7 signs that employees hate the boss

[K.Karthik Raja]

7 signs that employees hate the boss

There's a reason Dilbert, The Office, and their ilk are so popular.
Satire gets old fast, but the appeal of realism endures. And the real
world, sadly, is full of lousy bosses. Someone ought to do a study on
where these louts come from.

Were they abused by their own bosses? Did they toss overboard the
ballast of human kindness to hasten the ascent of their career
balloons? Or is this an example of absolute power corrupting
absolutely? Such research might also demonstrate how ubiquitous
miserable managers are.

Slideshow: America's sexiest businesses
The proliferation of boss-bashing screeds with titles like When You
Work for a Bully, Nasty Bosses, and How To Work for an Idiot suggests
a plague.

A few months ago I enumerated five ways in which bosses could be
great. A bookend column about bad bosses would never fit in this
space, because while goodness tends to be monochromatic, badness comes
in every color of the rainbow.

But bad bosses of all stripes evoke similar responses in employees;
consequently, you can often tell that people hate you, even if you're
not sure why.Inc. readers, of course, are all purebreds among top
dogs. But on the off chance that a misfit manager stumbles across this
page, here are seven signs that you are a bad boss:

The staff has developed guidelines for dealing with you and quietly
passes them to new employees. "Never suggest that there might be
another way of doing something," they might say. Or "Act self-
deprecating so he doesn't feel threatened."

Drives: The fast and the frivolous
You have one or two fanatical acolytes. Yes, such devotion may be a
testament to your fabulousness. But often when a boss is perceived as
universally loathed, the staff opportunist offers herself up as sole
confidante and friend, seeking power and favor at the expense of more
honest, critical employees.

You never see people walk by. Employees would rather circumnavigate
the entire office to get to the coffee machine or bathroom than take
the shortcut past your door and risk being invited in.

Your 360-degree evaluations come back short and full of generically
positive comments, with one very mild criticism ("Sometimes she works
too damn hard for her own good") thrown in for credibility's sake.

People don't volunteer for your pet projects. The idea sucks, and
they're afraid to tell you, or it's brilliant, but the consequences
for letting you down are too terrible to imagine. And, of course, if
it's your pet project, you'll probably work on it as well. Which means
more time spent...gulp...with you.

How to find a company travel service for every budget
Slideshow: The best company travel services
You have legions of former employees, but they rarely give your name
as a reference for new jobs. Either they don't trust you to give them
their due, or they worry that because they were so miserable working
for you, your recollections will also be dismal.

You have legions of former employees, period. If your staff falls away
like linty Post-it notes, ask yourself: Is high turnover the problem?
Or am I?