Dealing With a Terrible Boss: Your Handy Guide

Note: This blog post is a sponsored conversation written by Lynn Smythe, the Founder and Chief Blogger for The Creative Cottage lifestyle blog. The opinions, thoughts, ideas and text are all mine.

For most of us, there has been a time in our lives where we worked with a boss we didn’t care for, and that’s to put it mildly. Some bosses are seemingly put in certain roles as part of the great cosmic comedy, because it seems like there is no justification to it at all.

These are the people who let a fraction of their power go to their heads, and are relatively insufferable. But of course, the business world and your career rarely asks of you to like your boss. As long as they are competent, it is your duty to work with them for as long as you remain employed there willingly.

Dealing with a terrible boss can sometimes be a matter of more than just ‘grinning and bearing it.’ By this we of course mean the bosses who are seemingly aggressive, incompetent, care little for their workers experience or seem to have a personal vendetta against you or another team member. Still, when experiencing something even as annoying as this, it’s important to react in the right way. Consider these tips:

Keep it Professional

Keeping things professional between you and your boss is essential. You need to try and avoid any emotional outbursts or risk compromising your position at work. Of course, if they are harassing you, that’s another story.

We are in no way suggesting that you ‘grin and bear it.’ But sometimes, in order to ensure that your smooth transition to another company is possible, that you do not risk damaging your professional reputation, or that you don’t give them the higher ground to stand on, it’s best to remain as impartial as you can. Speak to HR. Go through the proper routes. Speak to your colleagues about it, and ask if they’ve noticed anything. Odds are that the sentiment is echoed. And then lodge a complaint. But that can only be helped if you follow the steps shown below.

Keep your cool when dealing with an angry boss. Image courtesy Pexels.

Slowly Document

Document how your supervisor and coworkers treat you. Draw up a timeline of any and all issues you’ve experienced. Save any negative messages they send you via text, email or voicemail, or any complaints you have sent to HR.

Slowly document the issues because then you’ll have a stronger case if you do decide to escalate things, with a burden of proof well-applied to whatever issue you are facing. This will help you develop a better perception of yourself, as you know that any ill-treatment is simply fuel to their own fire. If your colleagues have complained about the same treatment, you might be able to collect their evidence too, and make both of your cases stronger.

Leave or Litigate

Unfortunately, corporate culture can sometimes designate ill-behaving managers to a place of protection or safety. If this happens, leave. If you’re not taken seriously or told to forget it, leave. But don’t be afraid to litigate if the injury or harassment is series.

For example, a personal injury lawyer could help you take them to task if safety equipment has been lacking, or you might be able to file a harassment claim or sue for emotional damage. At the very least, it could prevent them from committing the same behavior again.

With these dealing with an angry boss tips, you’re sure to deal with your terrible boss correctly.

+ There are no comments

Add yours