You Work For A Bad Boss? What to Do

If you’ve read my book, Wake Up and Smell the Competition, or attended one of my  presentations on leadership or employee motivation, you know I believe that every company should adopt a “Zero Tolerance for Bad Bosses” policy.

What Happens When You Work for a Bad Boss?

The reasons every company should adopt a Zero Tolerance for Bad Bosses Policy are obvious:

You can’t expect employees to treat customers and internal customers exceptionally well if they are not treated exceptionally well.

The Number One cause of job dissatisfaction in America is working for a bad boss.

Teamwork will likely be non-existent if the team does not look up to or fears their leader.

You will have an unhappy and unproductive workplace.

People will go through the motions of their job and never display initiative beyond their job description.

What should you do if you work for a boss who micromanages your work, talks down to you, is inaccessible, does not express appreciation, or is disrespectful in any way?

When You Work for a Bad Boss You Have Three Choices: 

1. Quit.

2. Continue to work in a negative environment and deal with it by recognizing we don’t live in a perfect world.

3. Confront your boss and take your chances on making a difference for yourself and your team.

Assuming that quitting is not an option for you, and that you may not be able to tune it out for long, then the third option, while daunting, is the preferable choice. It’s not easy to confront a bad boss, but if you want the situation to change, you may need to speak up.

Working for a Bad Boss – List of Three Steps to Take

Step # 1. Honestly tell them how their behavior affects you, but choose your words carefully—with tact, diplomacy and respect.  Keep in mind, that if you speak softly and sincerely, you are more likely to be heard. Also, positioning your comments in terms of how they affect you is more effective than blunt criticism. For instance, if your boss talks down to you, rather than saying, “You shouldn’t be condescending to others,” say, “When you dismiss what I say, it makes me feel as if my work isn’t appreciated.”  Then, if you are brave enough, try saying, “Are you unhappy with my performance?”

Step # 2. Let your boss know how their attitude and behavior affects your team.  If your boss’s behavior affects you, chances are it has an impact on those you lead as well. A boss who understands that his or her behavior has a negative consequence on many others might be more willing to change the behavior. For example, if a boss only pays lip service to an “open door policy”, you might point out that when he or she does not listen to your employee’s concerns, it makes the employees feel as if the company doesn’t really care about them. If they micromanage everyone’s projects, you might say you and your team feel he or she does not trust them.

Step # 3. This is the most important step.  Explain how your boss’s behavior can trickle down to customers and  ultimately, the company’s bottom line. When the bottom line is involved, the boss will pay attention.

Ultimately, all our actions affect customers in some fashion, and when you can point out the affect, a bad boss will take notice. For instance, a boss who doesn’t listen to other people’s suggestions can be told, “Our customers are looking for options, and I feel my team has come up with some good ones. When you dismiss our ideas, I think our customers miss an opportunity to be presented with some good choices.”

Working for a Bad Boss?  Be Tactful and Diplomatic!

Confronting your boss takes guts. If you make that choice, you made the right one. Tactfully and diplomatically explaining to a bad boss how his or her behavior affects you, your team, and your customers stands the best chance of changing their behavior – perhaps not completely, but improving it to the point where it’s noticeable.

And if you are working for a bad boss, and confronting them doesn’t work, then you’re always left with option one! Ouch!