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| Tuesday, 16 August 2011 00:26 | |||||
Last month, the movie Horrible Bosses was released in the theatres starring Kevin Spacey as Dave Harken, Jennifer Aniston as Dr. Julia Harris, and Colin Farrell as Bobby Pellitt. The three persecuted employees were played by Jason Bateman as Nick Hendricks, Charlie Day as Dale Arbus, and Jason Sudeikis as Kurt Buckman. The latter three portrayed to an exaggerated degree the many overworked, overstressed, undervalued people in the real-world workforce of today. Nick Hendricks hates his boss mainly because he is expected by his boss to work round the clock. No matter what he does, his boss Dave Harken calls him out for being a minute late and blackmails him so he cannot quit. Dale Arbus works for Dr. Julia Harris who makes unwelcome sexual advances, but unfortunately Dale is on the list of child offenders so he cannot quit his job either. Kurt Buckman is probably the only one who likes his job, up until his boss dies and the boss’ psychopathic son takes over. The distressed trio consider quitting their jobs, but instead they hypothetically plot how to kill their bosses and before they know it they have a murder consultant working with them to pull off their evil deeds. By reading the short summary, you can see almost instantly that the story line resonates with the current job climate where some employees feel trapped in their jobs. There is no doubt most people are terrified to take chances in today’s precarious job market. They often feel they have no control and they feel miserable – some even to a point of mental and physical illness. According to the Conference Board, 50 per cent of Americans are satisfied with their supervisors. This was a significant decline from 60 per cent in 1987 when they conducted the study for the first time. A 2010 Bosses Day survey conducted by Spherion Staffing Services and Monster.com also found that more than a third of workers are unhappy with their managers. Florida State University Professor Wayne Hochwarter published similar research in 2007. According to the study, 31 per cent of workers claimed their supervisors gave them the silent treatment, while 30 per cent failed to keep promises and 27 per cent spoke poorly of them behind their backs. Another study was done by Spherion Staffing Services online last fall indicating that 45 per cent of the surveyed employees stated their boss had taken credit for their work, more than a third said their boss had “thrown them under the bus” to save face, and more than 50 per cent stated they feel their boss has no respect for them as professional equals. Most of us have survived at least one horrible boss at some point in our careers. Although it is challenging to stay motivated in a work environment with a tough boss, common sense would dictate that it would not be wise to compromise job performance. Some employees may think that getting back at their boss might be a good tactic, however, would upper management be more likely to believe the person they trusted enough to put in the managerial or supervisory role or an employee who does not perform well? Your own professional reputation comes first. Another thing not to consider is confrontation. Discretion is critical when managing a challenging boss. Confronting them in public is definitely not an option, as they will ensure to go out of their way to put you back in your place. They certainly do not want their authority to be questioned in front of other employees. Also, venting or talking to other employees about a boss-related problem may not be a good solution either ,even if the other employees seem to agree with you. The last thing you would want to happen is for your boss to discover what you really think of him or her through workplace gossip. If all else fails, discussing the issue with your own human resources department may help. Most companies also offer EAP (Employee Assistance Programs), which is a third-party anonymous counselling service, to help manage work and personal issues. Most important, try to keep things in perspective and always remind yourself of why you work. Think of the reasons why you have chosen your field and when times get rough, remind yourself that work is work and there is life outside of work to look forward to. Sources:Michele Majul-Ibarra is a Compliance Officer with Canada Post Corporation, specializing in Human Rights and Conflict Management. She graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and a Certificate in Human Resource Management. She also has a professional designation, C.I.M. (Certified in Management) awarded by the Canadian Institute of Management through the University of Manitoba. Find Career Connexion by Michele Majul-Ibarra on Facebook. Have a comment on this article? Send us your feedback
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