Leaders have the right to set requirements. Even after 5 November.
New Polish rules on workplace bullying take effect on 5 November 2026. They don’t take away a leader’s right to set requirements – they shift the focus to two questions: does your assessment have a basis, and do you deliver it in the right form?
Before the peak hits: prepare your team, not just the schedule
Peak season doesn’t create new problems – it multiplies the ones you already have. September is the last month in which you can fix them more cheaply than in November.
Workplace bullying under the new rules: why November 2026 changes the game for every employer in Poland
For over 20 years the Polish rules on workplace bullying barely changed. In 2026 that ends – in a way that will mean rebuilding procedures, documentation and management practice for many organisations, not a cosmetic fix.
The most dangerous employee in your company isn’t the one who leaves
The most expensive departures are the ones that never appear in any report, because formally they never happened. The person still comes to work and delivers results – but mentally they are already gone.
“You can always count on her” – a compliment that is sometimes a sentence
The person who simply delivers, week after week, gets the next project – not because they are the best fit, but because they are the safest choice. That is how competence starts being punished with extra workload.
Half the team on holiday. How not to burn out the other half
Pushing the people who stayed will work – for a week, maybe two. Then it starts eating away at exactly the people you rely on most. This is about getting through summer with the same team, not a smaller one.
The resignation arrives in September. The decision is made on holiday
If a key person leaving surprises you, you’ve been reading lagging data. The decision you hold in September wasn’t made in September – it crystallised where the person finally had time to think. On holiday.
5 signs your team runs on you, not on competencies
“Without you, it would all fall apart” sounds like recognition. In fact, it is a diagnosis. Five signals to check honestly.
Why does feedback still “hurt”? 20 questions every leader asks
Even with models such as SBI or FUKO, feedback still triggers fear because it hits our basic need for acceptance. The key to overcoming resistance is making it systematic – turning rare “attacks” into regular work hygiene.
How to survive at work when your boss can’t let go of control
Micromanagement can take away motivation and autonomy, but it doesn’t have to mean the end of job satisfaction. Five strategies that help you survive a controlling boss.
How to talk to a boss who wants to do everything themselves
Talking to a micromanaging boss is a challenge, but a well-prepared conversation can really change the relationship. How to choose the moment, talk about needs instead of blame and act within your boundaries if nothing changes.
Is it micromanagement yet? How to recognise it in your boss
How to recognise micromanagement in your boss: the typical symptoms of excessive control – from correcting commas to daily status questions – their effect on employees, and a mini-test to check your situation.
Do you know your team?
Micromanagement often stems from a lack of knowledge about the team’s real competencies. Why diagnosing your people’s skills is the best antidote to excessive control – and how the NESSE Competency Map helps.
I want to stop micromanaging!
Micromanagement is not an identity but a habit you can get out of. Five practical steps that help leaders regain trust – in themselves, their team and the process.
I have no choice – I micromanage
Micromanagement doesn’t always mean bad leadership – sometimes it is a reaction to chaos, crisis or unclear goals. When tighter control is necessary, and when it becomes a trap for the leader and the team.
A boss is not a parent – mature leadership in times of transformation
“I did it for you, because I knew you’d find it difficult.” It sounds caring – but it may be a leadership style closer to parent–child than adult–adult. In times of transformation, the leader-guardian role becomes outdated.
A story: the psychopath in a suit – a conversation overheard in a bar
Two women at the next table in a bar, talking about their director. A story about a psychopath in a suit – and what to do when your boss is one.
The master of intrigue – how a Machiavellian boss can break the most engaged people
Ania was an energetic project manager with a passion for her work – until a new boss arrived. A story of a Machiavellian leader, and how to make sure your next boss isn’t one.
A beautiful flower at the top, weeds below – the story of a narcissist at the top
A marketing department kept losing people and results kept falling. The board suspected quiet quitting. The real problem turned out to be a narcissist at the top.
The dark triad burns people out
78.3% of Poles reported symptoms of burnout in 2024. Behind many destructive workplace phenomena are people with dark triad traits: narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy.