23 signs you have a bad boss
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Having a bad boss is most employees’ absolute worst nightmare. Considering most of us spend, on average, around a third of our week at our jobs, a bad boss can really impact our mental, emotional and physical wellbeing.
From absenteeism through to quitting, having a bad boss can really make you miserable and disengaged in your work. It can also adversely impact our personal time when we’re not working, including the relationships we have outside of our jobs.
Think about it, you’re unhappy in your job for most of the day and then it’s going to be difficult to completely disconnect when we “log off/clock out” for the day. We’re human – our bad mood is likely to continue throughout our day, as compartmentalizing our emotions is easier said than done.
Not all bosses are great leaders. In a large majority of cases, people – employees, are one of the most valuable assets a company can have. Happy employees equals good team moral and a successful company.
We set out below 23 strong signs that you have a bad boss.
1. They’re unrealistically demanding
A good boss encourages you to achieve your best, setting you productively challenging tasks as they want you to develop. However, if your boss sets unrealistic goals, such as near enough impossible deadlines, expects perfection with no room for errors or has little regard of your non-working time, this is a strong sign that they’re not a good boss.
2. You’re micromanaged
You’re given a task to complete. A bad boss will feel as though they’re “breathing down your neck”. They won’t give you autonomy in any form and will check in too often, tell you regularly what you need to do, essentially not letting you get on with your job. This is likely to result in you feeling suffocated and controlled.
3. Poor communication (lack of clear expectations)
In contrast, a bad boss can also have poor communication. They expect perfection but provide very little guidance on the objectives of tasks given to you. If you feel directionless, unsure of what is required of you and you try to coax this information from your boss but to no avail, then this is a strong sign that you have a bad boss.
4. Lack of constructive feedback
Have you ever felt blindsided when receiving feedback from your boss? This is another strong indicator that you have a bad boss. Bad bosses can leave you feeling that you’ve done a good job as they’ve not communicated otherwise. But out of nowhere, they spring negative feedback with no constructiveness to it and zero positivity, on you without explaining the “why”.
Even if you’ve done a bad job of a task, a good boss will break down the feedback and help you to develop in a positive way as they want you to succeed. A bad boss tears you down, leaving you feeling deflated and hopeless in your job.
5. They publicly berate employees
Some bad bosses enjoy publicly humiliating employees. These tend to be the egotistical, narcissistic variety that really thrive off this fear inducing toxic behaviour. This is absolutely unacceptable. At a bare minimum, you’re paid to do your job, not to be someone’s verbal punching bag.
6. False promises
Ever been promised a promotion, a pay rise or something else, time and time again but nothing came of it? If you feel that your boss is leading you on using false promises, then this is a strong indicator you have a bad boss. A good boss will have open, transparent and honest conversations with you regarding what they can commit to and by when. And they keep to these for the most part. If they can’t, they provide you with valid reasons why and with ample time before any promise date previously committed to.
7. Lack of trust
If you’re new in your role, it is not uncommon for your boss to expect you to earn their trust. This is normal, especially if you want to have significant responsibility at work. It might take some time depending on whether your boss is generally trusting in nature. Each boss is likely to be different in this respect. However, if you’ve proven yourself or got a number of years’ worth of experience under your belt and your boss refuses to trust your abilities, then this is another sign of a bad boss.
8. Lack of empathy
We are all human and sometimes things that happen in our personal lives will inevitably impact our performance in our jobs. For example, if we experience the loss of a loved one, we’ll need time off work to grieve. A good boss will be supportive and empathize with you, allowing you reasonable time off work. However, a bad boss is one that will disregard the ordeal you’ve been through, expecting you to work like a robot. They won’t care about you as a person, i.e., your wellbeing, failing to realize that professionally looking after employees will bring out the best in them and this will foster a good working environment.
9. Does not value uniqueness in character
A good boss will acknowledge that employees are all unique in their own right and that we each bring different perspectives and experiences to the proverbial “table”. This is ordinarily seen as a strength by good bosses as it allows well thought through decision making for the company. However, a bad boss will expect employees to be carbon copies of a certain type of employee. They see it in black and white terms – you either fit the mould of their desired employee cookie cutter profile or you don’t.
10. Fails to admit their mistakes
We all make mistakes in our working careers – we’re human and no-one is perfect. Even bosses, good or otherwise, will make mistakes at some point in their careers. However, a bad boss will never acknowledge their mistakes. Ever. In the event someone does call them out on their mistake(s), they’re likely to shift the blame on one of their subordinates. Throwing someone else under the bus to avoid having to admit blame is a common occurrence with bad bosses. In their eyes, they’re always right and never wrong.
11. An air of superiority
There’s a clear line between commanding respect as a boss versus one who thinks they’re better than everyone else. If you work for a boss that is arrogant and thinks they’re superior to everyone else and treats others as inferior, then this is a strong sign that they’re a bad boss. Some workplaces are inherently more hierarchical in culture than others but, irrespective of seniority, respect should be given to everyone; from the cleaners to the most senior member of the company.
12. Dismisses concerns brought to them, if it doesn’t benefit them
If you are genuinely concerned about something, a good boss will hear you out and look to address the matter where possible. A bad boss is likely to ignore your concern if it hinders their objectives.
13. Gossips
A bad boss will inappropriately gossip about their team members to others. They may even plot one subordinate against the other or reveal something you mentioned in confidence to them to one of your colleagues. Their motive behind gossiping can vary. In any case, there is no justifiable reason for this.
14. Two-faced
A two-faced boss will leave you feeling blindsided and confused. They may act friendly and polite in front of you but behind your back, will talk negatively about you, discrediting your reputation, your achievements and skills, in front of others. Again, there is no justification for this behaviour and this is a clear sign that you’ve got a bad boss in tow.
15. Lack of delegation
If your boss regularly holds onto work and completes it themselves without getting you involved, then this could be a sign that they’re not a good one. It’s a known fact that as you progress up the career ladder in terms of seniority, you tend to do less of the “doing” and take on more of a reviewer role. The “doing” should be evenly delegated to team members, as much as possible
16. Passive decision making
Not all bad bosses are domineering and are of the school of thought where it’s “my way or the highway”. A bad boss can also be the polar opposite where they lack direction, vision and are easily swayed by more domineering team members. This results in them passively making decisions which are likely going to be sub-optimal for the benefit of the team and company.
17. Team morale is low/lack of motivation
If your team is going through a bout of low morale and is lacking in motivation, a good boss will proactively take steps in an attempt to change this. A bad boss will essentially sweep this under the proverbial carpet and do nothing to change this. The company could be laying people off and while this is likely to be outside the control of your boss, a good one will do their best to ensure that the team are kept up to date with news and general regular communication.
18. Your opinions aren’t listened to or valued
If your opinions, suggestions and ideas fall on deaf ears when it comes to your boss, this is an indicator that you may be dealing with a bad boss.
19. Their emotions are volatile and sometimes unpredictable
Good bosses are great leaders. They might be under a great deal of pressure from their bosses in terms of meeting performance metrics, but they will positively motivate their team to achieve these targets. They very rarely lose their shit, even if they feel it on the inside, in front of their team. If your boss exhibits volatile and sometimes unpredictable moods such that you and the rest of your team feels like you’re walking on eggshells, this is a strong sign you’re working for a bad boss.
20. You receive no credit for your work
Receiving credit and recognition is part and parcel of feeling like a valued employee. Some employees require more validation of good work than others. And a good boss knows this and hones in on it, where due, to motivate their team. However, a bad boss will completely disregard this and ignore your efforts, even if you’ve gone above and beyond what’s expected of you.
21. They’re dictatorial and you don’t feel empowered
A dictator type boss loves power. The use their position to exert control over their team to achieve things or goals they want, through fear. These types of bosses want everything to be run past them and do not allow room for autonomy with their employees. Their delusions allow them to believe that they’re the reason alone for any success that the team or company achieves, failing to realise that it’s a team effort that results in success. If this describes your boss then it’s a strong sign that you have a bad boss on your hands.
22. They have their office favourites
It’s only natural that some team members may get on better with the boss compared to others. However, a bad boss will really make it obvious that they have firm favourites. They’ll go out of their way to give their office favourites the high profile projects when they might not be the best skilled team members. If you have a boss like this then it’s likely you’re working for a bad boss.
23. You dread interacting with your boss
Sometimes, we may not enjoy speaking with our boss. This could be due to various reasons, ranging from social anxiety or we just generally don’t like them. There is nothing wrong with these reasons. But, if you feel dread, and it’s due to a number of reasons, i.e., a combination of the above reasons, then this is a strong indicator that you have a bad boss.