It is seen that often, people don’t quit a job—they quit a boss. The inability to manage effectively your bosses, peers, and sometimes even your subordinates can be frustrating, stressful, and finally could lead to quitting a job. Albeit, other factors may cause an exodus of employees, however, having a toxic boss is cited as one of the strong reasons for people to jump ship.
Many organisations still operate with a top-down management style with a rigid hierarchy structure. Some Indian organisations and their bosses tend to have a feudalistic mindset. They mostly suffer from perceptual biases against their subordinates who they assume cannot be trusted to do a job well if given freedom. They think that he or she is there to do “what I say". Besides, they like to believe that the company pays them a lot of money to do the job and not to make them happy. Further, they suffer from this fallacy that nobody is indispensable as the market is full of people with the required skill and expertise. Most bosses are quite comfortable with an average staff who are more pliable than with individuals who outshine them with their brilliance.
In companies, it is generally felt by employees that there is a line of demarcation between leadership and the rest of the company. They, with their blinkered view, see their bosses and the C-level community very differently as if they are from the enemy camp. Employees, generally, have this misplaced notion that they are model employees and if anything goes wrong, it is because of the incompetence of higher-ups. They have an elevated opinion of their professional skills and standing amongst peers. They like to play victim that their contribution is more than the rewards that they are getting in return.
Root cause of animosity
The root cause of this animosity between the two could be possibly traced to the higher power and the locus of control associated with the leading role that every manager/ leader /boss likes to exercise over his /her subordinates. Some employees do resist the power play by seniors and resent this constraint more than others. They have difficulty with authority, hence, become counter dependents and defy or disobey the boss consciously or unconsciously. They undermine the authority by sabotaging corporate/ institutional work. Such kinds of employees always end up with strained relationships with leaders, especially if the boss is authoritarian. This attitude of defiance thus earns them the mistrust of the boss and lack of support which further alienate the employees leading to that vicious circle, thus perpetuating the dysfunctional relationship.
Types of employees
On the other end of the continuum, some employees become overly compliant to the boss even when the boss makes bad decisions. These employees tend to see the boss as all-knowing and thus surrender blindly to all his dictates - whether right or wrong. These employees suffering from Abilene syndrome make them cede all responsibilities to the boss, and pass all their monkeys on to the shoulders of their boss. This can be a dangerous scenario since at times employees, who refuse to speak their minds, may have certain critical information that should be important for decision making. Both an aversion to authority or over-reliance on authority can be counterproductive for the organisation and the employees.
Do’s and dont’s
Employees function best in the workplace when they realise that the successful relationship between boss and subordinate rests on interdependence, though, they have to concede between the two, the boss enjoys more power than him/her. They should bear in mind that bosses too could be under a lot of pressure, who may not only have to manage employees working under them, but a boss, who has a boss and a boss at the top. Therefore, they should display some kind of compassion towards their boss who, one never knows, may be gnawed at by the worst bully.
If you argue with your boss in his or her chamber, do not come out with all guns blazing. 95 % of what you say along with some value addition will be conveyed to your boss in quick time rest assured. Bosses have long memories. They will nurse a grudge about you all through their life. Do not bad mouth your boss. Last but not least is to stop wallowing in the muck of the problem and rest in the multitude of possible solutions, because nobody likes to be around complainers except of course the other complainers.
Do not rush to the boss’s office for every petty issue and do not exaggerate or explain your problems in graphic details. When problems arise, it is good to flag them. However, do the groundwork and ensure that you are seen as a problem solver than a problem raiser.
Further, do not assume that your boss reads your mind. He has a lot many things in his mind that are inside your mind. Go and tell him/her your aspirations/ needs/ wants. There are 99% chances that these may be refused. Therefore, do not go with high expectations and be disappointed. Be mentally prepared that your request will be denied. At least, you have the satisfaction of having let your boss know your wants and wishes.
Asking is, in my opinion, the world’s most powerful and neglected secret to success and happiness. Keep the boss always updated on the activities you are handling and request feedback on the same These are all commonsensical things, but unfortunately not so commonly practised. The employee has always two choices as they say in Hindi: baagh lo (participate) or bhaag lo (run away). The choice is always yours.
Prof. Reeta Raina is professor at Department of Communications, FORE School of Management, New Delhi
