Bad bosses exist in every large and small company, and they do worse than damage employee morale.
Chances are you are working for one of these individuals right now. They can be inept, insane, lacking in moral fibre or just plain loathsome. Bad bosses are the scourge of 21st century employment, and in addition to making you feel miserable, they can contribute to higher absenteeism, lower productivity and at the very worst, severe emotional and psychological distress. Below are common types of bosses you hope you will never have to work for.
The Boss with No Sense of Direction
A big question mark hangs over this kind of boss. They won't, or just can't set clear guidelines, are vague and above all avoid getting into the middle of a conflict. It's clear that this type of boss has no management skills, and might have been given the job in the first place because the company was unsuccessful in finding somebody on the outside.
The Boss Who Acts Like a Dictator
They will be happy to assign tasks to you and will check your work numerous times, dissecting the results until it's no longer relevant. This wastes a tremendous amount of your time and if your work isn't up to their standards you'll just do it again. Dictators are constantly looking for flaws in employees and their work, and they always find something. It's just a matter of time.
The Boss with Multiple Personalities
Trying to work with this kind of boss is like walking on broken glass. They can be as nice as apple pie one day, and the next they'll turn into a raving lunatic with little or no warning. And what's worse they want you to ignore their inconsistencies and to adapt to their highs and lows by the minute.
The Boss Who Screams and Yells Uncontrollably
Ouch! This kind of boss seems to think that he/she can get what they want simply by raising their voice to ear-shattering levels. They end up getting a higher position in the company because some people in a human resources department might interpret screaming as a sign of determination. There's no easy way to cope with these people except to listen closely to what they say, and make them believe you are hearing them. Hopefully, this will calm the screamer down and they can communicate in a more reasonable fashion.
The Boss Who Uses Fear
This kind of boss will threaten you periodically or several times a day. They use fear just because it works, employees are afraid of getting thrown out on the sidewalk, afraid of not getting their wages and so on. It can work in the short term, a little bit of fear can motivate people but most workers aren't stupid. Sooner or later they will realize that all the money in the world isn't worth putting up with that kind of treatment, and will quickly disappear.
The Boss Who Stabs People in the Back
To get what they want, it's necessary to set people up in order to climb higher within the organization. Employees are there to be stepped on like rungs on a ladder. Unfortunately these types of people can't cultivate genuine relationships. What more can you say?
Working for any and all of the managerial types listed above isn't fun or pleasant by any stretch of the imagination. Your financial security is as risk, not to mention your physical and mental well being. Remember if you are being sexually harassed or threatened in any way by your boss report the individual to those higher up the chain. If they don't listen (believe it or not sometimes complaints of this nature fall on deaf ears) get out of there quick and don't look back.
