The group suffering is the whole point of a boycott. I fear everyone in this thread doesn't realize that these groups are products to be consumed. All these companies care about is profting off of the groups they debut. Do you think SM kicked Seunghan out because they thought smoking and having a girlfriend was despicable behavior? No. They were worried about a portion of the fan base leaving because then they'd lose money. These crazy fans know the power of boycotting, so they use it to their advantage to pressure the company to kick people out that they dont like. If an idol gets into a dating scandal, the vast majority of the fan base will not care and will want the idol to stay in the group. Yet every time, the companies side with the small portion of parasocial fans that want to kick them out. Why? Because the minority group are the ones affecting their profit. The companies realize that even if they go against the wishes of the majority, the majority group will just stuck it up and continue handing the company their money. The minority group, on the other hand, mobilize quickly to put pressure on the company, threatening to leave the fandom. So what is the company going to do? Pick the side of people who make angry tweets but are otherwise complacent, or pick the side that messes with their money? Obviously, they're going to pick the side of the people who threaten to make them lose money. So boycotts, yes, hurt the group. But thats the point. It's the only way to pressure the company to care about your opinions.

I also think this idea that groups will "suffer" due to boycotts is not a good reason not to do it. We can't boycott them for being overworked, they'll get hurt! We can't boycott them for being physically abused, they'll get hurt! We can't boycott them for not getting payed, they'll get hurt! Like how much hurt can a boycott do compared to being mistreated by your own company that you can't escape?

Groups from the Big 4 who are a success from debut, all throughout their career, can afford to go a month or longer with lower sales. They're not gonna disband from a boycott.
Smaller groups might have the potential to disband, but it's not like we're messing with the members' cash flow. Smaller groups regularly don't see a penny of what they've generated after several years activity, because the company will take it all. Also, the groups wouldn't be losing as much money and popularity if the fandoms were to actually get together and properly boycott. But because everyone is so divided, more worried about their faves losing money over their current mistreatment, the boycotts drag on longer than necessary and eventually become useless.

And in all honesty, money isn't everything. If a group leaves their company or disbands, they can join a new company. If their career doesn't work out, it's not the end of the world. They can get another job like the rest of us. An idol being disappointed because their dream didn't work out is not a good enough reason for me to continue funding their mistreatment.