As we move into a new era of technology and industrialization, we realize the importance of a good boss. They are the key to a healthy and fully functioning workplace. However, only some people are lucky enough to simultaneously land a job and a good boss.
A recent Gallup study found that 62% of employees are not engaged in the workplace. 52% of employees are also actively trying to switch jobs. These are often the aftermath of dealing with a toxic boss. We have researched various online forums to create a list of signs that will help you figure out when your boss is toxic.
They Are Partial
A typical trait of toxic managers is that they play favorites among their employees. Favoritism is not based on performance; instead, it is often a consequence of employees agreeing more with them on different occasions. If your boss is partial, they will undermine your work. Also, they may not always reward you with the benefits that their favorite employee receives.
They Steal Credit
There are plenty of bosses who rely on their employees’ hard work. Yet, the truly toxic ones are those who go one step forward and take credit for the work that the employees have done. When upper management showers praise on the boss, the boss receives it while not giving their subordinates due credit. Similarly, if the work gets criticized, the boss blames it on their subordinates instead of taking responsibility.
They Micromanage
There is a fine line between paying attention to detail and monitoring every little thing an employee does. Toxic bosses cross that line regularly and micromanage every task they assign to an employee. Micromanagers will not let you work independently, and if the outcome of the work is underwhelming, they put all the blame on you.
They Do Not Help You Grow
Working under a toxic boss will become monotonous after a while. They will never provide constructive criticism for your work, nor will they motivate you to put in your best efforts. They never help you become the best version of yourself at the workplace and rarely allow freedom to improve.
They Always Demand For More
Toxic bosses do not care about your work efforts, no matter how productive you are. They will always be unhappy with your efforts and ask you to work more hours. They will set unreasonable deadlines for you to finish your work. They will never appreciate your standard of work, regardless of how impactful it is.
They Lack Accountability
Sitting in a managerial position, toxic bosses do not believe that they are capable of making mistakes. This leads to them making excuses or ignoring concerns you or other employees raise. They are reluctant to work and delegate all their work to their subordinates. Yet, when it comes to the subordinates, they hold them accountable for every single action and single them out if anything goes wrong.
They Are Gaslighters
If you have a toxic boss, they will always try to gaslight you into thinking you are wrong. Their actions will cause you to doubt yourself at work and think less of yourself, too. It massively impacts your mental health, and by the end, your boss assumes complete control over your workplace actions. About 4 in 10 employees seek therapy due to having a toxic boss.
They Will Not Respect Your Personal Life
You can certify your boss as toxic when they completely ignore the fact that you have a personal life outside of the workplace. Be it asking you to leave your personal worries behind, or giving you too much work to do at home, they slowly take away the work-life balance that you deserve. In fact, 68% of American workers have to work even when they are on vacation.
They Create Fear
Even if they are personable outside of work, toxic bosses create a particularly fearful environment at work. They do not consider their employees as assets to the organization, and treat them however they please. This leads to conflicts within the team, and an overall hostile environment that is not suitable to grow a winning team. A toxic boss who creates fear among their employees tends to yell at or publicly humiliate them.
They Avoid You
While any boss can be busy due to work pressure, a good boss will always make time to have meetings with you. Be it face-to-face or over a phone conversation, a toxic boss will never make time for you. Instead, they will try to avoid meeting you or talking to you at all costs. Meetings with you will require reviewing your work and preparing for it beforehand, which is an effort a toxic boss is never willing to put forth.
They Schedule Unnecessary Meetings
Even though employees believe that 70% of meetings are counterproductive, toxic bosses often schedule team meetings that could’ve been an email. While the meetings drain you out of energy, your boss will establish authority by scrutinizing and criticizing all the work that you do. They also schedule meetings to get ideas from their subordinates when they are not entirely sure of the task at hand.
They Lack Discipline
If your boss is inconsistent when it comes to workplace culture, rest assured they are toxic. When they lack discipline, they are unpredictable and often contradict themselves. They will hold themselves to a different standard than the rest of their team. Their behavior usually slows down the progress of the team.
