W
e all dread having to face a boss who terrorizes the office. You know the type—they have volcanic tempers, play manipulative mind games, or make unreasonable demands. In short, they can make work life miserable. While dealing with a toxic boss may seem intimidating, there are ways to cope without losing yourself or your sanity. In this article, we’ll explore constructive strategies for handling different beastly boss archetypes.
How to recognize a toxic monster boss
A monster boss reveals themselves through certain toxic behaviors that create unhealthy office environments by doing any the following:
- Inciting fear through bullying, public berating, and humiliation tactics.
- Declining reasonable requests and won’t accommodate basic needs.
- Claiming others’ work as their own and refusing to share credit.
- Having unpredictable mood swings and explosions.
- Thriving on conflict and negativity.
When you tread on eggshells, have trouble sleeping, or frequently dread work, take note — these could signal your boss belongs in the monster category.
Here are profiles of 5 common monster bosses and how to deal with them…
Each brand of Monster Boss has typical traits you’ll come to know. Let’s examine a few prominent archetypes:
#1. The Screamer
This hot-tempered boss seems to always be yelling and berating employees. They frequently have emotional outbursts and meltdowns, hurling insults and criticism at individuals in a blisteringly loud tone. The Screamer tends to pick a target and blast them ruthlessly in front of the whole office—publicly humiliating the person. These confrontational tirades create an environment of fear, anxiety, and eggshells. Employees dread going to work and are on edge wondering if they’ll be the next victim of abusive verbal lashing.
How to deal with this toxic boss:
- Remain calm during outbursts.
- Privately address issues once emotions subside.
- Report greatly inappropriate behavior to HR.
#2. The Micromanager
The Micromanaging boss is obsessed with even the smallest, most mundane details. They don’t trust employees to do their jobs and make autonomous decisions. This overbearing and toxic boss dictates exactly how they want every single task and project done, down to minor details like where to place files or the type of paperclip to use. They require excessive check-ins and approve each tiny step. Yet employees never seem to earn more confidence or independence. Under constant critical scrutiny, workers feel inadequate, frustrated, micromanaged, and stripped of opportunities to showcase competency. By strangling autonomy, efficiency also suffers.
How to cope with this toxic boss:
- Ask for clearly defined expectations.
- Offer regular progress reports.
- Push back respectfully on unreasonable demands.
#3. The Credit Thief
The Credit Thief has an insatiable hunger for accolades and advancement. Rather than earning it through hard work, they steal subordinates’ ideas, proposals, and successful initiatives, presenting them to upper management as their achievements. While on the surface they credit others’ contributions generously in the office, this two-faced boss then turns around and secretly takes full credit with company leaders. They rely on riding on the coattails of those doing the actual heavy lifting. Lack of recognition for their efforts lead workers to feel dismayed, resentful, and hesitant to keep giving their all.
See how to deal with this toxic boss:
- Keep records to establish ownership.
- Discuss the lack of crediting discreetly.
- Routinely discuss successes with other managers.
#4. The Manipulator
A master of mind games, the Manipulative Boss cunningly pits team members against each other. They might deny resources or sow rumors about certain employees to subtly instigate rifts. Other cunning tactics include exploiting people’s insecurities, playing favorites, or sharing private information inappropriately. This toxic boss thrives on stirring up unnecessary drama and conflict within teams to maintain his position as a puppeteer. Workers get so distracted looking over their shoulders and jockeying for position that productivity and morale plummet.
How to cope with this monster boss:
- Compare notes with colleagues to detect patterns.
- Refuse to participate in gossip or speculation.
- Emphasize cooperation and teamwork.
#5. The Ghost
Often mysteriously missing when urgently needed, the Ghost Boss is vague with their whereabouts and expects workers to intuitively know what to do without guidance. They don’t provide context, direction, or feedback. But when the absence of leadership causes problems to later arise, this elusive boss suddenly materializes to criticize employees for not being prescient or self-directed enough during their unexplained absence. Their erratic disappearance and subsequent fault-finding cause employees to feel rejected, confused, and set up for failure. Lack of communication, transparency, and vision fosters distrust, anxiety, and hesitation.
Here’s how to cope with this terrible boss:
- Overcommunicate to confirm directions.
- Copy them to emails to establish a paper trail.
- Schedule regular check-ins.
Featured image: nadia_bormotova/iStock
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