A bad boss, ugh. No matter where you work, they are unavoidable. Many companies have a habit of circulating their management, so even if you start out with a wonderful group of bosses, eventually they might circulate a bad one into the system. What is considered a bad boss? Someone who doesn’t listen to anyone’s opinions about the company who is beneath them creates unnecessary stress to employees, handles problems with harsh approaches and disrespects their hard-working employees altogether. It makes you wonder, who the hell hired this person to be in such a higher power position, to begin with? Honestly, we may never have the answer to a bad boss because life isn’t like movies.
It’s less likely that corporate is going to realize the error of their manager’s ways, storm in and proudly announces in front of the overworked staff that they are fired, hence when everyone cheers. No that is not likely, so we must learn to deal with working for a bad boss, especially if we can not afford to leave our positions right away.
If you are aware that going into work you are going to be hit with a giant ball of stress thrown at you directly from your boss, it’s good to take some time before your shift starts and talk to yourself to prepare for the day. If you prepare yourself on what to expect before you go into work, it will make the blow a little easier to deal with.
Tell yourself, “Okay manager X is on duty today, they are more likely to get angry if I don’t have A and B done right away, so that needs to be the first thing I work on after I clock in. Remember not to take what they say personally, just try your best.”
Take a few deep breaths and go take on the day.
A bad boss makes the situation stressful for their already hard-working employees. For some reason, they believe that if they yell and keep throwing tasks at you fast, that you’re going to be inspired to move faster and get everything done in the amount of time that you are supposed to be there. That almost never works. Take deep breaths and try your best to prevent yourself from feeling overwhelmed. The unspoken rule does not cry at work, there is a reason for that. But hey, you’re only human and if you feel like you need to shed some tears, the bathroom is your best friend. But afterward, pull yourself together and continue to do your best.
It’s almost always nothing personal, don’t let them get under your skin or make you feel like you’re not good at your job. If they come in telling you what needs to be done, calmy reply that that will be the next thing you do unless they would like you to complete it now. It’s always good to confirm their permission to do it later so that if they come back feeling differently, you can remind them of your earlier conversation.
Sometimes a bad boss will pull you aside and blame you for something that wasn’t your fault. Do not accept responsibility for it if it wasn’t you. Yes, a bad boss can be scary when they’re yelling at you telling you that you messed up big time. But don’t let it scare you into making them think you are a bad employee. However long it takes, you make sure you tell them there was a good reason why the task wasn’t completed or that things turned out the way they did.
They may not like that you are standing up to them, but don’t let a bad boss bully you into something that wasn’t your fault, to begin with.
It gets hard, throughout the day, to keep a positive attitude. Especially with your bad boss breathing down your neck to meet their unrealistic standards. But if you lose your cool it may cost you more than you bargained for. Take a second, go to the bathroom, talk to yourself, remind yourself that you won’t be there all day, that you’re trying your best and that’s all you can do.
Almost always in corporations, there is somebody in charge of that bad boss, they are just most likely not around all the time. If things are getting really bad in the workplace, it might be a good idea to report to a higher manager. Explain the situation, how this person is hurting the work environment and making it a toxic workplace.
They may do something about it or they may not, but if you like your job and really believe that this manager is in the wrong, this might be something that you just have to try.
Sometimes, this is what it comes down too. Leaving your job is not uncommon but mental health is important. If this job isn’t even tolerable anymore and you feeling working for this bad boss isn’t worth it, and nothing can be done, it’s probably time to find something else.
It doesn’t mean that you have to just stop showing up for work or walking out in the middle of your shift. You don’t have to be that extreme unless you really want too. It’s more beneficial if you search for a new job while sticking out the old one if you can. If not, then, by all means, leave asap, just be prepared to deal with the consequences such as no more source of income and less likely to be able to use the company as a reference.
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