Bad boss often have bad kind of attitude towards their employees, leaving most of them perplexed. Whether you do it right or wrong they will always point you out. They make you believe appreciation is not for you. They make you believe how worthless you are. They shall not leave any stone unturned to piss you off. Yes. They are the bad bosses. But in this era of economic crisis and unemployment one cannot really hit the boss in face and say keep your damn job with you. We feel trapped in the job and we certainly are. Hence, nothing can be done but to deal with it. It may sometime get beyond tolerance at times but dealing with it with tact and wits can really help to make workplace a better niche to survive. Following tips may prove useful in handling bad bosses:
1. Identify the type
Bosses are of various breeds and kinds. They constantly come up with innovative methods to annoy the employees. Hence, it’s better to identify their nature well before dealing with them. Bosses maybe categorized as- first type is the GLORY GRABBER-one who takes all the credits for the task accomplished and never lets you enjoy the perks given. Second one is THE ONE WITH MOOD SWINGS BOSS, one who changes rules of the game anytime without prior warnings; a lot depends on his mood. Third category is ANNOYING BEE, one who constantly takes trips to your cubicle to have an eye on what you are up to and points out the flaws too many a times. These kinds of bosses are a real headache. The next one is mysterious agent; he keeps secrets, is not very active, communicates in a passive and lousy manner but can take bewildering decisions without having you know your mistakes hence providing no opportunity to correct them.
In order to deal with the bad behavior just be an astute observer and analyze the things well, before taking any actions.
2. Produce the best from your side
There is no substitute to working diligently and producing best results. One should really work devotedly meeting all the deadlines and with less of mistakes leaving no room for the boss to point at them. Since bosses are too answerable to the officials above them about the work being done hence any mistake freaks them out. So the work should be done very carefully. A good work ethic brings in nothing but praise, appreciation, chances of promotion and helps in company’s progress. No matter how you’re your boss nags, never let it affect your work. Because doing a commendable job builds up your personal profile only and help in individual progress and advancement.
3. Don’t take anything personally
A bad boss can drive even the most rational and tolerant employ irrational and irritated. We all know with great power comes in great responsibility. And also a big fat ego! It’s easy to find abusive bosses now-a-days in many firms and companies. They may abuse you really badly for no valid reasons, can insult you in front of bunch of people or the entire staff. They can give you frightening threats and make you feel really low about yourself. The key is to be really thick skinned. Bosses are weird creatures with peculiar nature. Hence everyone faces the tyranny inflicted upon them, so don’t take whatever is blurted to you personally. Learn to ignore. Turn a blind eye to invalid and uncivilized behavior. Just concentrate on work and move on. Have a big heart and forgive the ruthless creature.
In a survey conducted on about 1,000 employees and managers from a cross section of industries it was found that bad behavior resulted in the following:48 percent intentionally decreased work effort while 47 percent intentionally decreased time at work. Also 38 percent intentionally decreased work quality and a shocking 80 percent lost work time worrying about the incident.It may also interest you to know that 63 percent lost time avoiding the offender and 66 percent said their performance declined. a huge number, 78 percent said their commitment to the organization declined and 12 percent said they exited the organization as a result of their uncivil treatment.
Hence never let it affect you. Simply say to yourself, “it’s alright, nothing personal”.
4. Praise your boss whenever he deserves
It’s good to maintain a cordial relation with the people you work with. A bad boss never always equates to a bad relationship. Often work done by boss is commendable. You appreciate it inside but fail to express it because of the bad relationship you share with him. Its always been a stereotype that bosses appreciate but to break the monotony it can certainly go the other way round. You may be nervous about approaching your manager to offer advice, but good managers are truly grateful for constructive, useful feedback, and will appreciate any opportunity they get to learn how to do a better job. Still, this article is about “bad” bosses – but when you have the chance to give them a good word, take it. However, be careful not to flatter a bad boss, it will not be understood. There is a demarcation between flattery and real appreciation. So keep it that way only.
5. Never take quick actions
When water goes above the head it becomes really difficult to survive. For god’s sake one is not able to breathe properly. So when the boss crosses his limits employees tend to react in most unnatural ways. Their wisdom is clouded by anger and disgust. This can be fatal for ones career. So in the state of deprivation never act in utter haste and carelessness because it may lead to lifetime regret. If you want to have a conversation, then seek the right time. Watch out for the bad mood. Also never interrupt him between the meetings and halfway through. This may freak him of.
6. Do some research
Also before approaching him research and do your homework well. Establish strong connections with the ex-employees and co-employees. Consult an employee who has earned the wrath of his boss. Pick the brains of the employee to find out more about the peculiarities of the behavior of your boss. Find out what tricks him, pleases him, massages his ego, threats him etc. this will help you know him better. Hence you can decide as to how he will react in certain situations and device a strategy to let him know what you are going through.
7. Talk in a very diplomatic manner
Introduce the conversation and talk politely and diplomatically. Be creative and/or crafty and hit the bull’s eye without having him feel bad or oppressed. Try to show how his or her actions reduce motivation, hurt business, or increase expenses. Make sense when you talk. Support your arguments with the past happenings if possible. If you can, explain the changes that would make working conditions better, and make for a happier atmosphere suggesting specific alternatives makes it easier to introduce positive changes. Agree to follow up at a later date, to evaluate the new situation.
8. Have a proof
It is not always practical and possible to ignore tantrums thrown at you for no valid reasons. Hence the best way one can retaliate is by producing a proof. Proofs speak much louder than shallow arguments can provide lot of support to arguments put up. We live in a free world. No one is authorized to treat you like a slave and provide undue disrespect and ill-treatment.
Since prevention is better than cure. Knowing the fact you boss can blame you anytime one should keep all the transactions and communication with the boss in written. Save all the e-mails, messages and other written communication for future reference. Try to have communication in the written form so that as and when the time comes you can very confidently say “I have a proof!!”
9. Never be a sufferer
If all your attempts to establish a better working environment and cordial relations with your boss prove to be vain then just don’t give up. Don’t suffer every bit of it. If needs be show resistance and reluctance. Learn to say NO. Remember he is just your boss who provides you work not god. He cannot run the organization on his whims and fancies. So following him blindly and listening him grunt is not the only option always. Be bold and stand for yourself. If gentleman behavior does not help then show what you can do.
10. Consult EEOC (free) or an employment attorney ( fee ) if you believe you have been discriminated
This is what one can do in extreme situations. If ever you feel injustice have been done with you then you can consult higher authorities for help. Whistle blowers who report violations may have legal protections, and may consider raising their concerns outside the normal chain of command. Also oppressed employees may make unions to collectively act against the injustice if it is done to everyone. This is a great threat to the head, both to his position and power and can certainly make the things better. If anything in the world does not really help then one can certainly switch jobs because the place does not deserve you if they cannot respect you. There will be several jobs waiting for you. Hence don’t live in a place where you don’t belong!
