Subtle Ways to be a Bad Boss
A little disclaimer: This post is NOT intended to actually encourage bad boss behaviour! It is meant to (somewhat humorously) highlight some ways that well-intended leaders might accidentally be creating negative vibes their work places.
It’s easy to point out the Big Bad Bosses… the thunderous mood bosses, the nit-picky intense demanding bosses, the yellers, the bullies… we’ve all heard horror stories. But there are lots of quiet, more underhanded and sneaky ways to make employees miserable which extroverts and introverts alike may use. These tricks are so sneaky in fact, some bosses might not even be aware that they are doing them!
Introvert Warning: Us introverts may not be yellers, but boy can we make up for it by being especially passive, disengaged, and unaware!
Skirt the rules on safety
Oh this is such a sore point for me and I’m starting with it because I really don’t understand how one justifies even starting a business without first having all their safety ducks in a row. It amazes me how it so often it seems like this is an area not taken seriously because there is some unfounded belief that nothing will ever happen (just because it hasn’t already?) or that it only happens at other places. It gets treated like after-thought, something that can be addressed later at some undetermined date once everything else is taken care of, or it is simply not a priority because it doesn’t make a profit. No, it may not bring in revenue directly, but it is certainly, and at the very least, the first step of building a happy workplace and workforce both of which tend to result in a cushier bottom line. Of course if something does go wrong, it can cost a lot (and not just dollars).
Yes, it requires some effort and time to organize a safety program, but if you’re bright enough to run a business, you are bright enough to sort it out, or at least to get help. In many countries there are at least minimum required standards. Outside of that though, one would think (good) bosses would genuinely want to do their best to for the well-being of their teams.
Be shifty with hours & wages
We all want to get paid for work, even if we absolutely love our jobs. It is kind of the point.
Some really Big Bad Bosses might try to escape paying at all, but there’s a lot of shiftiness that can happen to wages and hours, intentionally and unintentionally. For the sake of this point, I’m not talking about getting paid fair wages. I’m assuming here that a worker has negotiated and agreed to a set wage and general schedule. I am talking about the finer details of overtime pay and hours, vacation pay, deductions, vacation time, minimum hours, termination notices etc. Again, most areas have standards on how workers must be paid, but mistakes resulting from ignorance of those standards can easily be made. Yes, again it takes a little effort to get your payroll ducks in line but it is important to make sure you are paying people what they are owed. That is their bottom line you’re messing with!
Everyone, workers and bosses alike, should take it upon themselves to know what they are entitled to! Do you know the standards in your area?
Demand respect because you're the boss and you said so
I think of respect in the workplace as a currency. It is earned through actions over time and between individuals at all levels and in all directions. Yes, being the boss entitles you to certain behaviour from workers depending on the workplace, but respect is earned. Everyone, workers and bosses, start out with a base amount of respect and from there it can increase or decrease through action.
Respect is a hard one because if you are the boss, workers will often behave respectfully towards you. You might not know that you are not respected. Your staff might be building resentment resulting from disrespectful actions you might unknowingly be doing. There are so many ways to subtly be a disrespectful Bad Boss. You can select from any of the following:
Belittle ideas
Don’t: "Thanks for the idea Jane , but you haven’t been here long enough to understand why that won’t work."
Right, so tomorrow when Jane comes up with an idea that will actually revolutionize your operation, guaranteed you won’t be hearing about it!
Do: "Thanks for your contribution Jane. I’d like to talk to you about how this process works in more detail, because it sounds like you might have some valuable input."
Jane gets to learn more and you get more collaboration.
Be passively condescending
Don’t: "Wow, did you complete that all by yourself?"
It’s sounds like you’re talking to a child and praising him/her for being able to accomplish anything at all.
Do: "Wow, I’m impressed. That type of project usually takes a few people to complete."
Now you are qualifying your intended compliment.
Treat people like they are replaceable or act like you are doing them a favour by employing them
Don’t: "I really need you to stay more focused on this project. There are lots of people who would bite at the chance for your job."
Not motivating and will make them think about the places that would bite at the chance to hire them!
Do: "It seems you might be having trouble focusing on this project. What struggles are you having and what do you need to work through them?"
Criticize work without providing direction for improvement of any positive feedback
Jane sent you a report that took her a week to complete.
Don’t: "I took a quick look and there are mistakes here and here. You need to fix them."
Jane worked long hours on this, but your time is obviously more valuable (even though you asked her for the report) so you didn’t have time to read it. Ouch! All the effort, care, and energy she put into the project is undermined by your focusing on a few errors and completely ignoring everything positive. Next time she won't bother putting in any extra effort and will just aim for the bare minimum.
Do: "Thanks for your work on this all last week. It’s well done and thorough. I liked point a and point b. I did notice a couple of small errors here and here that can be easily fixed, but overall I’m very impressed."
Get someone else to organize your life
You're the boss so you don't have to follow the same rules as everyone else, right? Wrong. Good bosses lead by example. If you want your staff to show up on time, attend meetings, and stay organized then you have to set the tone. Being the boss does not excuse you from the standards you place on others, but rather emphasizes the need for you to uphold them. Of course, there are exceptions, and times when you will need to prioritize for your level of responsibility, but your title and position is not an excuse to make excuses.
If you really want to reach high levels of being an underhanded bad boss, make sure to treat your staff like personal assistants. You're the boss so someone else can tidy up after you, make sure you keep your appointments, arrange your schedule, get where you need to go on time, right? Absolutely, if you've hired a personal assistant, otherwise fend for yourself! Let your employees do the jobs they were hired for.
Be a Busy Boss
Okay, I'll admit it. I am a Busy Bee Boss. I don't always make enough time for everyone. I get caught up in all the little tasks and projects, and while most of that is directly related to improving process and work environment for staff, what they see is someone buried in paper work and ignoring them. It's a slippery slope for us introverts especially. It's so easy to get lost in what's directly in front of us, rather than actively interacting. I'm working on it.
It is essential to make time to interact though, to work the front line alongside people, to get to know them, to be available to listen to ideas, problems, to be there to help and to be present, focused, and aware during those times.
The flip side to the Busy Bee Boss who is busying themselves in their own work, is the Busy Body Boss who hovers micromanaging every detail of what everyone is doing. The Busy Body Boss is not able to let go to allow employees to learn and grow. While it may feel like helping, it can be smothering and can stunt creativity from developing. If you are constantly re-enforcing your own ideas and processes you are not allowing room for anything new (and you may not always have the right answers!). Awesome bosses focus on developing people and giving them the tools to and guidance to solve the problems themselves. Remember, your job is to curate a team of talent!
Strut Around Knowing you’re a Great Boss
You pay your people, you laugh with them, get along with them, treat them every once in a while. You’re a great boss!
Are you though? Really…? What are you doing to actively self-evaluate? Are you guilty of any of the above (we all make mistakes!)? Do you seek feedback regularly and are you open to it if it is negative? What are your personal leadership goals? Are you confident your staff are not just putting on a good game face? How are those turn over rates? Are you approachable and open? Do you have some sense of humility and humbleness?
Next week I will write about ways to self-check your own performance and how to find out if you’re Bad Ass Boss or just a Big Bad Boss in disguise. Oh the subtle punning today!
And just for fun...Bad Boss Bonus Points!
Add any of these to your Bad Boss repertoire and really go for gold!
relentlessly name dropping
peacocking your Boss position
swearing
yelling or raising your voice
making inappropriate comments
not giving credit where credit is due