“It wasn’t funny … because it was too real.”
A few years ago, my coworker Chris had gone to see the movie Horrible Bosses, and despite the fact that it contained several hilarious moments, he couldn’t enjoy it, because it hit just a little too close to home.
Still, I failed to heed my friend’s warning, and I too watched the film. Sure enough, instead of laughing, I was one step away from rocking in the corner of the room crying. Why? Because over the course of my career, I’ve worked for versions of all three bosses portrayed in the movie — albeit to a much lesser extent. And although each of these bosses inflicted a great deal of misery upon me and my colleagues, they also taught us invaluable lessons about how to conduct one’s self in the professional environment.
Here’s what I learned from each one.
- The ‘Inappropriate and Darn Proud of It’ Boss
In the movie, Jennifer Aniston plays a dentist who continuously directs vulgar comments at her assistant, despite his protests. Many years ago, my friend Emily and I had a boss who regularly asked female staff members about their dating status and commented on their wardrobe choices. Unfortunately for us, there was no policy in place to file a complaint; in fact, if we did say anything, it went right back to our boss.
The one time Emily did relate a particularly offensive comment to the makeshift HR person, no report was filed. Our boss was told to stop making crude remarks — shockingly, he didn’t. Later, my friend told me she regretted not pursuing it further, and I regretted not offering to accompany her to the CEO’s office to make sure some action was taken.
What I learned: If anyone makes you — or one of your coworkers — feel uncomfortable, report it. Get it in writing. And if nothing happens, follow up, as many times as it takes.
- The ‘Spoiled, Entitled Rich Kid Boss’
This is the boss who rode the nepotism train right to the top, having spent little, if any, time learning the ins and outs of the business (or the industry, for that matter). I’ve had a few of these in my career, and it’s about as fun as you might imagine. The rich kid boss doesn’t care about things like workflow or processes. He doesn’t care about the effort required to increase output without compromising quality. He wants results. Now.
A few years ago, I had a rich kid boss who decided on a whim that he wanted to push up the productions dates of several publications, which meant everyone was expected to work over Memorial Day. When my direct manager told us we should clear our calendars, I pointed out to her how ridiculous the request actually was; the printing company would certainly tack on hefty fees, particularly since it was a holiday weekend.
I also let her know that my little brother was graduating from college and being commissioned an Army officer, and I wasn’t going to miss it unless I would be compensated. I was bluffing; no amount of money would make me skip such an important event. But I knew that the only language a rich kid boss understands is money, and so I chose to play his game. Just as I suspected, he had no plans to open his wallet — not for extra printing costs, and especially not for hard-working employees.
What I learned: A boss who acts like a spoiled child needs to be treated like a child. Logic and reasoning don’t work — you need to threaten to take his favorite toy away, and be prepared to deliver. If you have a boss who only cares about the bottom line, let him know how it will be impacted.
- The ‘Just Plain Mean’ Boss
In the movie, Kevin Spacey did a phenomenal job depicting a boss who is just plain evil. He takes glee in saying things like, “I own you” to his subjects and reneging on promises of days off and raises. It doesn’t get any worse than working for someone who denies vacation days (or, as I once experienced, unpaid furlough days), fails to deliver on a bonus or raise, expects staff to work on weekends or holidays without a valid reason (or added compensation), or just treats people poorly.
What I learned: If you work for one of these bosses, run. That’s it. Get out of there, as soon as possible. Because while a movie about a nightmare boss might be funny, it’s anything but laughable if you find yourself in that situation.
That being said, I think I might check out Horrible Bosses 2. Now that my ‘horrible’ days are behind me, I might find it amusing.
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