by Maria C Collins

Created on: September 24, 2010   Last Updated: September 27, 2010

We will all meet a mean difficult boss during our working lives. It pays to be prepared and to know how to handle the mean boss. Bosses are nasty for many reasons. Some because they are bullies, some may be unwell or have worries and some may be difficult or mean because they have every reason to be.

Sometimes the boss has every reason to be cross, if your work is not up to muster perhaps you need to attend to it. It may be that your boss is a precise personality and you are a little slapdash in your approach. There is nothing more annoying to a precise personality than someone, who is rather more easygoing. In any case, the best way to deal with a mean or difficult boss is to leave him no room for complaint about your work or your observance of work rules.

If your boss is nasty to everyone, all the time, he may just be a bully. Do not gossip about his behaviour, join with colleagues and keep a diary of his behaviour. A group complaint is more likely to succeed than a sole complaint. Your diary should contain the date and time of each incident, details of events and statements from those who witnessed the behaviour; this will help in any complaint to Human Resources because it provides evidence. In the United Kingdom, bullying is a Health and Safety issue and, union representatives will (generally) advise about it even if you are not a member of the union. Keep calm and do not be tempted to be rude to the boss, the minute you are rude, you put yourself in the wrong.

People should not bring their problems to work but many people do. Some things, understandably, worry people and make life very difficult for them. The boss may be ill himself or have personal worries. One group of workers suffered under a tetchy boss for some time. After about six weeks or so of this behaviour, the workers discovered that the boss’s little girl had been diagnosed with cancer and that the tetchy period was the time that the family did not know whether the cancer was curable. The workers then completely understood that their boss was not being deliberately tetchy but was, understandably, worried out of his mind for his little daughter.

Quietly keep your curriculum Vitae up to date in case you cannot stand any more. You may need to change jobs quickly, so it does no harm to look, discreetly, for a new job.  

Handling a mean or difficult boss means giving him no room to complain and put you in the wrong. It means ensuring that your work is accurate, timely and that you work hard. It also means being in on time in the morning and back from your breaks promptly, observing the dress code and all workplace rules, policies and procedures. If the boss is a bully, take evidence of his behaviour and unite with colleagues to take a joint grievance against him. Remain calm, behave in a professional manner and do not gossip. Time sometimes heals these situations and the difficult boss may be moved or move on of his own accord, but the way that you handle the situation will prove who the professional is and who is not.

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