(MENAFN- EIN Presswire) EINPresswire/ -- With only 31% of U.S. employees engaged at work, the lowest rate in a decade, and 17% actively disengaged, The Black Book of Power author Stan Taylor has identified which states are struggling most with toxic work environments.

Using normalized search data per 100,000 residents for terms like "toxic work environment," "micromanaging," and "work burnout," Taylor's analysis reveals the states most prominent in workplace dysfunction. View the full study here.

Top 5 States With the Most Toxic Workplaces

1. Hawaii: [18.6 searches per 100,000 residents]

Despite its paradise setting, Hawaii leads the nation in per-capita searches for workplace toxicity and micromanaging, likely driven by small job markets and hierarchical management in close-knit professional communities.

2. California [14.2 searches per 100,000 residents]

High search volumes across all categories reflect the state's startup-heavy culture of chronic pressure and blurred work-life boundaries. This aligns with Gallup findings that 32% of workers describe their workplaces as "isolated or impersonal."

3. Wyoming [13.6 searches per 100,000 residents]

Small population size masks significant per-capita workplace dysfunction, with limited job mobility potentially intensifying negative dynamics in smaller teams.

4. Rhode Island [13.4 searches per 100,000 residents]

The nation's smallest state shows disproportionately high searches for micromanaging, suggesting leaders in flatter organizational hierarchies struggle to balance authority with trust.

5. Maryland [12.5 searches per 100,000 residents]

Federal, healthcare, and tech sector concentration drives above-average searches for toxic workplace issues, mirroring Korn Ferry research showing 41% of professionals nationwide find their managers "unavailable or dismissive."

The Path Forward

According to Stan Taylor's analysis in The Black Book of Power, millions of Americans remain psychologically trapped in toxic workplaces through systematic manipulation involving fear, false gratitude, and identity attachment. These environments are designed to keep employees exhausted, isolated, and compliant.

"Leaving a toxic workplace isn't just quitting a job, it's a revolutionary act of self-liberation," Taylor states. He advocates for what he calls "psychological sovereignty": reclaiming attention as currency, refusing unpaid emotional labor, establishing unapologetic boundaries, and building financial independence.

Taylor's work teaches individuals to become un-manipulatable to recognize manipulation before it takes hold, see the cage before it locks, and break free from systems engineered to keep them subordinate.

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