How to Survive a Bad Boss

is this a bad boss?

In my profession, I am really more of an "auditor" than anything else. I review the work done by the organization and then advise if their deliverables meet US legal requirements for due diligence. In many cases, they do not meet due diligence requirements, and this can be proven via historical artifacts. Unfortunately, the companies that hire me to audit their performance almost 100% of the time fire the person who brings bad news. I can go to jail for lying about the results of an audit - and can go to jail for falsifying audit results. Given this scenario, I tell the truth. My positions are often short-lived, and my reports have led to multi-million dollar fines against the companies I audit - because I am right and I did tell the truth and I can prove it. However, this often results in me havint to look for a new job every two months. What do you think?

BC of KS @ Nov 16, 2009 22:24:58 PM

Bad bosses weigh heavily

I worked for a bad boss. He who would fight with his wife or a client and then take it out on his staff, calling us "jizz stains," "incompetent," "unintelligent," etc. He would stomp around the office screaming and slamming doors. He tended to target one employee and take out all of his aggression on them, which would eventually lead to him firing them over something simple.

I was his direct assistant and one day I felt him completely switch his behavior towards me. I tried to figure out if I did anything wrong to make the change, but I couldn't see anything. I was always early, did all of my work without errors, didn't linger over lunch breaks and was always willing to work late (and on weekends). I went above and beyond my call of duty and thought I was doing a great job, until the day he targeted me. He started to pick apart everything I did, calling in on days when he was out just to criticize me. He would call my cell phone before work, on weekends and during the evenings. He would text me at all hours. He called me stupid multiple times, saying he thought the good school I went to for university meant I was supposed to be smart.

The toxic work enviornment started to weigh heavily on me. I could not sleep, would cry in the bathroom at work and, dreaded waking up in the morning. I would feel nervous 24/7 and lived in total fear of making even the smallest mistake. His attidude changed my attitude and I started to take my frustrations out on friends and my husband. I became a miserable person. I desperately tried to find a new job but wasn't having any luck. I didn't know what I was going to do but I knew I couldn't take it there anymore.

Six months ago I went on a lunch break and came back to him insisting that I was gone for over an hour. When I proved him wrong by showing him the sign in and out sheet, and had another coworker as a witness, he snapped and told me to leave. I was fired then & there. You know what? I wasn't upset at all but instead literally felt a heavy weight lift off of my chest as I rode the train home. I am still unemployed (though searching), and not working does make me nervous in this economy, but you know what? I feel like I have my life back. I know that I don't deserve to be treated like that ever again. I have decided to go to grad school and change careers. I finally figured out who I am.

There was some light at the end of the bad boss tunnel....but he's still the biggest jerk I have ever met (and that is an understatement).

L of NV @ Nov 16, 2009 04:29:48 AM

Sometimes a Bad Boss Can Build Your Career

I know a woman who *offered* to work for the bad bosses of her company, one bad boss at a time. It was a creative way to niche herself and build a solid career with the company. I'm sure she used much of the excellent advice offered in this article by Ms. Burns! She became the Queen of handling bad bosses and proved it could be done. She'd tame the bosses and then train her replacement in how to handle them. Then, they'd move her to the next bad boss...with a little raise thrown in. The company actually used an administrative assistant to provide day to day management training. It was a sneaky but successful approach. Great advice Ms. Burns.

GM in FL of FL @ Nov 12, 2009 10:47:49 AM

Boss and Sickness

But what if you are so nervous around your boss, for she is such a perfectionist...and your fear of failure is amplified by her actions,(micromanaging) what recommendations might be offered as far as coping skills? Coming to work, feeling paranoid or sick to the stomache, is not healthy, day in and day out. Looking for another job is not always the answer. Who's to say you won't wind up with a bad boss at the new company; one who may even worse than the one you work with now?

Dana of VA @ Nov 05, 2009 11:45:44 AM

Avoiding the bad bosses

The best way to survive a bad boss is to not work with one in the first place. There are sites like www.ebosswatch.com that give you an inside look at what bosses are like before you start working with them.

Pat of IL @ Nov 04, 2009 17:30:42 PM

A Reader

If you get through your working life without a bad boss you are in a tiny minority and really lucky. So, read and listen. Some of these ideas are really hard to do but they sure beat the alternatives, so suck it up, and pay attention.

RSB of WA @ Nov 04, 2009 16:26:20 PM