A horrible boss is not something you should wish on anyone. It's a horrible, life-sucking curse. There are many different reasons why a boss can be a bad leader, but one thing remains the same, their bad behavior can make you start to hate your job.
Even though you may keep your mouth shut and obey their every order, new research published in Personnel Psychology found that standing up for yourself against a horrible boss can help your sanity.
While researchers from Ohio State University thought answering hostility with more hostility would be bad for one's mental state, they found just the opposite. "Employees felt better about themselves because they didn't just sit back and take the abuse," says lead study author, Bennett Tepper.
Since holding back can only break you down, standing up for yourself can earn you respect from your co-workers and make you more committed to your job. When a horrible boss keeps bringing you down at work, it's time to manage up. Here's how you should handle a horrible boss.
Take Initiative
Once you start to notice your boss going all Buddy Ackerman on you (Kevin Spacey in Swimming with Sharks), it's time to dive into a serious conversation. Set up a meeting where you two can talk work priorities and to clarify their expectations for you. It's takes a lot of courage to speak up to an intimidating boss, but you can still be professional while speaking your mind. Take notes during the meeting, coming up with a plan to tackle all projects together. Listen to what they have to say, while still telling them if you feel overwhelmed in some areas. Chances are your boss will respect that you took the initiative to solve the work tension.
Support Success, Strengthen Weakness
So standing up against your bullying boss may make you feel good, but going about it the wrong way could end up with you loosing your job. While the last thing you want to do is help your boss achieve success when they treat you horribly, making them look bad will only make your work life worse. If you know your boss is good at handling a specific task, suggest they take the lead on that project, while you offer to take the lead on another task that they have proved to have a weaker performance on. For example, if your boss tends to run late, offer to start off the early morning meeting. While helping them with small things may have no instant reward, over time they might appreciate that you never throw them under the bus.
Handling A Hands On Vs. Hands Off Boss
Some managers are known for micromanaging every little detail. This could prevent you from actually getting your work done, or result in you wasting an entire day on a project just to have your boss kill your idea and do it themselves. You will have to work on building their trust. Start by giving them daily updates, so they feel like they don't have to babysit. Over time, you may be able to get them to only check your work once a week.
If your boss is always M.I.A., you may feel like you have no idea if your are performing your task correctly, which can only make you look bad in the end. So when your boss is not available make sure you ask them questions before you start on a new project. Send them emails to make sure you're on the same page so at least you'll have proof that you tried to follow directions.
Get Co-Worker Support
You might have to take a good, hard look in the mirror and really ask yourself if you are performing well at your job. If you always come late, call out sick, and mess up frequently, your boss may not be that horrible. If you know that you are giving it your all, but your boss is mentally draining, then it's time to call in for back up. Instead of bashing your boss to your co-workers, keep your emotions in check and observe your boss' relationship with others. If you notice other co-workers butting heads a bit with the boss too, then talk to them about boss-handling strategies at lunch. Pay attention to what kinds of things your boss looks down upon and what they give praise to and try to come up with techniques to work around your boss' pet peeves.
Going to HR may backfire if you don't set up a meeting with the boss first, so avoid rallying troops for a full-on war with your bad boss. Find other senior colleagues you can get advice from. If you impress another boss at work, you may gain respect from your boss. When all else fails, it's time to talk to HR or start that new job search.
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