No employee or job seeker will want to have or work under a bad boss. This is because bad bosses cause some individuals to resist serving under anyone and instead become independent entrepreneurs to avoid any bad scenario they can’t bear from their employer, no matter how horrible it is. The good news is that it is possible to recognize a bad boss and deal with them. Here I will go through the warning signs of a bad boss as well as the four main types of bad bosses.
Before we go any further, let’s have a clearer understanding of who a boss is and how to tell if one has gone bad.
Who is a Boss?
In this context, “boss” refers to the person in control of the workforce. Bosses may have one or two direct reports, a small team, or an entire division to oversee. They may also own a business or a corporation. Your boss instructs you what to do at work. In other words, you are mandated to do what he or she tells you to do. Instructions.
Workers’ bosses are those who hire or supervise them. They make judgments and have power over others.
What Makes a Good Boss
A good boss is able to convey objectives and orders effectively while remaining approachable for questions and clarifications. They foster a healthy work environment by openly recognizing and thanking individuals. Every employee deserves to be treated with dignity and fairness, and a good supervisor always remembers to do so.
Bad Boss
A bad boss overworks his staff, takes credit for work that he or she did not accomplish, does not speak up for you when you need it, does not provide opportunities for professional growth, has favorites, and does not recognize nor reward employees who go above and beyond. Can’t take criticism and is always right.
Lynn Taylor, an expert on the workplace, author, and leadership coach, says, “A bad manager will not only risk your career advancement; they will also badly affect your personal life.”
What are the Signs of a Bad Boss?
Without further ado, there are obvious signs that can help you identify a bad boss. You can educate yourself by reading the following list:
#1. The Boss is Always Right:
Your manager will not go out of their way to assist you if they cannot confess when they are wrong.
According to a poll conducted by Lynn Taylor Consulting across the country, 91% of employees responded that their bosses’ openness to admitting fault was a major reason why they were pleased with work.
Taylor said that if you don’t have a culture in which mistakes are recognized and lessons are learned from them, “you’re sapping invention.”
#2. Your Boss Doesn’t Empower Nor Help You Grow:
When employees have complete control, they make sound decisions and develop practical solutions. According to a Gallup poll, businesses with talented people who know how to delegate expand quicker, generate more money and create more employment.
One of the signs of a bad boss is when a person’s boss does not think highly of them, it can cause them to get uncomfortable, frustrated, or doubt their own abilities. According to author John Maxwell, a good leader is someone who can gain the trust of others.
#3. Certain Staff is Favorites of the Boss:
Taylor claims that no matter how hard you work or how successful you are, your achievements will never be as impressive as those of the teacher’s pet. “In this environment, it’s critical to lead by example, recognizing colleagues on your team or in other departments for working effectively together. By recognizing those who deserve it, you demonstrate how much attention may matter to someone like yourself.”
Because your employer has favorites, they will struggle to see how valuable you are to the firm and how good you are at what you do. They are oblivious to the fact that they are treating you unfairly.
#4. Your Boss has a Quick Temper and Frequently Loses It:
Taylor advises, “Your next step might be to check out your favorite employment board” if you’ve spotted your supervisor losing his/her cool.
However, if your boss’s tantrums are rare, you might be able to ignore them and get along.
#5. You Have an Egocentric Boss:
“Some employers immediately begin talking about themselves, such as what happened to them, their recent golf score, a chat they had, and so on,” Taylor explains. “You can improve your ability to get to the point quickly by stating something like, “That’s fascinating. “It reminds me of the assignment you assigned me yesterday.” Then, keep chatting until the conversation is safe again.
#6. Don’t Mind If You’re Exhausted:
Work long hours without a break every week? That should make your employer suspicious. It’s one thing to have projects that require extra focus, but it’s not possible to work around the clock for months or even years.
What are the Four Types of Bad Bosses?
#1. The Nasty Boss
This is a supervisor who is overly concerned about output. Nasty Boss has a single-minded commitment to winning at whatever cost, driving their teams to fatigue in pursuit of short-term success at the expense of the team’s long-term health. Bad managers are unconcerned with their employees as persons and are willing to risk their employees’ long-term disengagement in exchange for a momentary increase in output.
#2. A Boss Who is Unimpressive
A prevalent issue among mediocre bosses is a lack of understanding of their team’s genuine dynamics. They place far too much emphasis on pleasing everyone and avoiding disagreement. Poor leaders might aggravate tensions by saying whatever they believe will get them what they want.
#3. Control Freak
Control freaks believe that paying close attention to how team members conduct their duties and ensuring that all regulations and procedures are followed yields the most effective results. When the people under their supervision fail to perform well, micromanagers frequently enact new policies to ensure that this “never happens again.
#4. Unreasonable & Unnecessary Risk-Taker
The bosses are continuously breaking the rules and putting everything on the line.
What is a Toxic Boss?
A toxic boss is a leader who is harmful to the people they are responsible for. They utilize their authority to their own advantage.
How to Deal/What to Do if You Have a Bad Boss?
To begin, you need to figure out if your manager’s actions have crossed the line into illegal territory.
Interestingly, there are employers’ seemly legal but questionable actions that even the most dedicated employee might be demotivated by a leader’s uncertainty, bad mood, roughness, or aloofness. Now to deal with a bad boss, I have put together the following strategies:
#1. Attempt to Perform Each Task as Well as you Possibly Can:
If you complete your responsibilities to the best of your ability, you will have a stronger foundation on which to stand (and defend yourself).
According to Alexander Burgemeester of the University of Amsterdam’s Department of Neuropsychology “Do everything by the book so that you don’t come under your boss’s harsh scrutiny, he advises. “Even if your supervisor doesn’t acknowledge your ability, others will.”
If you want to deal with your bad boss, this is a significant advantage.
#2. Recognize Prime Motivations: Adjust to Them:
If you take the time to learn about your boss’s function and, more importantly, why they do the things they do, you will be in a better position to give outcomes, manage expectations, and minimize lose-lose circumstances. Consider what it might be like to be them and how they might view the world and your job.
If the regulations seem completely arbitrary, you might want to investigate what’s driving your boss.
Take note of your boss’s peculiarities, habits, and favorite methods of doing things. Can you say he moves rapidly and makes quick decisions? Is he going to require some time to think things through and determine what to do? When he has to contact you, does he prefer a short e-mail, a casual visit, or a more official memorandum? If you can match your boss’s tone of voice, he or she is more likely to listen to what you have to say and this is a good way to deal with a bad boss.
#3. Identify Trigger Points:
Find out what makes your employer so angry, and then do all in your can to stay away from those triggers.
If, for instance, your manager frowns upon idle discussion throughout the workday, it would be advisable for you to steer away from such topics as much as possible.
#4. Consider Consulting With Human Resources:
HR division handles employee concerns. Tell your HR department what’s going on with you and your boss, and what you’ve done to attempt to fix things. They may have experience assisting people in a similar circumstance to yours and have ideas you hadn’t considered.
#5. Figure Out When It’s Time to Leave:
Of course, you should be ready to admit that it is possible to give up. There are some clear signs of a bad boss that signifies it’s time to start looking for a new job. If you feel any of the following, it’s time to quit your job: you dread going there every day; you feel physically or mentally unsafe there; you think more about your boss than your work; the stress from your job hurts other parts of your life; your self-esteem has gone down.
You need to give yourself permission to change careers. This means letting go of the hope that things will get better and getting over your reluctance to leave your current job.
#6. Create an Open Line of Communication:
When you have anything to say to your boss, it is usually preferable to approach them first. Determine how your boss’s actions impair your capacity to deliver on time and reach your full potential at work.
What Do You Call a Bad Boss?
- Bully Boss
- Toxic Boss
- The manager who is mediocre
- The Contentious Boss
- Anarchist
When Should You Leave a Bad Boss?
The following is an indicator for you to know its time to leave your bad boss:
- If the way your boss treats you makes you feel like you have to lower your standards.
- When it’s no secret that your boss’s own professional life is in disarray.
- Your boss makes you feel like a petite person.
- Your boss gives you control, not air.
- More than anything else, it’s your employer who makes you doubt yourself.
To be a good boss, Read also HOW TO MOTIVATE EMPLOYEES: 6 Simple Ideas.
In Essence
You don’t quit your job; you quit your boss, as the old saying goes (i.e. a bad boss drives them out, not the work itself). Yet, regardless of whether your boss is a micromanager, an angry ranter, a sexist, a bully, or just plain incompetent, you still have to do your best work and get things done.
I hope the information I was able to find on the web about the warning signs of a bad boss and how to deal with them was helpful.
Bad Boss FAQs
What are the Signs of a Bad Boss?
The signs of a bad boss include:
- The Boss is Always Right
- Your Boss Doesn’t Empower Nor Help You Grow
- Certain Staff is Favorites of the Boss
- Your Boss has a Quick Temper and Frequently Loses It, etc.
How to deal with a bad boss?
To deal with a bad boss, you will have to
- Identify Trigger Causes
- Recognize Prime Motivations and Adapting to Them
- Attempt to Perform Each Task as Well as you Possibly Can, etc.
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