Do You Hate Your Boss?
Apparently, a lot of people do. Only 51% of American workers in this survey are "satisfied" with their bosses.
That strikes me as a pretty high number, but Robert Sutton, in Harvard Business Review, begs to differ. He's got some other pieces of the puzzle:
But other evidence paints a less gloomy picture. For example, a recent poll [pdf] by StrategyOne of over 500 American workers finds that over 80% of employees feel respected by their supervisors and believe their supervisors value their work. And I just heard from a Danish journalist about an ongoing effort by staffing firm Randstad to index satisfaction and other work-related attitudes and behavior across 26 countries. While Japan, according to it, has the lowest satisfaction, with only 41% of its workers calling themselves either very satisfied or satisfied with their employer, Denmark tops the charts at 83%. (Note that there is other research that shows the Danes are the happiest people in the world.) US workers, while not as satisfied as their near neighbors the Canadians (78%) still came in at 70%. Worldwide, some 68% of employees are satisfied with their employer. (I realize this does not necessarily mean they are satisfied with their bosses. The old saw that people leave bosses, not companies, is supported by a lot of research.)
Sutton is the author of Good Boss, Bad Boss, which I haven't read (yet). On his blog, Work Matters, he describes some of the worst boss types he's come across:
Research on power poisoning suggests that because wielding authority over others leads to "dis-inhibition," impulsiveness, and disregard for and detachment from the reactions of others -- bosses are likely to do some pretty strange and offensive things. Here are a few examples to get you started:
He walks around the office with his shoes off, and doesn't realize that his feet stink.
She picks her nose during meetings.
He talks VERY loudly on his cell phone, even when talking of company secrets.
She talks and talks and talks, and seems incapable of listening.
He keeps forgetting to zip-up his pants after going to the men's room.
When we go to lunch, she eats food off our plates without asking permission.
He calls women "honey" and "sweetheart" and doesn't realize that they find it offensive.
Only some of which I've done. Actually, I'm kidding. For some reason, although I recognize all of those things as rude or unpleasant, it's not exactly what I think of when I think of "bad boss." I guess my mind goes more towards the psycho, the screamer, the scaredy-cat. In my experience, those are the worst kinds of bosses.
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Comments:
May '10
Re: Do You Hate Your Boss?
The envy of the common man explains much of the employee resentment of employers.
May '10
Re: Do You Hate Your Boss?
My favorite subordinate evaluation ever said I was "secretive and dictatorial". How cool is that? I took it to mean confident and decisive. Tenting the fingers in the swivelly armchair, staring into the middle distance and pursing the lips before jumping up and saying "OK, here's the plan; you, get to work on this, you, investigate that, you, gimme a harrumph." Harrumph is not a euphemism.
What it really needed was a fluffy white kitten and a Nehru jacket.
The worst subordinate evaluation came from Steve Rattner, the erstwhile Car Czar, who said "the moment I met him, I felt I was in the presence of a community organizer." Dude, that's just cold.
Re: Do You Hate Your Boss?
I've had several bosses over the years and very rarely have I disliked any of them. Only one comes to mind as a particularly nasty piece of work, but I had more pity for her than contempt. (Okay, at the time I had more contempt for her, but I want to sound high-minded.)
Jul '10
Re: Do You Hate Your Boss?
Much, perhaps, but not all. Employers vary drastically in ability to: recognize talent, separate the significant, interact with fellow human beings, & achieve their goals.
I had a pretty good boss. He was fair, bright, & hard-working. His boss was both a scaredy-cat and an imbecile. Decent enough but weak. Her boss was arrogant, but also ambitious & willing to take risks.
Within this hierarchy all decision making authority was vested in only two people, myself & the guy at the top. My supervisor implemented policies, his supervisor verified that they were implemented & forwarded emails. This was by design. If a given policy seemed like a bad idea, I had to convince my boss to be an advocate, who had to convince his to do so.
Contra the old saw cited by Mr. Sutton ("that people leave bosses, not companies, is supported by a lot of research") the company, not the boss was the problem. No USPS, perhaps, but turgidly bureaucratic nonetheless.
Jul '10
Re: Do You Hate Your Boss?
A lot of people are caught between doing what they want to do and having a steady job. The steady job is a big enticement, but it won't bring satisfaction. Work is tough and it is extra tough when it isn't what you want to do. I imagine this is reflected in the poll numbers.
There are a lot of bad bosses out there. There are those that always cover their backside and won't make decisions. There are more that make poor decisions because of various reasons, including being unqualified for their job. You have to feel for them, except when they're decisive in all the wrong ways. These people all seem to get promoted on a regular basis in larger companies. I'm not sure what that's about. Don't make waves, I guess...
Re: Do You Hate Your Boss?
I adore my boss. Of course, I'm self-employed.
Re: Do You Hate Your Boss?
That's where we're different, Pat. I'm self-employed too, and I hate my boss. Can't stand the guy.