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dealing with a nightmare boss?


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I have been at my job for a little over a year now and up until about a month ago I thought it was something I could stay at long term. My coworkers are amazing and the owner of the place I work at is amazing. For my field I make at the higher end of a starting salary and I have great benefits.

 

 

My problem is our old manager recently left and the person who replaced her is one of the worst managers I have ever had. He is lazy, plays favorites, his policies are not professional, he doesn’t follow the rules, and he thinks he is above doing regular every day work. (The old manager always helped out with the everyday stuff when she could and knew that she wasn’t above having to do anything that is what made her so amazing)

 

 

My problem is I can’t decide if I should try to stay and wait to see if he leaves soon or somehow gets better (not likely). It is getting to the point to where it is affecting my mood outside of work and I am getting angry at his favorite who I used to be really close with.

 

 

Does anyone have any advice for dealing with a horrible boss? Should I stay and tough it out or start to look around for something else? There is one other place in my town where I could work that would pay me the same and have the same benefits. The only downside to this place is the hours are not as good.

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If you like the job and the new manager has only been there a month I would suggest you wait a while before making a decision about whether to leave. You don't say how many people work there, but it's unlikely you're the only person who's noticed the different management style if you work as part of a team.

As far as showing favouritism goes, you can bet you won't be the only one who notices that, it's one of the quickest ways to get offside with employees who aren't favoured, not just for the manager but also for the people who are being given special treatment. It's very divisive behaviour which makes for an unbalanced and unhappy work environment, and it won't be long before the overall performance of the team will suffer, eg: bad management is THE biggest cause of high staff turnover, staff taking days off, slacking off, theft from the workplace, etc, etc.

Have you discussed any of this with other work colleagues? I would suggest you do, but be careful about who you choose to mention it to and also what you say so that no one can accuse you of being a trouble-maker. You could kick off a conversation with a colleague by saying how much you miss your old manager. Hope things work out for you :)

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I would suggest you do

 

On the other side of the coin, I would suggest you don't.

 

You are not in a senior enough position to affect any change. It may be exactly what the grot-boss is looking for. They could use it as a team building exercise to unite the group ... against you.

 

Unfortunately there is a school of management thought these days that maintains being horrible to people makes them more productive.

 

Keep your head down and your mouth shut and focus on your given tasks. You may be singled out periodically for 'harmless banter' [personally I believe this is the thin end of the wedge of bullying].

 

What is important is that you can put a loaf on the table and a roof over your head. The rest of it is just gravy, suck it up and be safe in the knowledge that you are not the odious person/grot-boss and never will be.

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People don't quit jobs, they quit bosses.

 

It really depends on the structure and environment of the company. If you have a higher up you can go to that is an option, or HR.

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I'm not really getting how this new manager is a nightmare. Just because he has favorite employees and doesn't want to do work that's below his pay grade? What do you mean by his policies are unprofessional?

 

You're being paid well and have great benefits. Does your manager pick on you, or do anything to you personally to make work a nightmare? To be honest, from what you describe it really doesn't sound that bad. It sounds like you dislike your boss, and that's just something we all have to deal with at one time or another.

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I am not the only one who has noticed that this manager is not that great. One person already left because of him, and I know a couple of others who have talked about their strong dislike for him and how he does things.

 

One is actively looking for a new job, she has the option to move to a new city. ( I do not because I just resigned a year lease last month). The other girl is trying to tough it out because she is a single mom.

 

And it is not professional to play favorites and make it obvious. I have my favorite coworkers. but I do not treat them differently than anyone else. It is unprofessional to allow certain people certain privileges and yell at others for doing the same thing.

 

And it is part of his job description to help out in ALL areas that help is needed. I read the job description when it was posted just to see what they were looking for. (I do not have enough experience to qualify so I am not bitter that he got this job over me- I didn't have the experience required) It says very clearly in there that he is to help out in all areas when needed and will do everything to ensure smooth business throughout the day.

 

Sitting in his chair and doing nothing is not what he was hired to do.

 

As for his policies being unprofessional- I am trying to think of a way to phrase this as to not give away to much. I know people who post here so I want to keep this anonymous. But some of his policies could be damaging to the business and/or clients.

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I guess another way to look at it is like this- how does your boss affect you, your job specifically? Answering that question can help us give you constructive advice. For example, is he giving you more work than someone else? Are you getting treated unfairly in terms of requesting time off?

 

If his actions are impacting you directly, then you have a case to complain to his boss. If not, if it's just a situation of him being a giant useless lump, then really you just need to decide if leaving the good pay and benefits is worth it....because who is to say you're going to love your boss at your next job? Your next boss could be worse- trust me!

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I guess another way to look at it is like this- how does your boss affect you, your job specifically? Answering that question can help us give you constructive advice. For example, is he giving you more work than someone else? Are you getting treated unfairly in terms of requesting time off?

 

If his actions are impacting you directly, then you have a case to complain to his boss. If not, if it's just a situation of him being a giant useless lump, then really you just need to decide if leaving the good pay and benefits is worth it....because who is to say you're going to love your boss at your next job? Your next boss could be worse- trust me!

 

 

His favoritism is affecting everyone. He allows certain people to get away with things and yells at other people for the exact same thing. He is trying to change the way everything has been done there for years and is getting angry that people aren't jumping through hopes to change things that work fine.

 

And he is trying to pile more work on me than other people, but he complains if I stay late to finish it. He is just not meant to be in a position of power.

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Well he might be headed for trouble himself. I've suffered through horrible managers myself and if they're real jerks they usually don't last. However it can take a couple of years for his boss(es) to come to the realization that he's the problem.

 

One thing that stood out to me though is you talked about him trying to change things that have been the same way for years and I'm wondering if part of the problem is that you and your coworkers are resisting change and therefore making your managers job difficult.

 

Sometimes things have to change to enable growth and until all the kinks of those changes get ironed out its sometimes hard to see the benefit of the changes. The company I work for is always growing and changing and with every change there is always complaining and a painful period of adaptation. People who can't adapt usually leave but not before they've spread a lot of negativity around to their coworkers, making the managers job that much more difficult. The employees who embrace the changes and are open minded and willing to try new things are naturally going to stand out and be better liked by their manager compared to the employees who complain and give their manager grief every step of the way.

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strategicoach

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The real question is if that boss wasn't there and you had a good boss would you want to stay? If that answer is yes then you may want to reconsider your stance. In my opinion leaving a good job that you care about and is a good opportunity for your future doesn't come along everyday. Have you tried talking to your boss? Letting him or her know that you understand it's probably hard being the new boss in a company in terms of getting adjusted and getting to know that staff but as an employee who values the company and your job you have some concerns on the direction that his or her leadership is going. You certainly don't want this conversation to be agressive. Feel him or her out to their response to this conversation. If they seem open then proceed with your concerns. If they don't then I suggest you start to keep a journel and document any behavior that they demonstrate that would be considered "toxic" in the work place. If it gets worse and HR gets involved you will be glad you have notes. If all else fails and you're miserable I would say go ahead and look for a new job but just remember you don't know what type of boss you will be getting in return. I hope this helps.

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The real question is if that boss wasn't there and you had a good boss would you want to stay?.

 

 

If I had a great boss I could see myself staying at this company long term. The boss before him was probably the best boss I had ever had and I was so happy at work every day. Now I am just watching the clock and waiting for the day to be over so I can get away from him.

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One thing that stood out to me though is you talked about him trying to change things that have been the same way for years and I'm wondering if part of the problem is that you and your coworkers are resisting change and therefore making your managers job difficult.

 

.

 

 

We are all resisting the changes he wants to make because it is making the job more difficult for everyone and making everyone in a bad mood. His way of doing things takes twice as long and is not as effective.

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The thing is, you are going to have more crappy bosses in life than good ones. And I don't know if you're holding back or just sugar coating this story, but he seriously does not sound like a nightmare boss by any means. I've had bosses who personally insult me, gave me guilt trips for missing work to go to physical therapy after injuring my back at work, asked me to move to a different city and dump my boyfriend, and one even threw her cell phone at me when I stood up to her verbal abuse. I've also had some really amazing bosses who are encouraging, inspiring, supportive, and helped me grow. Bad bosses are sadly just part of life, imo. And yours really doesn't sound that bad. I mean I get it that no one likes the new procedure, but there might be a reason he's making you guys do things differently. Sometimes we have to do things at work that we don't like to do.

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TAnd yours really doesn't sound that bad. I mean I get it that no one likes the new procedure, but there might be a reason he's making you guys do things differently. Sometimes we have to do things at work that we don't like to do.

 

Trust me he is horrible. The bosses you describe sound as if you should have reported them and got them fired. Throwing a cell phone at you sounds as if is defiantly grounds to be fired.

 

No one likes the way he wants to do things because it is harmful to the business and I am not going to be the one responsible if bad happens because we are doing stuff wrong.

 

Thankfully I heard some information from someone I trust there and it doesn't sound like he will be around long term.

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