How to Deal With an Indifferent Supervisor at Work

Some supervisors will avoid assisting you no matter what.

Indifferent or apathetic supervisors can make your working life difficult or ineffective. These supervisors may routinely fail to notice your accomplishments, or may quickly undermine your work without much hesitation. Although this can seriously disrupt your professional output, it's possible to minimize the effect which your supervisor's behavior will have on your career by deciding to emotionally detach from the situation and seek positive support from others within the company.

Instructions

1. Stay calm. Although it will be tempting to argue with your supervisor, you should avoid this impulse; you need to remain professional and polite in order to prevent the situation from damaging your reputation. This will also make you appear more reasonable and focused in the event that problems do occur later on.

2. Maintain positivity. Although you may have a professional problem with your supervisor, it's important not to take the issue personally. If you remain on friendly terms, the issue may naturally resolve itself over time as the quality of communication between you and your supervisor improves. A positive attitude will also assist you in understanding if your own behavior can be improved to successfully motivate your supervisor into action.

3. Document your work. If your supervisor is indifferent to your professional output, your assistance to the company may go unnoticed. This can put you at a disadvantage when applying for internal promotions, or when seeking a reference for a new job. To prepare for this, keep track of all your significant professional contributions; this will give you plenty to talk about when given an opportunity to discuss your input to the company.

4. Network with others within the company. This may allow you to assist in areas of the company which are independent from your supervisor, enabling you to earn recognition from your colleagues and other managerial figures. This will make your positive contributions to the company more apparent, and may cause people to question your supervisor if he fails to discuss your work in a positive light.

5. Update your supervisor often about your progress. This provides your supervisor with more opportunities to get involved with your work, and will also provide evidence that you have consistently kept your supervisor informed and up-to-speed if this is ever put into question.

References

• Business Week; How to Handle a Bad Boss; Jeff Schmitt; April 2009