Help! My Boss Is A Bully!
My boss
plays favorites, and hardly does any work. She expects me to do most of the
work, is moody, likes to put me in situations where she knows I will negatively
react. When I try to stick up for myself I get in trouble! Her way is the only
way and she loves to flaunt her authority.
Signed,
Sassypants
Dear Sassypants:
Apparently you are not your boss' favorite. Why? You don't tell us in what
ways she favors some of your coworkers. Nor do you explain in what situations
she puts you and how you react. You do say that her way is the only way and that
she does little work, and flaunts her authority. Just for openers, I gather that
you don't like her.
What are you asking of us??? Do you want us to hate her too? Or do you want
suggestions on how to changer her? Or how to cope with a boss you dislike?
Here are several suggestions you can consider:
- Look in the mirror. What is it about you that might cause a boss to
dislike you? Are you so well groomed that she is jealous? Do you greet her,
your co-workers, and customers with a smile and cheery small talk? Do you
listen and follow instructions? Do you complete tasks promptly? Do you
suggest ways to cut costs? Do you delight coworkers and customers with the
good work you do? If you answer in the affirmative to all these questions, I
imagine that just grooming yourself a bit more plainly will lessen her
jealousy.
- Devise a strategy to change how she sees you. One way is to ask "am I
pleasing the boss with the way I am working?" I know that it is not
what you want to hear from me. You would prefer to have me advise you to
tell her to go to hell. Another question, an even a more important question
you might ask yourself, is--if I owned this business, what would I do? In
short are you doing your job as you would if you were owner-manager?
- Read up on teamwork. See that section in our Q&A
Archive. Print several of the best Q&As and share them with your
co-workers. Talk with them about what it would mean if you worked together
as a winning team. Suppose that you were on a work team competing for the
QUALITY COMES FIRST AWARD. If you can get your coworkers to pretend for a
week that they are competing for this imaginary award, what would happen?
For two week? For a month?
- Plan to change jobs. If you follow suggestions 1, 2, and 3, now is the
time to ask your boss for a letter of recommendation. Ask yourself where you
want to go on your career path. What must you learn to earn the kind of jobs
which are challenging, make you feel you are making a contributing to a
better world, and in which the pay is fair?
Let's suppose, Sassypants, that none of these suggestions appeal to you. I
would still advise that you ask your boss for a letter of recommendation. She
should be willing to write one just to get rid of you. You may luck out and find
another job that has a boss unlike your present boss. I dare you, Sassy, to send
us your reactions to these suggestions. Tell us how you answer the questions I
have listed for you to answer and what reactions you get to the way you answer
them.
WEGO is not a workplace heaven sent--rather it
begins with down to earth questions and answers.
Bill Gorden
