The Manosphere Is a Growing Business Risk: What Leaders Need to Know

As we enter 2026, I expect one topic to move sharply up the business agenda: the influence of the “manosphere” and what it means for organisational culture, trust, and leadership responsibility.

Growing evidence shows that the so-called “manosphere,” a network of online spaces promoting extreme or distorted views of masculinity, is shaping the attitudes of the next generation of workers and leaders. 

Some of these communities focus on fitness, discipline, or self-improvement. Others promote control, entitlement, and resentment toward women. Together, they are creating a slow-burn cultural risk that few organisations are prepared for.

Studies on workplace sexism, bullying, and online harassment already show fertile ground for these ideologies to take hold. Text analysis of the “Everyday Sexism” project revealed persistent patterns of discrimination and hostility in professional settings. Global surveys find that nearly one in five employees experience sexist or harassing behaviour during remote work. Research in organisational psychology links tolerance for bias and sexist humour to lower team performance and engagement.

The evidence may not yet carry the “manosphere” label, but the behaviours it describes are entirely consistent with its worldview. These are not future risks; they are current vulnerabilities.

Why this matters for business

This is not about politics or policing personal beliefs. It is about recognising a foreseeable organisational risk.

Psychological research shows that gendered attitudes which assign dominance, superiority, or fixed roles directly predict tolerance for harassment, bias in decision-making, and reduced trust in women leaders.

The consequences are measurable. A large meta-analysis found that sexual harassment leads to lower job satisfaction, reduced performance, and higher turnover intention, not just for targets but also for teams that witness it.

UK employers already absorb around £28.5 billion each year in the costs of workplace conflict, including lost productivity, management time, and reputational damage. That figure does not account for the hidden costs of disengagement and attrition that flow from cultures where bias goes unchecked.

The compliance landscape is tightening

From October 2024, the UK’s Worker Protection Act introduced a preventative duty for employers to take “reasonable steps” to stop sexual harassment before it happens. The Equality and Human Rights Commission has updated its technical guidance, making clear what counts as reasonable. If a company hasn’t done enough to stop harassment before it happens, a tribunal can raise the amount of compensation owed to the employee by as much as 25%. Whilst these are UK-specific, similar regulation is emerging globally.

For boards, this moves harassment prevention from a nice-to-have to a core governance obligation. The question is no longer whether harm has occurred, but whether the company can prove it took proactive steps to prevent it.

See it off before it starts

So, how can leaders protect their people and their business before these online ideologies seep further into workplace culture?

1. Recognise the spillover. Online belief systems do not stay online. Include cultural and ideological risks in your people-risk assessments.
2. Shift from awareness to skill. Standard anti-harassment training rarely changes behaviour. Use scenario-based learning that helps employees recognise subtle bias, challenge harmful jokes, and practise bystander intervention.
3. Start early. Reinforce respectful behaviour in hiring, onboarding, and probation. Make it clear that cultural fit includes how people treat others, not whether they share the same views.
4. Strengthen your reporting channels. Offer multiple trusted routes, protect anonymity where possible, and close the loop by showing that concerns lead to visible action.
5. Monitor the small data. Big crises often start with micro-incidents. Track shifts in tone on internal channels, rising tensions, or gender-skewed attrition.
6. Lead from the top. Hold managers accountable for culture. Include respect and trust metrics in performance reviews. When leaders model fairness and curiosity, teams follow.
7. Support those affected beyond work. As online misogyny becomes more visible in society, some employees will be directly affected by it in their homes, communities, or relationships. Support systems should include access to education and confidential wellbeing resources that help people recognise unhealthy dynamics, stay safe online, and access professional support if needed.

Culture as risk management 

This is not about demonising men or silencing different views. It is about awareness, prevention, and leadership. Ignoring the issue will not make it disappear. It will leave organisations exposed to behaviours that undermine trust, damage performance, and breach legal duties.

Healthy cultures do not emerge by chance. They are designed through clear boundaries, early education, and consistent accountability.

Treat the manosphere as what it is: a growing people risk with operational, cultural, reputational, and financial consequences. The organisations that act now will not only meet compliance expectations but strengthen the trust, safety, and performance that make workplaces thrive.

Additional Resources

As this is still a new and emerging area of research, I wanted to share a few resources that explore the rise of the manosphere, its wider social implications, and what we can learn from it.

1. Ofcom: The Manosphere Unmasked (2025) Groundbreaking UK study exploring how young men engage with manosphere content, its potential harms, and how self-improvement spaces can become gateways to extreme beliefs.
2. UN Women Explainer: What is the Manosphere and Why Should We Care? A concise global overview of how online misogyny spreads, its offline consequences, and what educators, policymakers, and employers can do to respond.
3. Centre for Countering Digital Hate An independent non-profit that researches how online platforms amplify hate, misogyny, and misinformation, providing data and solutions to create safer digital spaces.

About WellWise

WellWise helps organisations assess and manage psychosocial risks through evidence-based diagnostics aligned with ISO 45003.

Bullying, harassment, and cultural safety are among the factors explored to help leaders build psychologically safe, resilient, and high-performing workplaces.