Outside of low pay and insufficient growth opportunities, one of the most influential reasons why employees decide to leave their jobs is a bad boss, at least according to a 2021 Pew Research Center study on resignations. From the catchphrases bad bosses say far too often to the toxic workplace cultures they foster, it’s disturbingly common for employees to experience in all industries.

Inefficient driving patterns and clumsy power dynamics are common. However, as employees learn to prioritize their well-being, work-life balance, and office boundaries, expectations will certainly begin to change, especially as younger generations such as Gen Z are entering the workforce and ask for a change.

Here are 11 phrases bad bosses say too often:

1. “I’ve never done it that way”

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Great leaders navigate change while supporting their employees, rather than forcing them to conform to rigid regulations and expectations that don’t suit their happiness, fulfillment, or productivity. Research on ‘social change’ at work from Stanford Social Innovation Review presents three types of successful bosses who are open to the benefits of change in the workplace: agitators, innovators and orchestrators.

While movers and orchestrators focus on sharing team ideas, solving problems, and coming up with new plans, innovators connect creativity with practicality in their teams. When a bad boss is closed off to innovative new ideas, they not only fail to support their employees, they close themselves off to new successes, ideas and a more fulfilling workplace culture.

RELATED: The One Thing to Remember About a Toxic Boss That Will Make Your ‘Sunday Frights Go Away’

2. “Just figure it out”

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Collaboration in the workplace is fundamental to a healthy workplace culture. Leaders should create clear expectations and regulations that support their teams and give workers peace of mind—regardless of the task or complexity of a project.

Your workplace may be a space for individual productivity and success, but that doesn’t mean management isn’t still responsible for supporting their teams.

3. “I’m not paying you to think”

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Leaving your creativity, connection, and humanity at the door when you get to work hurts not only your productivity, but your mental health and identity at the office.

Employees aren’t bound to follow their boss’s orders—at least, not in a healthy workplace culture—so when a boss urges employees to set aside their uniqueness and complex thinking, they quietly hope that they you will blindly follow manipulative orders. and wrong regulations.

According to HR expert Liz Ryanbuilding trust in the workplace starts with meeting and accepting employees where they are, rather than forcing sacrifice at the expense of compromise.

4. “We’re a family here”

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While many reach for the concept of family to feel security, connection, or camaraderie in the workplace, the general toxicity and manipulation that a “family dynamic” can trigger. at work does far more harm than good. From office spouses to managers with grandparents, the trappings of a family culture often manifest in unhealthy, competitive, and manipulative ways.

A bad boss who exerts this kind of dynamic on their teams often wants to transcend their personal lives, hoping they will put in longer hours or sacrifice their well-being for productivity in the name of the community.

RELATED: Toxic Boss Responds to Single Mom Crying Over Sick Child by Saying She Needs to Put Work First

5. “It’s best to keep your salary information private”

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Younger generations of workers are pioneering new government regulations that protect employees’ right to pay transparency in the workplace. While studies like that of “Payment Transparency: Why It’s Important to Be Careful and Strategic” argue that these regulations can promote managerial confidence and reduce employee turnover, they also have the potential to cause confusion and concern.

Even with the occasional negative outcome, bosses don’t have the power to restrict your access to pay transparency and compensation information at your company.

You deserve to advocate for fair compensation, even if that means urging HR to send out compensation reports or asking colleagues about their salary information. Especially when it’s often used as a manipulation tactic, don’t let a bad boss keep you from accessing the information you have a right to understand.

6. “I don’t feel well, but I’ll pass”

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engagement studies in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology argue that “presenteeism,” the act of attending work while ill, takes two main forms: voluntary and involuntary presenteeism. When workers voluntarily report to work sick, like a boss, they show a higher level of work engagement, while involuntary workers tend to show the opposite pattern.

While a boss who frequently comes to work sick on his own might be more productive, the same model cannot be used to explain an employee on his team who is forced to refuse sick leave. You are entitled to sick leave, PTO, and vacation even when you have a fragile and predominant boss.

RELATED: Boss tells worker they will no longer ‘accept’ doctor’s notes – ‘If you can go to the doctor, you can come to work’

7. “You’re too sensitive”

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Experts, like the authors “Rehumanizing the Workplace: Secure Your Organization’s Future While Restoring Hope,” I argue that our modern world of uncertainty and chaos has driven individuals and employees to operate from a place of self-preservation and scarcity, forcing them to set aside their humanity.

While the separation of identity between work and personal life can be healthy for balance, this general disconnection dehumanizes work cultures and affects everyone’s well-being. Bringing your sensitivity, personality and compassion to work is essential, especially when interacting with others and connecting across industries and roles.

Gallup workplace studies argue that employees want to be recognized and “known” for what makes them unique – you deserve to stand up for yourself in the truest sense of workplace identity without feeling burdened by a bad boss’s misguided view of humanity.

8. “We must do more with less”

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Many ineffective leaders who fail to support the needs and security of their team will offload their responsibilities and burdens onto their employees. This is one of those phrases that bad bosses say all too often: “Do more with less,” when in reality they are does not advocate healthy supportreasonable workloads and deadlines that make sense for their teams.

Bad bosses expect their employees to “pick up the slack,” work longer hours, and sacrifice personal time for the betterment of the company when they should be better at steering the ship.

9. “Sounds like your problem”

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A study from Cambridge University Press argues that a manager’s ability to successfully detach from work during work hours can help promote healthier psychological well-being and work-life balance in their teams. However, a boss who is detached at work only hurts overall morale.

If your boss floods your inbox with emails, fails to support your struggles, and leaves you isolated when your workload gets heavy, they are detached from their true leadership role. If you’re struggling at work, it’s an issue your boss should navigate alongside you, not in competition with you.

10. “I’m here working for free while you’re on vacation”

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Great bosses prioritize their team work-life balance above all else, to truly understand that employees cannot perform at their best if they are not given the freedom to enjoy their personal time. While these bosses are admittedly few and far between, a study from the Leadership & Organization Development Journal argues that they will never have more power than “bad” bosses in influencing their employees.

While you often set up a person with an expression like this to promote the wrong kind of productivity on your team, a “bad boss” could easily sacrifice their own identity, well-being, and health for success in their role. That doesn’t mean you have to do the same.

Employees who set boundaries and refuse to accept pressures like this condescending phrase will perform better and protect their mental health in the long run.

11. “That’s just part of the job”

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If a boss constantly talks about work-life balance but hasn’t touched on your vacation request in months, chances are they don’t practice what they preach. The same goes for job duties and job descriptions – if they’re vague, they’re probably taking advantage of you.

The fewer written responsibilities and clear regulations they have to manage you with, the more they can expect from you. That a Harvard Business Review investigation into “task-shifting” for first responders exemplifies, even for corporate offices, shifting between teams and responsibilities is not healthy for anyone.

If you’re overly stressed, worried about picking up other people’s slack, or have a workload that’s far too large, confusing, or overwhelming to handle on your own, don’t let your manager gaslight you to think it’s something you signed up for. A great boss’s top priority should be work – if that means supporting employees and helping manage their team’s stress, that’s what they should focus on.

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Zayda Slabbekoorn is a news and entertainment writer at YourTango focusing on health and wellness, social policy and human interest stories.