No one wants to work for a bad boss.
From the micromanager to the office tyrant, bad bosses can make your work life extremely miserable.
In a perfect world, you’d have a boss who was generous with their time, energy, and support. They would offer guidance when needed and trust you to do your job well. They’d be invested in your career and empower you to do your best.
More often than not, you’ll get to work with amazing bosses throughout your career. But, it’s also likely that you’ll have to work for a bad boss at some point. And while we’d love to just quit and leave our horrible bosses, for many working Americans, quitting one’s job is just not a practical option.
The good news is that there are things you can do to cope with a bad boss. Below are some tips to help you handle a bad boss and navigate difficult work situations with confidence.
Try to understand where your bad boss is coming from
When a boss is being overly grouchy or critical, it’s hard not to write them off as a jerk. But it might help to take a step back and see where your bad boss is coming from.
While it feels hard to believe in the heat of the moment, your boss is a human being. And their bad boss behavior might be attributed to something deeper that’s going on in their personal or professional life.
For example, if your bad boss is a micromanager, maybe it’s because this is their first managerial role and they’re overcompensating by watching their employees like a hawk. Or if your boss is overly critical of your work, maybe it’s because of their own perfectionist tendencies and they’re taking it out on others.
Of course, this shouldn’t excuse bad boss behavior. Just because your boss isn’t getting enough sleep, doesn’t mean they have the right to snap at their employees. But trying to see where your boss might be coming from can help you understand their perspective a little better, which, in turn, can help your interactions with them feel less personal, and more manageable.
Be two steps ahead of a bad boss
Knowing where your bad boss is coming from can also help you figure out how to deal with them. You can start to anticipate their demands and be two steps ahead of them.
For instance, if your boss is acting like a micromanager because they’re new to their role, then start by meeting your boss’s biggest needs. Maybe they like to have a briefing report for every meeting. So make sure you prepare their briefing reports before even being asked. This way, a) you won’t get irritated when your boss asks you to do this task because you’ll have already completed it, and b) your boss might even appreciate your proactive behavior and start to ease up a bit.
Figure out your boss’s communication style
Knowing how your bad boss likes to communicate and how they like their information presented to them, will make your life so much easier.
For example, some bosses want everything in email form, while other bosses want you to tell them face-to-face. Some bosses like their information presented in a visual way, with charts and graphs. While other bosses prefer to read overly detailed reports and briefs.
If you’re still unsure what your boss’s communication style is then do some observational work at your next team meeting. Pay attention to how your boss reacts to the information being presented in the room. When do they seem engaged? When do their eyes gloss over? Do they prefer short and succinct? Or do they want to hear everything and in great detail? Do they want facts and figures? Or do they prefer anecdotal evidence?
Knowing how your boss likes to communicate can help you communicate with them much more effectively.
Get things in writing
Maybe your bad boss is always changing their mind. Or maybe they’re always questioning why you did something a certain way when you literally just did what they told you to do.
If you’re working for a bad boss who’s indecisive, or never seems to remember what they asked for, then get their demands in writing.
Try to get their requests over email or text. And always write down notes when you’re in a meeting with them. After the meeting, send a recap email to confirm details and make sure you’re on the same page.
Example: Just so we’re on the same page, you’d like me to do A and B, and get the figures from X. Let me know if I missed anything.
If your boss questions or criticizes your work, you could always refer back to the original email. This might not change your bad boss’s behavior, but it will give you much-needed peace of mind knowing that it’s not you, it’s them.
Find other ways to shine at your organization
Working for a bad boss can be so disheartening, especially when your efforts and hard work are going unnoticed.
One way to help you stay motivated is to find other ways to get noticed at work. If you’re really good at organizing and planning, offer to help out at the next company event. If you’re a graphic designer, offer your skills to a team that’s short staffed. If you’re a writer, see if you can help write the company’s newsletter or social media account.
By creating these opportunities for yourself, you’ll start building a good reputation at work and get noticed for a job well done. You might even find that other people really enjoy working with you and want to bring you on to their team. Or at the very least, you’ll gain new skills and experience that you can then use to help you find a new and better job.
You can follow these tips to help you deal with a bad boss. However, if the situation with your difficult boss is getting to be intolerable and you’re finding it hard to cope, you should definitely talk to HR or a trustworthy colleague.
Written by JiJi Lee
