I had a friend become my manager. While it started off well, I now have real concerns.

I have raised issues and been pushed towards short-term fixes rather than long-term solutions. I have asked for political support and been ignored. I have watched him present team members' work as his own. It took me reaching a breaking point and escalating a wider team issue to our senior manager before any action was taken. Even then, my manager acted surprised, as though the issue had never been raised before. Any request for real support is matched with airy management book style responses that provides zero actionable help.

Any conversations about progression have been blocked. I never receive feedback despite making multiple requests. I am being told that I am not technical enough to be an individual contributor, despite currently performing that role, yet I am also apparently not suitable to be a manager.

Additionally, I take ownership of much of the team-building, morale, and people-focused work across the team. I organise drinks, gifts, cards, birthdays, and other team activities, yet none of this effort is ever acknowledged.

While I am still friends with him, I genuinely do not know what to do from a professional perspective. If I outline my concerns in the upcoming engagement survey, I worry that it will be used against me in some way. If I say nothing, I remain stuck in what feels like a toxic corporate situation. I simply do not know how to move forward.

How to i move forward without blowing it all up.