Horrible bosses have a way of siphoning the satisfaction of even the most rewarding jobs. Matter of fact, HuffPost reports 3 out 4 employees cite their bosses as the most stressful thing about their workplace. Considering you as an employee spend ⅓ of your waking hours working, having a bad boss can hugely affect your mental as well as your physical wellbeing. Don’t believe it? According to a report in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, employees with bad bosses are 60% more likely to get a life-threatening cardiac condition or a heart attack.
Quitting would be the obvious choice but maybe you worked hard and are really passionate about your job. Maybe you are in a tough spot and quitting would leave you financially unstable. Maybe you don’t have better offers on the table. If so, try and adapt to see if things can get better at your workplace by learning these 6 tricks of dealing with a bad boss.
1. Identify Their Trigger Points and Prime Motivations
Take some time to observe your boss. Study what makes them happy or angry. Understand how they like to operate. Do they like updates in person or over email? What do they care about? What’s their measure of success? Do they have an incessant need to look good in front of people? What causes them to meltdown or foam at the mouth? By understanding your boss, you can align yourself with how they work and avoid doing things that trigger a tantrum. You can also better frame your opinions and asks, basing them on your boss’s values and priorities.
2. Stay a Step Ahead
This is especially efficient with bosses who are notorious micromanagers. Anticipate what your boss will need before they even need it. This could be as simple as a cup of coffee or an update on an ongoing project. You minimise the need for reminders and reassure your boss you can work without them standing over your shoulder by meeting their requests before they even have to ask. Make a point of having personal belongings he or she considers essential. Also, have with you their contact information and important documents including their calendar.
3. Don’t Fan the Flames
Your boss might be dismissive, abusive or prone to show favouritism. Never ever let this affect your work. If he shouts, don’t shout back. If he dismisses your ideas don’t act out. Don’t take longer lunches, come in late, be disrespectful or work slower just to stick it to the man. This will work against you and give them more ammunition to use against you.
At the end of the day, your output and how you work is what builds your personal brand and opens you up for promotion. You might be thinking you are getting revenge but you end up making other colleagues and supervisors think of you as lazy or incompetent. Never go to war with your boss publicly. Even when you are angry, learn to control your emotions, take the higher road and meet all your objectives. You should never let anyone’s behaviour affect yours.
4. Set Boundaries
Distance yourself from your boss’s unpleasant behaviour in whatever way you can. The responsibility of setting boundaries will fall on you. Avoid face to face meetings when you can. Let them know what you expect or need from them in order to work properly. Don’t cower in or run away from difficult situations. Stay confident, stand tall when dealing with a bully and reduce contact with them to the bare minimum.
5. File a Complaint
44% of employees are usually physically, verbally or emotionally abused by individuals in superior positions. If this happens, don’t go about bad-mouthing your supervisor especially in the workplace. Save it for your partner or friends over drinks. Believe it or not, rumour-mongering will in some way affect how your colleagues perceive you. Instead, file an official complaint with either HR or other people with senior managerial positions. Please make sure to document every single step of this process.
6. Explore Other Opportunities
If you have filed a complaint, tried adapting or even talked to your boss but see no changes in how he or she treats you, start considering other options. Now, these could be opportunities in the same company under a different department or a completely new job. Do not feel bad about this. Knowing when to leave is important. And there is no shame in it. Infographics by OfficeVibe indicate 50% cite bad bosses as their reason for quitting. It’s natural to want to leave an environment you don’t feel valued in. Before you do this though, ensure your other option is rock solid. Only then should you give a resignation notice. 2 weeks should be enough. Don’t forget to write a proper resignation letter.
Checking your boss’s mood before delivering bad news or making requests can also make your life way easier. Support your supervisor’s weaknesses and instead of criticising them, clearly articulate what you need from them and how that will play a role in the company’s overall success. More importantly, find things and people in and out of work to boost your feelings of satisfaction if your boss is difficult. Before leaving to work for another company, please find out the nature of the boss there just so you are not transitioning from one bad boss to another.
If you happen to own or run a business you realise the complexity of employee relations and the impact it has on company productivity. The Manpower Company (TMC) HR services not only benefit your employee retention, experience and productivity but decrease your company liability and compliance risk. We speak people so you don’t have to.
Ruth Kimani
i LIKE THIS.. VERY PRACTICAL EVEN FOR US BOSSES.