Dealing With A Bad Boss

A blue collar job isn’t so bad, they say. Most are routine jobs anyone can learn to do, after all. It doesn’t involve much responsibility and it ends the moment your shift is over. But really, what do they know? What do all these onlookers probably understand about working a day job? It’s a lot more challenging than it looks – especially when you have to deal with a really bad boss.

Yes, it happens. When it does, it feels like you’re going through the worst time of your life. But don’t worry, though. It will get better – rather, it should get better.

Before we proceed, however, we would like to clear a few things up. A bad boss is different from an unfair one. A bad boss may refer to a manager, a business owner, or a supervisor with a terrible personality (e.g. nagging, demanding, etc.). An unfair boss, on the other hand, may be an employer that lets you do unfair labor. You should know how to distinguish one from the other. If it’s a bad boss, you can live with it. If it’s an unfair one, then you should probably consider getting legal advice. Unfairness and injustices in a workplace should never be tolerated. If you do, then you are part of our society’s problem. The only reason why unruly labor practices still persist to this day is because employees are too afraid to speak up. Anyway, we can save this discussion for another day.

For now, let’s focus on what measures you can take to deal with a bad boss.

Why Is Having A Good Boss Such A Big Deal?

You may think that you don’t really care what kind of boss you end up with. But one thing we have learned from our profession is that the boss always has some sort of effect on his employee. We have summarized our observations to three points.

It Affects Your Performance

A bad boss affects your performance in more ways than you know. Typically-speaking, a person’s work performance lowers when he or she is dissatisfied with the person supervising him or her. In other words, we don’t try to bring out our best for people who we think don’t deserve our full effort. You see, it’s hard to bring out your most promising potentials when you know the credit would go to someone you personally dislike. This is why it’s necessary that you work closely with a good boss. The better impression you have of your boss, the more motivated you get to work harder.

It Helps You Form A Positive Attitude Towards Work

A good boss encourages you to wake up every morning, dress nicely for work, and brave the day with a happy disposition. A bad boss does the opposite. They can make you hate work. They can make you lose interest in coming to work everyday. After all, what do you have to look forward to? Seeing your boss nag at you again? All too often, we end up despising work not because we are lazy or that we lack motivation. We end up hating it because the environment that surrounds us feels unfulfilling – sometimes, even too demanding. A good boss will help you develop the right attitude towards work. They don’t make work feel like just another chore.

It’s Necessary For Your Professional Growth

Lastly, a good boss encourages you to come out of your shell and be the best employee you can be. A bad boss does not do anything to foster your professional growth. Sometimes, the meanest ones will even put you down and discourage you from achieving your best potentials. Whenever you achieve something, they either take credit for your success or drag you down completely so that they always shine better than you. A worker can only discover more things about himself when the environment permits it. If the environment is suffocating, chances for professional growth are rather dim.   

Should You Quit Your Company If You Have A Bad Boss?

Then again, let’s face it. Not all of us are lucky enough to work for the best bosses. In fact, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll end up in the care of an egotistic and insecure boss on your very first job. Do not fret, however. Just because they’re bad bosses doesn’t mean they’re bad people. Sometimes, you just have to rub them the right way. For starters, you can try the following:

Create The Right Impression

If you’re new to a company, you have to understand that first impressions matter. And since you’re the new guy, you should be the one to adjust. During your initial introduction to your boss, play it safe. Test the waters. Try to read the atmosphere. What do you think your boss is like? After your initial conversation, you should have a pretty good idea of how he manages things around his turf so act accordingly.

Find The Right Timing & Discuss Your Differences

If there are some things that you really don’t agree on and you’re not willing to give up on your own principles either, find the right time to talk to your boss about it. Please understand that timing is very important here. This means that when your boss is on a rampage, you don’t talk to him about it. If he’s in a bad mood all morning, you shouldn’t talk to him about it. Learn how to read the atmosphere – always. When the time is right, discuss your differences and reach a compromise. Hopefully, your boss is one who appreciates frankness and honesty.  

Do Not Retaliate & Never Show Disrespect

No matter how ridiculous or irrational your boss’s ways may be, never show disrespect or blatantly retaliate against his leadership. You have to learn your place. If he’s not verbally or physically abusing you, refrain from talking back. Fighting fire with fire will only aggravate the situation. And remember, he’s the boss. If you don’t play your cards right, you’ll be the one chased away from the company, not him.