A national campaign to expose poor leadership has officially revealed Australia’s Worst Boss – a manager who forced a junior employee to spend his lunch breaks watching him reenact 18th-century battle scenes with figurines.
Australians voted the entry, dubbed "The Battle Buffoon", the most outrageous of more than 220 real-life stories collected by HR technology company Compono.
The story, while unusual, struck a chord for how it blurred the line between what’s acceptable and what’s not in the workplace, and how it shows leaders often simply lack self-awareness.
“I only had an hour for lunch, but I’d be asked to go and have my boss’ figurines professionally painted, have to wait while the job was done, grab him lunch, and then be forced to sit in his office while he re-enacted different war battles,” Tim said.
“It was surreal and at first I thought it must be some kind of hazing – him chewing sushi aggressively and talking about Waterloo while setting up toy soldiers.
“Looking back, I realise now that it wasn’t him just being quirky. The tasks I was asked to do were pretty extreme and he was really trying to push his values. It changed my perspective on work and work/life balance and going through what I did back then, I've got an expectation of what I'm looking for now, rather than what I’m just putting up with.”
The Worst Boss campaign revealed common complaints across Australian workplaces. With 21% of entries, the number one issue was managers with a lack of compassion, particularly denying leave or flexibility during times of crisis. It was followed by failure to provide training or support (11%), and bullying or micromanagement (10%), including reports of yelling, intimidation, and gaslighting.
Other recurring issues included nepotism, wage theft, excessive hours, safety neglect, and discrimination.
Compono CEO and corporate psychologist, Rudy Crous, said bad bosses aren’t necessarily bad people – they lack training and knowledge of how to lead well.
“When leadership fails, it affects health, safety, and long-term wellbeing of all employees. These recurring issues aren’t just workplace drama, they show a pattern of people being denied support and empathy, and alarmingly, a failure to improve,” Mr Crous said.
75% of people said their issue was never resolved, with almost no improvement reported in cases involving overwork, harassment, or unsafe environments.
“Most who spoke up saw no change and that should concern everyone.”
The report identified the corporate/office sector as the leading hub of toxic leadership in Australia, followed by retail/hospitality, and trades/construction.
Mr Crous said the campaign was ultimately about sparking change.
“Bad bosses don’t just ruin Monday mornings, they crush teams, kill culture, and cost businesses millions. The real win isn’t crowning a bad boss – it’s learning how to build good ones. With the right training, mentoring and self-awareness, every boss has a chance for a comeback story.”
Media enquiries:
Laura Pocoe Adoni Media | 0499 646 083 | laura@adonimedia.com.au