The effect of a toxic boss can extend beyond the workplace: Instead of being your usual self, you feel less confident every time you leave the office.
Your behavior changes and you become more self-critical about everything you do.
Everyone will experience working for a toxic boss at least once in their life. It is so common that it is impossible to avoid it completely.
But that doesn’t mean your life has to be miserable. Just because you work for a toxic boss doesn’t mean you should be influenced by him or her.
In this article, we discuss ways how to determine whether or not your boss is bad, as well as some actionable tips for staying sane throughout your career.
Read on to learn how to neutralize your toxic boss, and when it’s time to move on to a better work environment.
How and why does power corrupt people?
“It’s me? Is it difficult to work with me?” Working with a toxic boss can make you feel self-conscious.
Entering the office feels like entering the savannah: one mistake and your boss’s eagle will swoop down and send you back to his lair.
The good news is that the problem is rarely the fault of the employee.
A 2017 survey revealed that the most common reason employees leave the workplace is because they don’t like their boss. The survey also found that:
61% of Americans are aware of abusive behavior at work
65% would quit their jobs to end bullying
71% of employer responses were harmful (emotionally and physically) to recipients
Dealing with bad bosses is a common phenomenon in the workplace, making its prevalence seem indicative of a broken work culture in the United States.
However, experts believe that the problem lies in the leadership culture itself, not in the organization.
Terrible bosses become toxic because of their access to power and influence.
This does not mean that all presidents and leaders are doomed to become evil; It’s just that leadership and its benefits can convince individuals that they are exceptions to the rule, including committed social behavior.
So why do some presidents turn for the worse?
Freedom from justice. Some leaders simply believe that the ends justify their means. Ethicist Terry Price calls this behavior “exception making,” in which leaders, especially political figures, bend the rules according to their whims and define injustice as expediency.
Energy poisoning. Bosses who misbehave and sometimes act arbitrarily do so simply because they can. They realize the full extent of their influence, which some might consider invulnerability. This type of leader is prone to abuse, violence, and corruption.
Personal empowerment. Even the noblest leaders will have their agenda. Being moved to a position of power gives you access to resources and influence, allowing you to act on your principles, regardless of their moral implications.
Whether you’re power-hungry or not, gaining access to influence, resources, and followers can be overwhelming. When left unchecked, energy can easily turn toxic, creating ripples in a peaceful work environment.
#What makes a toxic manager? 5 types of Toxic Bosses
Power shapes people in different ways. Some individuals will respond to authority by overcompensating and projecting a bigger and better version of themselves, sometimes at the expense of others. Others may choose to use this to manipulate their employees and take them for granted.
Toxic bosses take many forms. Recognizing what is the first step to understanding what you’re up against, and how you can neutralize your toxic boss.
#handler
How they act: They point fingers at Gaslight employees, act innocent in times of failure, point fingers at others, and use false compliments to encourage employees to do what they want
The manipulator constantly gives you responsibilities that you cannot or do not want to do.
They can appear attractive and charming, but in reality, they are using their social skills to get their employees to do things they would rather not be involved in. They persuade you to comply by giving you false compliments or creating competition.
Have you ever felt like you can never say no to your boss? Beware: you may be working for a manipulator.
This boss is a master of gaslighting. In situations where their ideas fail, they blame you and take no credit for organizing the effort in the first place.
It makes you feel bad about mistakes that are not your making.
You find yourself taking on more responsibilities at your own expense, simply because your boss always finds a way to make you do his bidding.
#time eater
How they behave: Controls time but doesn’t care if they’re late, forces teams to abandon ongoing projects regardless of progress or time spent, and expects employees to deliver on time no matter what.
Time eaters don’t care about your personal or professional time. Are you working on an important project? Pack things, you have to do something else.
Spent months on a new playground? Scratch that, they “never wanted that idea in the first place.” Do you enjoy a stress-free workplace?
Forget that, you’re jumping into a project that’s five months old without any onboarding.
Time eaters are so stuck in their heads that they rarely see how their work ethic affects others.
Most eaters also have one goal and will stop at nothing to achieve their vision.
Time-consuming bosses usually have their schedule and expect each employee to work with their own time and react negatively when others fall short.
This does not mean that time eaters are the most productive bosses in the world.
It is still possible for lazy and disorganized individuals to fall into this category and use their position to show that they are in charge when they are quite the opposite.
#The sadist
How they behave: They publicly embarrass employees, put unnecessary pressure on teams without offering any incentives or rewards, create bureaucratic rules, and ignore employee frustration
A sadistic boss needs no introduction – he is the textbook definition of toxic. They find ways to piss off their employees and seem to enjoy other people’s misery.
These are the kind of bosses who hire people without benefits, work long, boring hours without any shifts, and skimp on pay.
It seems impossible to please a sadistic boss. People walk on eggshells around this person and are eager to please for fear of being reprimanded within earshot.
As a result, office capacity is low and productivity and creativity are severely affected.
Wannabe friend
How they behave: Stir up interdepartmental drama, avoid responsibility, “democratize” the workplace, and engage in workplace gossip
The wannabe boyfriend may not be as tough as the first three bosses, but he can be just as frustrating to work with.
Overtly friendly bosses tend to ignore personal and professional boundaries — whether that’s texting you about a non-urgent matter in the middle of the night or asking a personal question on the spot.
This type of boss is toxic because employees are forced to make a friendship that feels like an obligation.
You don’t want to strain your relationship with your boss, so you laugh at his silly jokes and agree to go out to strange places in the office just to make him feel better.
The most dangerous trait of wannabe boyfriend bosses is their tendency to socialize.
They tend to create divisions between departments and individuals by encouraging competition, expressing favoritism, or engaging in office gossip.
#Partial manager
How they act: They constantly ask for updates on projects, find different ways to track your progress and ensure they have a say in every decision you make
A micromanager also known as a productivity killer is the most common type of toxic boss in the workplace.
The micromanager is the bane of modern offices.
Thanks to productivity apps, project tracking, and online engagement, this type of boss now has the tools to insert themselves into every working minute of your life.
Instead of using these tools to promote transparency, your boss uses them to micromanage to monitor everything your team does.
The worst part? They make constant comments about your decisions, making you second-guess yourself every step of the way.
#Toxic habits of bosses
Still not sure if you’re working for a toxic boss? Pay attention to the following signs:
They only take care of themselves. They prioritize self-promotion and do not care about the career advancement of their employees.
They control the decision-making process and always want to have the last word in meetings.
Rewards and incentives are based on loyalty. Employees who are loyal to their boss, despite their performance at work, always get better benefits than actual high-achieving employees.
They are verbally and physically aggressive.
They bring others down whenever possible. They undermine your performance and make you feel like you don’t have what it takes to please them.
The blame usually falls on the employees and never on them. This type of manager explicitly blames the employee’s performance and incompetence for shortcomings at work.
They are vulnerable to criticism but never provide any training. They will gladly shoot down your ideas but will not provide any guidance on how to come up with better ideas.
They believe their employees are mind readers. They are inflexible and expect people around them to act according to their whims, regardless of how others feel about the situation.
They create awkward and tense situations in the workplace by calling out co-workers, blatantly pointing out mistakes, or by making inappropriate comments.
They have a strong sense of entitlement. You can’t expect your manager to make mistakes, whether personal or work-related.
