How to Deal With a Bad Supervisor
Nobody likes a bad supervisor. They can ruin your life. They completely have the upper hand, and are typically oblivious of how their temperament affects your everyday job performance. If you're miserable, stuck, and need some tips on how to effectively deal with a bad supervisor, follow the steps below.
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Instructions
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Focus on your job, not the people. This can be challenging, but sometimes it helps to separate the task from the master. Think about what you enjoy about your job and the various tasks you perform, not the snide comments or rudeness of your supervisor. Do your job as best you can, and with pride and things might get better.
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Talk with them. It may be that he or she disapproves of your job performance in some way. The best way to remedy the situation could be to talk things over in a down-to-earth way, or to get pointers on improving your job performance. It may also flatter your supervisor and earn you a few brownie points.
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Avoidance. Sometimes it's best to just fly under the radar. Your supervisor may be going through a difficult patch that has nothing to do with you, and if you wait a while, things could get better on their own. Consider quietly going about your tasks the best way you can while avoiding him or her.
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Go the extra mile. As an experiment, try kissing up for a week and be nice, or pretend to be nice and see what happens. Offer appreciative comments and a 'thank you' as often as possible. Think about their good qualities (if there are any) and try to compliment them without being obvious.
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Talk to one of your co-workers. This can be therapeutic and help relieve some stress. Make sure it's someone you trust too, you don't want your negative feelings to fall into the wrong hands.
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Make attempts to boost morale. Organize parties, potlucks, offsite activities, or play tricks on them (but keep them legal). Sometimes the supervisor is simply too uptight and needs a wakeup call of some kind. A good activity or an occasional joke can break the ice and bring people back to earth. Replacing name tags, anonymous gifts (like world's best supervisor mug), fake melted ice cream on his/her chair, etc. Use your imagination to come up with some fun things to make life better for everyone.
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In the rare event that you face hostility, and none of the above items work, it may be time to declare war. Familiarize yourself with your rights and document everything. Don't let on that you're about to strike back, otherwise they might make the first move. If you're being harassed, framed or manipulated in some way, the first step is to get proof. Purchase surveillance equipment from eBay or your local spy shop, and try to record conversations, meetings, emails and if possible, video. When the time is right, strike hard and fast, and make sure they go down with a splat. Get help from your union and people you know and trust. Go to your local newspaper and television with your evidence so that the whole world knows. In today's job market, it's kill or be killed (figuratively speaking of course).
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Resources
- Photo Credit blackbookmag.com
