Menu
  • All Courses
    • Accounting
    • Advertising
    • Aged Care
    • Agriculture
    • Allied Health
    • Animal Care
    • Animal Science
    • Arts
    • Beauty
    • Bookkeeping
    • Building & Construction
    • Business
    • Business Administration
    • Celebrancy
    • Child Care
    • Cloud Computing
    • Community Services
    • Counselling
    • Cryptocurrency
    • Culinary Arts
    • Dance
    • Dentistry
    • Digital Media
    • Disability
    • Education
    • Event Management
    • Fashion Design
    • Finance
    • Financial Planning
    • Graphic Design
    • Hairdressing
    • Health
    • Horticulture
    • Hospitality
    • Human Resources
    • Interior Design
    • IT
    • Journalism
    • Language
    • Legal
    • Logistics
    • Management
    • Marketing
    • MBA
    • Mental Health
    • MYOB
    • Networking
    • Nursing
    • Nutrition
    • Pathology
    • Pharmacy
    • Photography
    • Plumbing
    • Programming
    • Project Management
    • Psychology
    • Public Relations
    • Real Estate
    • Retail
    • Sales
    • Science
    • Security
    • Share Trading
    • Small Business
    • Social Media Marketing
    • Social Science
    • Sports & Fitness
    • Veterinary Nursing
    • Virtual Assistant
    • Web Development
    • Work Health & Safety
    • Xero
    • Youth Work
  • Search courses
  • Education providers
  • TAFE directory
  • Helpful links
  • Contact us
  • Advertise with us
  • About us
  1. Home
  2. Student Hub
  3. Careers
  4. Advice and Profiles
  5. Dealing with a Difficult Boss
Apprenticeships Career Advice Industry Insider International Study Study Tips Resources Scholarships Competitions
Published 11 Sep 2014

Dealing with a Difficult Boss

by Stephanie Ayres

Bad bosses come in many forms – they may be controlling, disrespectful, petty, unsupportive, critical, hypocritical, or simply a poor leader. Many victims of bad bosses end up leaving their job, but sometimes they just haven’t worked hard enough for a solution. If you are reaching the end of your tether, try these tips.

1. Make an effort to understand your boss’s behaviour.

Your boss may not actually know that his behaviour is inappropriate and discussing it may be the only intervention that is needed. Other times, you may realise that your boss’s expectations are actually reasonable – maybe there is something simple YOU can do to improve your relationship with your boss. However, if his behaviour is intentional or heavily ingrained, understanding the motivation behind it can still allow you to talk to him about it in a constructive way or help you find ways to circumvent it.

2. Identify the ‘triggers’ that make your boss act badly, and do what you can to avoid them.

Even if a certain expectation your boss has seems unreasonable, sometimes meeting it is easier than potential conflict. Understand his preferences in terms of how and when work is completed and work with them – even if they are not perfectly in line with your own. Where possible, attention the triggers and resolve them yourself. After all, you are employed to action solutions and going out of your way always gets noticed by someone

3. Whatever you do, don’t try to punish your boss by reducing the speed or quality of your work.

Being a valuable team member, you will be in a much better position to negotiate better terms of work and retain your boss’s respect. If you stay on top of your workload, there will be far fewer issues with your boss to begin with. Anticipate what your boss needs and surprise him by having it done ahead of time. Support his weaknesses and pick up his slack, even if you find it hard – by working towards your boss’s success, you will be working towards your own and making him happier and easier to manage in the process.

4. Keep track of all communication with your boss.

Write down every time your boss does or says something rude or inappropriate and record key information that passes between you so that if he contradicts himself, you can prove it. Get all requests and assignments in writing so that there can be no misunderstandings.

5. When your boss says something that is blatantly inappropriate, call him on it in a respectful way.

Calmly repeat it back to him and ask if that’s what he really meant. If you continue to do this, he may start to recognise and modify his behaviours. Don’t allow your boss to intimidate or upset you. Recognise that the problem is not yours, it is theirs.

6. If you do decide to confront your boss about an issue, wait until you are prepared.

After a lot of thinking and with a clear head, consider writing down or rehearsing what you want to say beforehand. Schedule a time to talk to your boss when he will have time to really hear you out. Focus on your needs, and what you want to see from your relationship in order to work towards a better working environment and better outcomes for the company. Don’t simply tell him what he has been doing wrong! If he responds with criticisms of you, listen and respond to them calmly. A relationship is a two-way street, and as much as you need him to make compromises, you need to be prepared to do the same.
As hard as it is, don’t quit a job without at least bringing the problem up – if not with your boss, then with higher management. If you don’t voice your issues, you will never know whether they could have been solved.

Stephanie Ayres

Latest Articles

Advice and Profiles

5 Simple Habits for Remote Workers: How to Escape Hermit Mode

Remote workers avoid the grind of a daily commute, can control their environment, and are free to set hours that suit them. What could possibly go wrong? In my time as a…

by Adele Cochrane 20 Feb 2019
Careers

The Changing Job Market 2013 vs 2018: What Are the Trends?

Looking to make the big bucks, or just curious about what the future holds? Read on to discover how jobs have changed over the past five years! Whether you’re looking for some career…

by Charles Ellingham 18 Feb 2019
Careers

Are You At Risk of Career Burnout?

Burnout is a chronic stress condition characterised by emotional and physical exhaustion, cynicism, and ineffectiveness. It can affect your performance at work, but the signs of burnout can also appear in non-work…

by Adele Cochrane

Want to read more?

Here's some more articles similar to this one.

Advice and Profiles

9 industries that are hot

Hello, 2016! It’s time to start the new year with a career bang. We take a look at 9 example roles and industries that are experiencing strong employment growth and that can provide a good range of job opportunities in 2016 and the years beyond.

by Natalie Sutherland 5 Jan 2016
Advice and Profiles, Careers

The 20 Highest Paying Jobs Near You

That will depend on where you live… but it’s not the whole story. Location and industry matter when you look at the numbers. For instance, the mining industry tops the chart when…

by Adele Cochrane 7 Sep 2018
Advice and Profiles

Is Aiming For Your Dream Job Realistic?

Growing up we all dreamed of successful careers as movie stars, novelists, professional athletes, fashion designers, or becoming the next Mark Zuckerberg and inventing a billion dollar social media platform. However, the…

by Christopher Appleford 4 Feb 2015

More from Student Hub

Apprenticeships Career Advice Industry Insider International Study Study Tips Resources Scholarships Competitions

Newsletter sign up

We'll email you updates on job trends, career advice, study tips, news and more.
Share

Popular Courses

  • Certificate IV in Training and Assessment
  • Certificate III in Aged Care
  • Certificate III in Education Support
  • Diploma of Accounting
  • Diploma of Management
  • Diploma of Business
  • Diploma of Business Administration
  • Diploma of Community Services
  • Diploma of Financial Planning
  • Diploma of Counselling
  • Diploma of Project Management
  • Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing
  • Diploma of Early Childhood Education & Care
  • Diploma of Beauty Therapy
  • Diploma of Nursing
Copyright © 2018 Training.com.au Contact About Privacy Terms Help Advertise