Bad bosses ruin many a good job

Happiness at work can depend a lot on the boss -- some are benign, others malignant, reports Lynnette Hoffman.

EVER had a boss so bad you dreaded heading to work in the morning? Called in sick because you just couldn't face another day in an oppressive office? If so, you're not the only one.

The number one reason people voluntarily change jobs is difficulty with the boss, according to Hewitt Associates senior executive Andrew O'Keeffe, author of The Boss, a soon-to-be released novel based on the real-life harrowing experiences he and his colleagues and clients have actually encountered in the workplace. The idea is to show how bosses "actually behave, rather than how they should behave''.

In his 25 years in human resources, O'Keeffe has seen it all and much of it, unfortunately, "isn't pretty''. Hardworking employees are screamed at in front of the entire staff, they're sworn at and belittled, even physically threatened. One character in the novel resigns after a senior manager throws a book at her. Another slaves away planning a highly successful conference, only to have her manager take the credit for her achievements.

About three-quarters of employed Australians work for managers who are more passive or aggressive than they are constructive, says Quentin Jones,

Australian director of Human Synergistics, a consultancy that specialises in researching and measuring behaviour of managers and leaders. (Not surprisingly there's a direct link between how happy people are at work and what sort of boss they work for, he says.)

"People who work for passive bosses are the least satisfied of all because they feel like they're going nowhere and nothing is getting done,'' Jones says.
Bad bosses come in all shapes and sizes: they can be passive and indecisive or conniving, stealing other people's work and passing it off as their own. Some bosses are aggressive and malicious, bullying and setting unattainable deadlines or changing the nature of assignments at crucial times. Other bosses are narcissistic, even psychopathic, so driven they'll stop at nothing to reach their goals. Whatever the style, the impact can be huge.

"Bad bosses can take a really high level of energy and passion and reduce it enormously. They cause people to question their own abilities and competencies and become trapped,'' O'Keeffe says. ``They become fearful and concerned and intimidated. The destructive and patronising behaviour wears them down, both physically and mentally.''A 2003 study from a British university found that healthcare assistants working for bosses they felt were ``unfair'' had increased high blood pressure, raising their risk of stroke and heart disease.

Often the emotion is so raw that people recounting their bad boss horror stories years later sound as though it all happened that morning. And most are still reluctant to name names, even their own, for fear that bosses from jobs long gone may still recognise themselves in the descriptions.

A decade into a successful career as a software engineer for a major international telecommunications company, John* still strains to hold back his anger when he talks of his first job for a small engineering contracting company, where part of his role was to create electrical engineering drawings with a program he'd never used before. A new graduate, keen to learn and eager to do a good job, he was at the mercy of an overly critical and divisive manager who expected him to be perfect from the start.

"If he spotted one mistake it was totally unforgivable. He was uncompromising in every way, and even when I got it right it was never good enough. All the good work I'd do would be totally undone from one little thing -- if I got a label slightly crooked he would sigh and point and shake his head,'' John says.

"He was very patronising; he'd say things like `don't they teach you that in uni?' He expected you to know everything immediately.'' John lost weight,

foregoing food and sleep to work because he was so worried and stressed.
Other times bad bosses are more subtle, refusing praise and pushing employees too hard without offering benefits.

A country newspaper journalist who also did not want to be identified said he was "guilt-tripped'' whenever he asked for time off, which wasn't often.

Despite working unpaid overtime and weekends and only taking two weeks off each year with no public holidays, his boss would berate him with questions and imply he was lazy if he needed a day off. Often these sorts of bosses refuse to acknowledge the accomplishments of the staff they are supervising. They don't say thankyou or offer praise for a job well done. And that can make all the difference. Constructive, positive managers have staff who enjoy going to work and tend to do a better job when there.

A "quality manager'' topped the list in a survey that asked employees what aspect of work was most important to them, according to a Corporate Leadership

Council study. But if you're not so lucky and the way you're treated at work makes you uncomfortable, you can do something about it. First check to make sure you're interpreting your boss correctly and miscommunication is not the problem. Ask the boss to clarify, and explain how you felt. If you still feel the way you were treated was unacceptable, talk to someone you trust in the human resources department, or a more senior manager if your company has an "open door policy''. But at the end of the day if the boss is still abusive or demeaning, it may be time for a move, either to a new department or a different company altogether, O'Keeffe and Jones say.

* Not his real name

By Lynnette Hoffman, The Australian, October 8, 2005.