Frances Horibe's

My Boss is Contemptuous In the last post, I outlined ways bosses can be jerks. This post will focus on those who are contemptuous. What it is This boss doesn’t get that treating his employees as human beings is not just good business (as it is) but a requirement of humanness. Instead he: Is always late for meetings Doesn’t read the work you did for the meeting Sends e-mails and texts all hours of night (and expects a prompt response) Changes his mind frequently and is unconcerned about the extra work caused Reprimands or corrects employees in public, sometimes loudly or even abusively Never, never says thank you What it looks like Your boss, Tony, has called you into his office. Tony: Didn’t you get my text? You: Yeah, I just read it. Tony: I sent it yesterday. I need you to hop to it. You: But you sent it after midnight. Tony: So? I’m still working even if you aren’t. You: Okay—I’ll get on it. What to do You want to yell, Just because you don’t have a personal life, doesn’t mean I don’t. Are you crazy? I get it. But not the most effective approach if being gainfully…

My Boss is Impossible to Work for If the world were fair, you’d never have an impossible boss. They would all be evenhanded, encourage their staff to their full potential, and not be working out personal issues on the job. Right. Every once in a while, you get a great one. If you do, they are gold. Hang in there as long as you can and don’t take your luck for granted. Not all are impossible bosses But for the rest of us, perfect bosses, like perfect people, are few and far between. Which doesn’t mean the rest are jackasses, of course. After all, you’re not perfect either (I hope this is not news to you) and would probably not do a better job. Even if you’re sure that you would. So, generally, I’d give him the benefit of the doubt, if you can. Flawed, yes. Sometimes a little petty. Or inconsiderate. Or bad-tempered. If these are not characteristics but occasional outbreaks, I’d try to treat them as one-offs and focus on whether your supervisor is primarily a good guy with positive intent. But sometimes you can’t because his behavior makes it difficult to do your best work. These are…

If the world were fair, you’d never have a jerk boss. They would all be evenhanded, encourage their staff to their full potential, and not be working out personal issues on the job. Right. Every once in a while, you get a great one. If you do, they are gold. Hang in there as long as you can and don’t take your luck for granted.