Are You The Victim Of A Bad Boss? (Or Does Your Boss Need Supervisory Skills?)

Maybe there was a time in your job when you had a great boss. You enjoyed working for her as she made your contribution to the company seem valuable. However, time passed, and your boss got a promotion and you found yourself under the control of someone very different.

To put it bluntly, your new boss is a bad boss! Your new boss makes you feel as if you can’t do anything right, she seems to pit colleagues against each other by comparing their performance. She has no supervisory or management skills, and seems on the point of losing her temper most of the day. In fact, most of the staff find themselves walking on tenterhooks every time she’s around.

While you may be tempted to approach your boss and tell her exactly what you think of her, and you know a lot of colleagues who’d support you wholeheartedly in doing this, it’s a bad idea.

So how do you deal with it? Firstly, while it’s tempting to blame everything on your new boss, ask yourself if maybe, in some small way, you are to blame for her behavior and attitude towards you. A lot of people become resentful when they lose a good boss, and their new boss can be a victim of this, especially if she has been promoted from within the ranks and there are plenty of disgruntled employees who feel that they’d have been better suited to the position.

Remember, your boss is a human being too. If she’s been newly promoted, she is probably quite nervous and isn’t absolutely sure how best to manage the situation. Some people don’t know how to take a firm but fair stance, and instead start using their position to assert their authority.

A good move is to simply talk to your boss, ask her what she expects of you. If she pulls you up on something she feels you’ve done inadequately, take the time to ask her why. If she compares you to another colleague, call her out on it. Don’t get angry and throw around accusations, but do speak calmly and rationally and explain how you feel.

Try to be friendly towards your boss. Most people don’t actually want to be hated! If your boss feels that everyone dislikes her, this could affect her attitudes towards them, and cause her to be difficult and nasty. If you’re friendly, you may find her warming towards you, and you’ll find your work situation more pleasant.

Unfortunately, it’s not always possible to change a bad boss, but it is possible to understand them. Do your best to be pleasant and friendly when dealing with your boss, and never respond with anger, even when you feel your boss has been unfair. Take this approach and you may find that your boss isn’t so difficult to deal with after all.