The boss doesn’t care anymore … so now what?
By anthony balderrama on Feb 23, 2010 in Featured, Work
Talk of workplace productivity, motivation and passion (or lack thereof) typically focuses on employees and what they’re doing wrong. “Are you slacking off on the job?” “Is your bad attitude hurting your career?” (I even admit to addressing similar topics here and in articles.) Bosses are left to wonder how they can get the best out of their workers. But sometimes, the situation is reversed and the boss is the one who needs to get back to work.
A fellow writer over at The Hiring Site passed along this AP article (via The New York Times) that tackles the subject and helps workers deal with a boss that just doesn’t care anymore. In an ideal world you (the employee) could thump the boss on the head and say, “Snap out of it!” But that won’t do you any good. And if we’re in ideal worlds, you’d probably be the boss and we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
In the article, different career experts offer their advice and share their experiences. Robert I. Sutton, author of ”Good Boss, Bad Boss,” recalls one group of workers who were direct with their boss — probably more direct than most employees would be or have the freedom to be.
At one company, Sutton says, four or five influential employees gathered together and confronted their boss, saying: ”We’ve admired the work you’ve done in the past, but if you don’t change your behavior, we think you should step down.”
It was a risky move, and one that’s not appropriate for every company. But those employees felt OK going with the direct approach, since they knew it was difficult for the boss to fire them.
The experts in the article point out that you have several different options, but you have to choose the one that suits you. A direct confrontation has risks. Going to a third party can backfire. Suffering in silence can just make you miserable. What you choose to do depends on your situation.
A few months ago I asked you to list the qualities of a good boss and many of you did (thanks!). Now that we’re on the flip side of the issue, I’m wondering how many of you have encountered a boss who was mentally checked out. How did you know that your boss had given up on the job and wasn’t just having a bad day? How did you respond?
Orlando Huezo | Feb 24, 2010
Anyone?? Please I would like to know if there is a good place to get advice and how to get jobs in different areas like: entre-level jobs??
Stewart | Mar 1, 2010
I have a boss who is a %100 jerk. He verbally abuses his employees, refers to everyone with an expletive attached, and will not take resposibilities for his own decisions. While his product knowledge is excellent, he has no people skills. Being a manager and dealing with people the way he does has cost our business dearly, but he still remains in his job. It has made the employees wonder if he has some dirty laundry on upper management or do they have their heads completely buried in the sand!? We are watching a train wreck in slow motion and it is gut wrenching to see a great business slowly go down the tube.
James | Mar 6, 2010
THERE SHOULD BE A LAW PASSED THAT EMPLOYER’S SHOULD CONSIDER TAKEING THERE OLD WORKES BACK BEFORE THEY CAN HIRE NEW ONES. IF THEY HAVE WORKED FOR THERE CO 38 YEARS. WHERE LAIDED OFF NO REASON AND WOULD NOT GIVE YOU A GOOD REASON. I LIKED 3 YEARS TO BE ABLE TO RETIRE. THE UNEMPLOYMENT OFFICE IS FULL OF OLD WORKERS.OLD WORKERS NEED TO EAT TO.
AVI | May 3, 2010
My worst boss was one who should have retired before I came on board. I think he was starting to go senile because he kept talking to me like I was another girl who had just gotten hired by bending union rules. We didn’t even have the same hair color, but he kept reassuring me, they didn’t need me and I would not get hired. I needed the money and stuck it out until he let me go the week he was on vacation. I didn’t let him get away unscathed, however, as I hung up my uniform on his office chair along with my id card with picture removed. I think that move blew my chances of ever being hired by the city, but, I learned the city workers hated their jobs, so, I’m glad I won’t be working with them. I’m tired of working with Unions, anyway, so many people hate their jobs it is very pathetic. They won’t quit, though because of the excellent wages and benefits. I think these types of persons are addicted to hate and stress and create it for themselves…..but I digress we were talking about the boss…….
Tina | May 3, 2010
My boss was great for about a year. Young, smart, hands-on and ready to learn everything from top to bottom. I think the newness of the job wore off. She learned a lot, but fell short actually learning to be a leader. Staff is rude to customers and often on the phone or internet at their desk. If someone has a problem she will just shrug her shoulders and hope it blows over. Then she will take a 2 hour lunch. She’s absent from work at least once a week and already owes the business 2 weeks of PTO. I’m sure she will never pay it back. My boss is MIA! We work at a place that is very hard to get fired from so I can only hope things improve.
Janine | May 3, 2010
Perhaps you were let go because you can’t spell, have bad grammar, can’t write a proper English sentence and cannot make the distinction between “there” (a location) and “their” (possessive pronoun) and I’m guess “they’re” (a contraction of they are) also.
Arman | May 3, 2010
I work for a very small company (18 people), so there is not exactly a huge management structure as you can imagine. The 3 guys that own the company are the bosses and everyone else is an employee. There are 3 groups of employees and each group reports to one of the bosses. When I joined the company everything was great. The bosses were fun, friendly, energetic, and always trying to keep a non-corporate, no red-tape, Silicon Valley start-up image, even incorporating fun activities such as “pizza party Fridays” in the office and happy hours after work. Then business hit a rough patch in the down economy as so many others experienced. I’m not sure that was the complete trigger, but my boss’s attitude went south with the economy and progressively got worse. Now he has a very surly “sick of it all” tone to everything he does. He barely assumes the duties of managing projects anymore, gives us very little to work with in terms of requirements/specifications when assigning new projects, and then gets very annoyed when we try to ask follow up questions due to his vague, unclear, no details instructions. Many of his email responses are one sentence or less. He still has very high expectations though and thinks highly of himself. When something goes wrong or gets delayed because of his lack of direction, he takes zero responsibility and immediately places blame on others and points fingers loudly, even if he is the direct cause. He regularly talks behind others’ backs and complains about other employees work, decisions, intelligence, etc. Our office is pretty small, so you can easily hear through any closed doors or into the conference room when he is talking. His usual solution to any problem is to send a stern email outlining fault and blame instead of trying to solve the problem, and then bragging about how “he showed them”. He has thrown out his anti-corporate attitude and now boldly states that he owns this company and declares many tasks and people to be beneath him. I saw the start of this even before the economy tanked, so I can’t even say its even partially justified or understandable due to the hardship of watching his company’s bottom line shrinking. I don’t know what caused it, I just never thought it would get this bad. The worst part is you can’t confront him about it because he’s not just a boss, he owns the company. He’s not going anywhere and confronting him will only lead to a worse situation. Others have tried going to the other bosses with their concerns in the past and it never ended well as none of them work here anymore.
Laura | Aug 25, 2010
Arman,
I can relate to your situation 100%. I have a very similar situation and don’t know what to do about it. I’m looking for a resource on how to motivate the boss, but haven’t been very successful yet.
pat | May 4, 2010
Hi Orlando,
Sounds as though you have a good attitude.
Good Luck.
I would:
1. Every day you go out anywhere, buy a paper, meet for coffee, get gas, get groceries:
just count the doors you walk past where it says Now Hiring. I live in Michigan. Some people think there are no jobs here. It is not true, I think people are not looking carefully enough.
2. If you get to talk to any employer/hiring manager, I would not just ask “Can I have THIS job? ” Ask if you can put your name on a list for future jobs. Ask them what qualifications they will be looking for when they next hire. Then go get those qualifications as much as you can within your budget. Online and free library courses teach a lot including good updated computer skills.
3. I work in a hospital. I help nurses monitor the safety of inpatients. Here, Manpower hires and places for this job. It is entry level but you have to respect the feelings of people when their family is severely ill. You cannot be afraid of blood and body products. You have to learn and follow simple safety regulations.
Unfortunately, there is always more work midnight shift and evening shift than days; but if you need the money you can adjust. I would go to every nearby hospital and ask an administrative Director of Nursing how patients are monitored while recuperating from operations and in transition from the hospital to assisted living or hospice.
Good Luck,
Pat
jason | May 5, 2010
shoulda learned to spell guud…. you might still have your job.
Cindy | May 7, 2010
I work at a non-profit agency with a director who is 62 or 63 and makes it well known that she will be retiring in a year or two, which isn’t soon enough. She will not make decisions, rarely attends meetings that she should and has absolutely no enthusiasm left for the job or the agency. I’ve seen her asleep at her desk twice and at lunch she goes to her car and naps, one afternoon someone had to go out to her car and wake her up because someone from the state kept calling and asking for her. Talk about an episode from the office. This office definitely needs some new blood, and I can’t wait to find something else!
Hamid | May 7, 2010
I worked for a consulting firm, and I could never reach my boss who used to work out of Chicago. He is always in a meeting, and the door is always shut. His fellow employees tell me that he spend alot of time on the phone taking care of chatting with spouse(?), and attending to family matters. Rest of the time he is travelling.
When it comes to important matters to discuss he is never available, or hardly returns emails, unless you tell him that we just signed a million dollar contract.
There were a number of lyoffs in 2009. Usually, the most talented employees with all the more realistic ideas, get laidoff first and the deadbeats get to stay on the job, working right next to their family members.
Its One Big Happy Family!
Phil | May 9, 2010
Can always go “postal” some morning………..That should get some attention! Otherwise, I have no Idea!
Arvind Ranganath | May 10, 2010
@ Janine : What about your grammatical skills? They’re not above board too!
Quote : -
“I’m guess” from
and I’m guess “they’re” (a contraction of they are) also.
Look at yourself before you point out the flaws of others.
Trepanist | May 16, 2010
I’ll ask the obvious; why not take the issue up with management? Make it a concerted effort with your peers. If your second level manager won’t listen, then take it up the chain. Believe me, someone in the executive office DOES care and will act. I’ve seen it happen. Best of luck.
Park | Aug 3, 2010
To me, the traits of a bad boss include not returning employee phone calls or outside phone calls, not making decisions or standing by any previous decisions, not supporting employees in their work efforts or with superiors, lying, being lazy, having a “let’s keep below the radar attitude,” and playing favorites. I also abhor managers who take credit for their employees ideas/work without giving the employee any credit to superiors. I just described most state government managers, and as in my state we are a “right to work” state which means that an employee can be fired for no known or given reason with no recourse to defend themselves or fight for their job.
Ian | Aug 20, 2010
As do young workers. I can’t get a job in this market because I’m competing against experienced 40-year-old veterans for entry level office aid jobs that consist of getting coffee, taking calls, cleaning, and the usual grunt work.