Learning to cope with a boss you hate is one of the hardest (and patience enduring!) tasks. When you are spending eight or more hours a day in the same vicinity as someone who is grinding your gears, it is not an easy task to just ‘brush it off’. Especially if that person has a temper or is micro-managing up the wazoo!
Having a boss that you hate could turn a job you once loved into the most dreaded part of your week. Have you ever heard the saying, “people don’t work for jobs, they work for people?” I truly believe that saying. Your manager will make or break the difference in how you feel about your job.
But what are you supposed to do if you hate your boss? I know the initial instinct is to immediately quit–and I don’t blame you. The thought of having to physically face someone who is treating badly every day is no easy task.
If you are convinced that you have absolutely no growth at the company, there are no redeeming qualities to your situation and you’ve been at your job for a while, then it’s definitely time for you to find a happier situation (you can follow these tips for finding a job quickly).
If you’re open to staying with your job – try following these tips if you hate your boss.
4 Things To Do If You Hate Your Boss
1. Assess Your Performance
It might be easy to immediately place the blame for a bad relationship anywhere else but yourself. And possibly, this manager is under tons of pressure and is taking it out on you. Don’t you feel lucky? However, I would be remiss if I told you not to look in the mirror and assess your performance.
Here’s the thing: your one job at work is to make your boss’s life easier. So ask yourself – are you doing that? Your boss shouldn’t have to correct mistakes or ask you to do a task more than once. Try and get to a place where your manager isn’t managing you because you do all the work proactively!
If you do realize you are making your bosses life harder in some way, no worries, there’s always room for improvement. Feel free to ask for more training, clarification on certain tasks or expectations to truly ensure that you are not the reason your boss is frustrated.
2. Ask Yourself: What Is Causing My Boss To Act Like This?
For me, I’m always able to deal with someone difficult more easily if I understand why they are acting the way they are acting. In my experience, a tough manager is usually getting pressure from someplace else and unfortunately, taking it out on me. This is totally unfair but sometimes the way the cookie crumbles!
Ask yourself – why is my boss acting the way they are acting? Are they overworked? Is someone on their team causing them to have poor performance?
You have to remember that managers job is to manage, so if they have someone on their team that is making them look bad to the rest of the company – that will fall on them.
If you’re able to get to the root of the issue and there’s anything you can do to make your manager’s life easier, try offering to do so. Can you do something proactively? Offer to take some work off your bosses plate? I know the last thing you probably want to do is help out a manager you hate, but trust me, it will help your long-term happiness to go above and beyond.
3. Schedule a Meeting And Start Meeting Consistently
Like most relationships, they can always be strained without good communication. If your manager didn’t proactively put 1:1 time on your calendar on at least a monthly basis, it’s your job to do so. Ensure you are meeting with your boss consistently.
If you truly feel like you started off this relationship on the wrong foot – feel free to take your first meeting to reset. You can even state that you feel bad you don’t think your relationship is as healthy as it could be. You can say you’re excited, truly want to succeed in the job, and want to work with your manager to do so. This should help your boss feel more positive about your relationship!
4. Understand Expectations
I truly believe that one of the biggest causes for work-relationship blunders is communication. Sometimes, even if it’s technically someone else’s job to be giving you directions, sometimes you have to manage up. In the 1:1 meeting we discussed in the previous section, use this time to ask for expectations.
Whether it’s a deadline or how they physically want the work done, do your best to be documenting what is asked for you from your boss. I’ve even made a 1:1 shared note document to keep track of everything my boss wants me to do. Plus – if your boss is one to change their mind (or be frustrated at something they told you to do in the first place) you have a record to go back for clarification.
Working for a manager is hard, but you can always try to remedy a situation with these tips! Communication is key and I’m so excited to see you improve your relationship. What do you do when you hate your boss? Comment below!
About the Author
Becky is a twenty-something passionate about help others succeed in their career & achieve a healthy lifestyle. In addition to working full-time in Silicon Valley, she runs the blog, The Typical Twenty Something, to inspire others in all things adulting! She loves fitness, any fizzy water and other people's dogs (since her current apartment is way too small to fit her own!). Her goal is to help as many women as possible crush it in their careers through her blog.
Website: www.thetypicaltwentysomething.com