issues affect professionals at all levels. The tragedy is that when senior people experience bullying or psychological strain, they're often the least likely to seek help. Their silence contributes to a broader cultural problem—one where psychological safety is compromised from the top down.

If the people in power don't feel safe, what chance do those further down the organisation have?

Culture of Survival, Not Leadership

Many senior roles today have become about survival—justifying existence through revenue, output, and cost-saving rather than purpose, integrity, or people. Leadership is no longer about shaping the future of the business—it's often about protecting oneself within it. That shift can have enormous consequences.

Psychological safety—the belief that one can speak up, make mistakes, challenge ideas, or admit struggles without fear of humiliation or retaliation—is essential to every employee, whether they are a warehouse operative or a senior HR manager returning from maternity leave. But when senior leaders don't have it, it sets the tone for a culture of fear, not growth.

The Legal Sector Example: When Silence Speaks Volumes

Some years ago, I attended a seminar on workplace bullying in the legal profession. A confidential survey was shared: nearly two-thirds of female legal professionals reported experiencing sexual harassment or sex-related bullying. Yet fewer than 7% reported it. These are legal experts—people trained in the law, fully aware of their rights.

So why didn't they act?

Because the issue isn't knowledge. It's fear. Fear of reputational damage. Of losing credibility. Of being seen as weak, difficult, or not "resilient enough." And when the very people others would turn to for support don't feel safe enough to report, it sends a chilling message across entire organisations.

This Isn't About Shame—It's About Strategy

Let's be clear: this isn't about blaming senior professionals for staying silent. It's about recognising that they too are navigating a system that doesn't always reward honesty or vulnerability. What we need is a better roadmap—one that protects psychological safety at every level of the organisation.

Here are five ways senior leaders can begin protecting themselves and building a more transparent, healthier workplace culture:

1. Recognise the Red Flags Early

Small things matter. Being cut out of conversations, having your ideas subtly undermined, or being the target of "banter" that feels hostile—these are not personality clashes or harmless quirks. They're often early signs of deeper dysfunction. Don't brush them aside.

2. Confide Outside the Chain of Command

If the issue sits within your peer group—or worse, above you—it's unsafe to rely on internal supports alone. Seek independent, external support. Whether it's through peer networks, professional coaches, or confidential advisory services like WorkplaceDisputes.ie, you need a space where you can speak freely and strategise safely.

3. Don't Dismiss the 'Small Stuff'

Senior leaders often pride themselves on being thick-skinned. But constant microaggressions, subtle put-downs, or being sidelined over time chip away at confidence and wellbeing. These behaviours are not "part of the job"—they are toxic and unsustainable.

4. Reframe Strength as Vulnerability

If you want to create a psychologically safe culture, you have to model it. That doesn't mean sharing every challenge, but it does mean admitting when something isn't right—and showing that seeking support is a sign of strength, not weakness. Your openness can give others permission to speak up.

5. Push for Culture Audits, Not Just Performance Reviews

Encourage regular cultural health checks that include anonymous feedback—not just on engagement, but on interpersonal dynamics, conflict, and trust. And crucially, these audits should be facilitated by independent external advisors.

Internal assessments often fail to expose the real problems, especially when those problems involve power and influence. External professionals bring objectivity, confidentiality, and the ability to surface issues without fear or favour. If psychological safety isn't being measured independently, it isn't being managed effectively.

A Culture Worth Leading

The psychological toll of toxic work environments on senior professionals is one of the best-kept secrets in modern workplaces. Many leaders simply endure. They internalise, deflect, or stay silent—until burnout, exit, or breakdown become the only options.

But we can change this.

By acknowledging that leaders need support too—and by investing in cultures where everyone, regardless of title, feels safe to speak, challenge, and grow—we begin to rebuild what many workplaces have lost: trust.

And with trust, comes the kind of leadership that shapes healthy, sustainable businesses from the inside out.

Need a confidential space to talk it through?
If you're a senior leader or HR professional dealing with conflict or cultural issues that affect you directly, I offer a free 30-minute discovery call. It's a chance to explore your options in confidence—no pressure, no obligation.

Visit WorkplaceDisputes.ie to book a time that works for you.