Overcoming Workplace Challenges: Dealing with Poor Management and Its Impact on Employees: Problematic Bosses are Employees Nightmares

Friday, May 24, 2013

Problematic Bosses are Employees Nightmares

Most all employees have worked with an abstruse boss who is difficult to understand. When you were hired, it was not in your "Employee Handbook," if you were lucky enough to have one. And nowhere was it printed that you would not only perform your duties but learn to work under a difficult boss.

I have worked under a few diverse bosses, however, one of my favorites was the principal of the elementary school where I taught phonics and reading skills. She was a joy to behold and an angel to everyone, but when she spoke in meetings, everyone listened and went by her rules. She was very much loved by everyone.

And then there was the other kind, who was inconsistent, a queen of procrastinators, never on time to work, and had her favorites in the office. And to give an example of this:

In a staff meeting, she stated that no one could have any off days or vacations in the month of June. And of course, most of the employees took this as a new rule to live by in the office. However, an employee got a vacation for two weeks in June, and who was it? One of her favorites.

Now since June was the only month my husband could take a vacation, we had to cancel our plans, and I worked while he stayed at home on his vacation and went fishing. Did I say anything? The next staff meeting, when this was brought up again, I voiced my concerns in a professional manner. This rule was never applied again.

I say speak your mind—it can be done at the right time, even if you have to wait a year to do it. But I have to be honest here—I always spoke up when I did not agree with her on any issues where I knew she was wrong or it could not be done and it affected the particulars of my job.

I always look for something to like in everyone, and even she had her good moments. As she owned the company where I worked, I always expected more from an owner/manager than she gave to all employees. But I did not walk in her shoes—nor would I want to—as I have seen times when she was stressed out. And at the same time, she did not mind stressing us out over various company changes that were made in an unprofessional manner, but not on her part. But we all had to deal with it for the company, and I was happy to help anyway.

I had a huge job, and my duties took every minute of the workday to complete, and most of the time I did not know what was happening in the office—but the girls kept me informed. We always joked that staff meetings were useless—the rules she made in the meetings were broken before we got back to our offices.

So, everyone can learn to appreciate a good boss when they have one and to work around a difficult one as well. People came and went in her business, and I outlasted most as I loved the work I was doing in communicating with people and helping them.

One day I decided I was tired of it all, and I resigned with great pleasure. However, I did care for the people in the office, and I missed them for a long time.

Always look for the good in everyone—and then work with that as a life lesson. We cannot make and mold humans to be the perfect people to be around, but we can grow as a person and learn to deal with what is dispensed to us in life, whether it be issues or people. It always needs attention—the employee issues in the workplace.