News flash, bosses: some of your staff think you’re a real jerk

Employees know them as the big cheese, the boss, the big kahuna, the man or woman at the top — and then there are some other names that are not so nice.  No matter the moniker, this is the person responsible for making sure that the work gets done. I asked numerous people: “Describe your boss”. Most rolled their eyes and puffed a sigh of disgust but there were some who expressed great admiration for their superiors.

Those who were not too fond of their bosses were fairly consistent in their gripes. In no particular order, here are the top five.

First of all, bosses often fail to realize staff have a life outside of work. Employees feel overworked and under-appreciated. Most said they don’t mind the work, but some complained it was not reciprocal; that is, they were not given a couple of hours off to attend an important appointment or event for their child.  Employees saw their superiors enjoying the luxury of coming in late and leaving early — and in some cases enjoying extracurricular activity — but felt spied upon by the bosses’ pets to make sure they were working hard for every hour being paid and not stealing company time. 

Secondly, employees felt that the boss developed inappropriate friendships at work with those they are responsible for managing, compromising their ability to deal with work related matters effectively when the friend/employee is not upholding their end of the work bargain.

Employees spoke of how this destroys the level of trust in the workplace. An employee might want to speak to the boss about something that the friend/employee is not doing, but doesn’t feel comfortable doing so because of their friendship.  

Thirdly, employees say communication is poor.  One lady said: “My boss waits until I’ve just about finished my work and then gives me more work that he wants done before I leave for the day.”

Another told me: “A lot of things go on in my office but we hear it from each other because the boss doesn’t tell us what’s going on.” 

I learned a long time ago that when information is not communicated clearly, it leaves people no other option but to make assumptions. And most of us know what people say about assuming!

Unapproachable

Finding the boss unapproachable is also of great concern. The employees I spoke to seem to go to great lengths to plot and plan various ways to approach the boss on the simplest of matters. Some give up.

But the issue that got spoken about the most was the feeling from employees that they knew far more than the boss who gets paid a whole lot more money.  One lady put it quite bluntly when she said: “My boss got hired because of who he knows but he’s just straight up dumb!”

Through it all, many of the people I spoke to said they would leave their jobs today if they could find another one.

Personally, I’m always bothered by people who show up to a place every day where they don’t want to be. How effective is this person to the business?  How does their energy affect co-workers?

I’ll answer those questions next week — and also share some suggestions for harmony in the workplace.

In the meantime, bosses, take some time to let your employees know how much you need and appreciate them. They may appear suspicious if it’s not something they’re used to, but you’ll surely see great productivity if you make it a regular practice. 

Kudos to the people and businesses who demonstrated top notch attitudes and service to me here lately: Atlantic Vision Care; Keisha Tuckett at GEHI; Terry at Café Duquai at Watford Bridge; Flanagans – super lunch, super service, Dr Daley — and Michele Smith at HSBC. I appreciate my interaction with you all!

Shawnette Somner is an educator and mother. Email: [email protected]