What Makes a Bad Boss?

Being a boss is the position that many employees get to experience after a few years of working consecutively in an organization when they become in charge of a group of people to achieve some organizational goals. Boss does not only mean a departmental head, here by the term boss, a designated person is meant who is responsible for accomplishing a project with the help of a team. It is as rewarding as much as challenging! The responsibility of a boss varies in terms of sphere of duties to perform & number of subordinates to guide. It is said & believed that in work life, an employee becomes drowned in never ending stress & tension when the boss is not considerate. Let’s see what makes a bad boss!

1. Poor methods of instructions

Employees, specially the new recruits expect that their boss will guide them with appropriate & timely instruction to get the job done smoothly. But there are certain types of bosses who just do not focus on this & are extremely frivolous about this. Sometimes the boss thinks that it is the duty of the subordinates to get the job done anyhow, so they should be bothered only, which is totally wrong. Employees will fall into confusion for long if there is no clear instruction or guidelines shared with them.

2. Disseminating frustrating vibe

Another feature that adds up to the qualities of a bad boss is spreading a negative or frustrating vibe among the employees. That is, in conversation, in meeting or in any informal talk, expressing a negative energy that employees are not up to the mark or they cannot make it, they have no capability etc. Doing so ultimately discourages the employees & spoils the happy vibe in an office.

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3. Tendency to make overworked

Amount of work to be distributed to team members should be measured & justified. Subordinates should not be made overburdened with the amount of work to do within tight deadlines all of a sudden; if the situation to allot excessive work beyond capacity cannot be avoided then they should be trained first to work in the stressful situation. This is something to do for the new employees specially.

4. Bitching or bullying behind

This one quality is responsible for destroying work spirits to the maximum level. When team members or subordinates will fail to live up to expectations of the boss then those employees should be called upon & there should be a sincere & private feedback giving session instead of being silent or rude & talking about the poor performance or mistakes of the employees to other colleagues. Bitching & bullying behind the employees hurt the ego & makes office or job life miserable.

5. Inability to consider employee as a whole person:

Sometimes one simple matter is overlooked by the boss that is to view the employee as a whole person who also have a family life behind & after office. Employees should not be treated as mere object or element of production. If employees’ personal space is not valued, then they will feel suffocated to work in that environment.

These are some determinants that make a boss non desirable. It is just that the boss needs to be a people oriented person with welcoming nature & considerate viewpoints so that people working under him or her can feel comfort to share feelings & problems to come to a mutual solution.

Author:  Abu Md. Abdullah
Assistant Professor
Faculty of Business Administration
Eastern University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Email: abdullah@easternuni.edu.bd