Every job has stress, but the workplace environment can seem almost unbearable when working for an over-demanding or unfair boss. You don’t have to like your boss, but you do need to be able to co-exist and co-operate with him for you to be productive and successful at your job. J. Paul Getty once said, “The employer generally gets the employees he deserves.”
There is no perfect solution for dealing with a difficult boss, but here are Doc Bunny’s suggestions that might make your situation a little less painful:
- Do the absolute best job you can by setting a good example. Make sure you are the type of employee you would want working for you if you were the boss. By doing the best job possible you give the unfair boss less ammunition he can use to make your life miserable. He also might think twice about upsetting one of his better employees when there are plenty of other, easier targets he can take aim at. Don’t draw attention to yourself by showing up late and calling in without notice. Unless you are the only one your boss has it in for, there should be plenty of others to draw his wrath away from you. Control yourself and that’s all you can do.
- Learn all that you can from an unfair boss, if you can’t find any qualities worth mentioning, you aren’t looking hard enough. We can learn something from everyone we come into contact with even with those who treat us badly. While from a good boss we can learn good management techniques, it is also true that from a poor boss we can learn how not to act. Gain something from the situation that will benefit you in the future. Watch how your boss handles different situations and make a mental note of which techniques worked and which failed.
- Take responsibility. Complaining is easy, but it accomplishes very little. Have you actually looked for another job? Have you tried to improve your skills through in-house training, adult learning centers, books or correspondence courses? Even the smallest step in the right direction is progress. An obstinate boss won’t change his ways, but you can improve your own skills. Why not let your difficult boss be the motivation you use to better yourself?
Don’t expect someone else to save you. Save yourself.
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