Work Related Issues

Difficult Boss

One of the main reasons that workers become unhappy at work is bad management. A bad boss can turn even a good working environment into an uncomfortable and unhappy workplace. They have the ability to assign good or bad tasks, and ultimately to fire us. This power imbalance is why a good relationship with your manager is so important. If you want to know how to deal with a bad boss and to improve your work environment, following tips will be helpful:

1. Speak up:- If you are struggling to have a good relationship with your boss, then you shouldn't stew in silence. Talking to your boss about your problems in a calm, polite, and professional manner can help you work together to resolve them. Of course, the type of relationship you have and the type of person your boss is can affect how you approach your conversation, but in general, saying something and trying to improve the relationship is superior to getting angry and frustrated and not being able to get your work done.

2. Work with your boss, not against him or her:- If you spend time making your boss look incompetent at meetings or sabotaging your boss' efforts to get work done, then you'll only be poisoning your relationship and your work environment. Instead of making things work for yourself, try to help your boss achieve goals and everything will run more smoothly.

3. Don't bad mouth your boss to your co-workers:- Saying negative things about your boss to your coworkers will only fuel the fire at best or get you in trouble at worst. Though you may feel tempted to vent about your boss's managerial style, you should keep your negative feelings to yourself. Having your coworkers join you in complaining about your boss won't make the problem go away, and if the wrong coworker catches word of what you're saying, it may get back to your boss in a very unpleasant way.

4. Anticipate problems before they happen:-Watch out for future problems and try to make them go away before something blows up. Think of it as anticipating the tantrum of a toddler: if you hear your boss fuming on the other side of the hallway, you can prepare something to calm him down, or find a way to stay out of the situation.

5. Praise your boss when he or she gets it right:- Many managers never receive praise because somehow, it is mistakenly believed that praise should only flow from managers to employees. You may be nervous about approaching your manager to offer advice, but good managers are truly grateful for constructive, useful feedback, and will appreciate any opportunity which helps them learn how to do a better job.

6. Make sure you're acting right:- Before you go and blame your boss for all the problems in your relationship, you should ask yourself whether or not there are aspects of your own performance that can be improved. You may feel like you're acting perfectly, but you should make sure that you're actually meeting the goals you were supposed to meet, pulling your weight with projects, and communicating effectively.

7. Be professional at all times:-Though you may be tempted to slander your boss, to act childish, to show up late to work just out of spite, or even to do something as silly as stealing your boss' stapler, these antics won't get you anywhere. Even if you find that your boss is childish or immature, you should not stoop down to his or her level and maintain your professional nature at all times. Work to maintain your calm and dignity, so that your boss will be the one who looks unprofessional if you have a conflict.

8. Don't fight fire with fire:- If you and your boss have an altercation, it may feel good to start fighting back with harsh words or abusive language, but only temporarily. Even if your boss blows up at you, you should avoid using offensive language, being aggressive, making personal attacks, or doing anything else that you may want to do to get some of that frustration off your chest. Though it may feel good in the short run, but in the long run, you'll only be damaging your relationship further and also incriminating yourself.