Workplace

‘Toxic’ bosses: Handle with care

Can’t stand your boss but can’t live without your job? said Tara Weiss in Forbes. Join the club. More than 50 million workers surveyed by Working America said they feel pressure to stay with bad bosses because of the current economic downturn. One way to cope with your boss’ “quirks” is to attempt to turn them to your advantage. If the boss is a micromanager, provide updates until he tells you to stop. If the boss is incompetent, see it as a chance to “gain more responsibility.”

After landing my dream job, I realized that I had a “toxic boss,” said an “understandably bashful” contributor in BusinessWeek. Instead of quitting, “I developed a formula.” My strategy includes allotting time every morning to “cater to his needs,” sending quick e-mails throughout the day, and over-responding to his pet peeves. “My boss usually has a temper tantrum on the Monday two weeks before the end of the quarter.” The way I avoid getting unnerved by these tirades is to plan for them. “I even tell him that he will have this tantrum before he does, and sometimes I tell him that I agree with him.” The arrangement isn’t perfect, “but we have a détente.”

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