Search Results for: bad boss

Touchdown with a Bad Boss Contest Finalists – Let the Voting Begin!

Tackle-boss-1 We've heard a lot of stories about some bad bosses, and now it's time to choose a winner for the Touchdown with a Bad Boss contest. Who will it be? Voting begins today and closes on Friday, Sept. 10, at 2 p.m. CDT.

Review the top 12 finalists and get your vote in today for your favorite. The winner will receive a football victory package, which includes: a 40-inch LCD TV, a $100 Visa gift card, and a tailgate party gift basket. Good luck to all our finalists and thanks to all who participated!

Voting rules: Limit one vote entry per person per 24-hour period. Multiple votes from the same IP address within a 24-hour period will be considered "voting fraud" and all duplicate vote entries will be disqualified. For more information, see the complete contest rules.

Touchdown with a Bad Boss – Week 4

Tackle-boss-1Here are the final bad boss solutions for week four of our Touchdown with a Bad Boss contest! Voting will now begin to determine the favorite story of the 12. The person who receives the most votes will win the grand prize. Learn more about this contest.

Who will win? Review all 12 finalists and vote today for your favorite!


The Power of HR
Tracey's company was rolling out a new program when she noticed it being communicated to clients before the staff. She brought this to her manager’s attention and was instructed that it wasn’t a primary program and didn’t need to be communicated to the staff. Shortly afterwards, her manager apologized for her curt response; however an hour after that, Tracey received a formal write-up for presenting this oversight to her manager. The situation continued to escalate as Tracey was unable to communicate with her boss or receive support from the vice president of her area. Tracey then chose to seek the help of her human resources (HR) department to resolve the situation. Throughout the process, Tracey continued to work with the HR department to improve the relationship with her manager. It is a great idea to seek the advice of your HR department when warranted. Everyone has an expertise in the workplace, and HR’s is the employee-employer relationship.

Family Intervention
Charlie’s boss was known for disappearing from the office when the going got tough, which left the decision making in the hands of his employees. Then, when things went wrong, he would promptly blame the employees for making decisions without him. This went on until a position came open within the company. Recalling that the boss’ wife was looking for work, Charlie called her up and suggested she apply. She was hired, and as it turned out, the boss stopped disappearing. Apparently he would rather stay at work and make decisions than explain to his wife, whose office was just down the hall, why he was leaving work!

Perseverance Pays Off
One morning, Clarence went to work and found that everything had changed. His immediate supervisor had unexpectedly passed away, leaving a void in the company’s leadership. As corporate worked to fill the empty position, they asked Clarence to take on the extra responsibilities for a while, which he gladly did. A few months later, when a new manager was brought on board, everyone was excited to return to normal. However, the leader proved to be incompetent, causing chaos and resulting in poor performance. Clarence tried to communicate the problems to upper management, but no actions were taken. A year went by and nothing changed. But, Clarence stayed focused on what he could affect. He worked to change what he could and he made sure to offer solutions when problems arose. Finally, the truth came out and leadership changes were made. No one got a raise or a medal, but Clarence had the satisfaction of knowing he handled the situation well. “Every person in the chain has responsibilities,” Clarence said, “and how you handle those duties will be ultimately revealed, good or bad.”

Touchdown with a Bad Boss – Week 3

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Here are the top Bad Boss solutions for week three of our contest! Until September 1, we will be spotlighting three top solutions we've received on how employees handled a tough boss. We will be collecting stories through Friday, Aug. 27, so you still have time to submit your story! E-mail your story to boss@expresspros.com. At the end of the contest, voting will begin to determine which solution is the best. The person who receives the most votes will win the grand prize. The winner could be you!


Stay the Course

Penny started a new job and walked into a field of landmines. Due to her hiring situation, other team members and managers doubted her competence and ability, choosing to judge her before they got a chance to work with her. Her hard work and determination to do her new tasks well began to pay off after a couple of weeks. Slowly she was given the opportunity to expand her role, and her supervisor gave her a new project to work on. Penny stayed on top of the ball throughout the project and made sure to keep the supervisor up-to-date on the advances. She knew she had won over the boss and the team when she was invited to a team lunch toward the end of the project. Penny won this boss and team over by demonstrating her abilities and taking care of business!

Communication Kick-Off
At first, Vince struggled with communicating his job expectations and performance issues with his boss. However, Vince soon discovered that, while neither he nor his boss were good verbal communicators, they could express themselves well through e-mail. So, Vince started e-mailing his boss when he had a problem or issue. His boss was able to clearly see the situation written out and then give a written response in reply. This has cut down on miscommunication and made their communication process more effective and efficient.

Changing Teams
Shari began working at a new company as Sales Manager. She was ready to take her new team on to new championships. However, she met head-on with a manager who had a unique way of managing his staff. While sales members were rewarded for hitting daily sales goals, he ran a tight ship when it came to the work environment. The manager had rules about what items could be displayed on your desk, restroom breaks, and phone calls. Shari chose to handle her role with poise and grace, but after 21-days she decided her professional goals and desires did not match the company’s policies. Shari choose to seek new employment, she also choose to find her new job through Express!

TouchDown with a Bad Boss – Week 2

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Check out this week's top solutions for how to deal with a tough boss. As part of the Touchdown with a Bad Boss contest, each week from now until September 1, we will be spotlighting three top solutions we've received on how employees handled a tough boss.  E-mail your story to boss@expresspros.com. At the end of the contest, voting will begin to determine which solution is the best. The person who receives the most votes will win the grand prize. Tell us your story today and the winner could be you!


Walk a Mile in My Shoes

When Patricia was 18 she was a waitress at a truck stop in Wyoming. The dress code required heels but Patricia had broken her foot in the past and heels were not the easiest thing to wear all day. After wearing heels for a couple of weeks she realized this wouldn’t work for her feet long term. Patricia proposed the idea to the boss that he wear heels for two hours and if his feet didn’t hurt afterward she’d continue with the dress code, but if he discovered otherwise, the dress code would be changed. After the two hours were up he asked the ladies, “How in the world do you work in these things?” That day the boss changed the rules to allow clean white tennis shoes for the waitresses. The whole team had fun watching the boss try to work in heels and everyone was happy with the outcome. This experience was nearly thirty years ago, and Patricia learned that when your boss makes a request sometimes it’s okay to ask them to take a walk in your shoes while you tackle the job together. As Patricia said, “Some bosses have never had to do what you do, and do not really how know hard the job is.” Patricia has used these moments in her career to find better ways to do things and has demonstrated the positive impact change can bring.

Pushing Through
One evening after a long day of work, Christopher was asked by his manager at a national TV rental company to repossess a 19-inch TV on his way home. When Christopher pulled up at the customer’s house, he saw that the house was surrounded by a SWAT team, and a team of paramedics. As he climbed out of his van, he stopped a paramedic and asked if he could slip inside and repossess the TV. But, the paramedic said it wasn’t a good idea since the customer had just been killed in a domestic dispute. So, Christopher called his boss and told him the situation. His boss ordered him to get the TV again, but this time Christopher was turned away by a police officer. His boss was furious that Christopher came away empty-handed. This was just one example of his boss’ unbending attitude. Christopher stayed focused on diligently doing his job and going above and beyond what was expected of him. Eventually, his boss left the company and Christopher was promoted to manager.

Keep Cool
Ken had to learn real fast how to deal with his quick-tempered new boss. Not long after being promoted to an afternoon shift, front-line supervisor, Ken was in his office preparing for work when he glanced out his window and saw his boss on the department floor frantically waving like he was trying to land an airplane. When Ken rushed down to see what the problem was, his manger pointed to a brand new pounds-per-square-inch gauge lying on the ground, and he demanded to know where it came from. Since it was not a cheap piece of equipment, Ken wondered how he could explain it being on the ground. But, before he had a chance to explain, his boss shouted, “I want to know right now where that came from!” Ken calmly picked up the gauge, turned it over, and read aloud from the manufacturing stamp, “Green Bay, Wisconsin!” At first his boss was speechless, but after a minute he smiled and nicely asked, “Can you make sure it gets put away, please?” From that day on, he treated Ken with respect and realized that there are better ways than anger to get the job done.

Didn't see last week's top solutions? Check them out here!

Touchdown With a Bad Boss

ACA10BOSS_200X200_W The Touchdown with a Bad Boss contest is underway! Each week from now until September 1, we will be spotlighting three top solutions we've received on how employees handled a tough boss. For this contest, we want you to submit your story on how you solved a problem with a boss that was "tough to tackle." E-mail your story to boss@expresspros.com. At the end of the contest, voting will begin to determine the favorite story of the 12. The person who receives the most votes will win the grand prize. Learn more about this contest and submit your story today!


Top Solutions Submitted from Aug. 2  Aug. 6

A Team Player Can Tackle Two Bosses  
Marisa worked for two tough bosses, each with their own game plans. Marisa’s boss was offended when she brought up a problem with a team leader; but provided her with some tips. Marisa thanked the boss for her tips and followed back up with her when the problem was solved. Marisa also identified that the formerly offended boss was motivated by securing her own position as a team leader. In Marisa’s role as supporting this boss, Marissa made sure to pass on compliments from team members on project completion and appreciation for her contribution. Marisa realized while this boss could get upset easily, the boss rewarded hardworking and proactive staff so Marisa made sure to stay at the top of her game. Additionally, in this role Marisa’s other boss would turn to office politics to further her role as a boss. Marisa saw it was easy to lose when you engage in office politics so the best way to move forward was to stay focused on her job and be a helpful asset to everyone on the team. The more people you are helping out, the greater your value to the team. This eliminates the need for you to join in with office politics. Marisa offers these tips to help improve your relationship with your boss: learn the best way to navigate company culture; appreciate the strengths of your boss; amplify the quality your boss appreciates in you; and earn the respect and support of your co-workers so your boss can join them in celebrating you!

For the Love of the Team  
Bruce worked with a manager who was trying to bring his game tactics as a football quarterback from twenty years earlier, into the workplace. The boss’ strategy was to stomp and yell when making a request to ensure he was understood. In a misguided effort to have fun with employees, he would inform them they were fired and then laugh hysterically and tell them it was all a joke. As an HR professional Bruce saw the opportunity to motivate this manager by showing him how his past game experiences could be used in a positive way in the workplace. Bruce suggested the manager draw on the inspirational moments from sports to coach his team into action, rather than relying on intimidation. Bruce feared the manager would not accept this advice, and could even retaliate by firing him. His feedback was instead met with silence at first. A couple of weeks later the team lost a big account, and instead of blowing steam the manager gathered the team together and gave the most motivating speech ever. The manager drew on a sports memory and then went on to tell the team they had the opportunity, strength, and ability to win the account back. The team gave the once-feared manager a standing ovation for his heartfelt speech, and that was the beginning of a new workplace environment. The other great news is that the team did land the account again a year later. By leading up, Bruce was able to score a touchdown with his boss.

Game change
Scott was hired by the boss’ wife and the boss didn’t approve of Scott. The boss would voice his frustration by yelling and ordering Scott to clean up unnecessarily-made messes in the restaurant. Instead of being disrespectful or giving up, Scott worked harder and took on extra responsibilities. Eventually, Scott was even able to give his boss advice on increasing the profitability of the restaurant. With all of his actions, Scott became a valued team member, and when he moved on to a new career opportunity, the boss tried to find a way for him to stay. When the boss who tried to throw you from the game makes you the MVP, you know there has been a good change in the game.

Bad Boss of the Week: Wall Street’s Gordon Gekko

This week’s bad boss is corrupt corporate raider, Gordon Gekko from the 1987 film Wall Street. Gordon, played by Michael Douglas, is a dishonest Wall Street player who values the almighty dollar above all else. His unprincipled priorities leave no room to value companies or employees beyond financial profit. His love for money does not even flinch in the face of illegal activities.

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If you’ve had a bad boss who would stop at nothing for a buck, here are some tips to help you survive the greed:

  • Money can be a great motivator, but it can not buy you happiness. Don’t get caught up in the highly contagious greed.
  • If faced with illegal or unethical demands, choose to do the right thing no matter what, even if means finding a new job.
  • Help your boss realize how their decisions impact others.
  • Find value in things outside of work.

Share your bad boss stories at www.100worstbosses.com. For more information about 100 Worst Bosses – Learning from the Very Worst How to Be Your Very Best and the Movin’ on Up Bad Boss of the Week, click here.

Bad Boss of the Week: A Christmas Carol’s Ebenezer Scrooge

Ebenezer Scrooge – the self-centered, tight-fisted, hum bug in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol – is this week’s bad boss. His constant malice, degrading demeanor, and entire lack of work/life balance make him the classic bad boss.

While there’s a great deal to be said for hard work, knowing how to balance business with life is an important and necessary skill that eluded Scrooge for much of his career.  He spent most of his life at work and expected his employee, Bob Crachit, to do the same, only reluctantly giving him Christmas day off.

Have you found that your work/life balance can be more work than life?  In order to keep pace with a workaholic boss, here are three things you can do to reprioritize your life and still meet their expectations.

1. Discuss and understand your employer’s expectations
2. Take time to evaluate your goals and priorities
3. Establish an agreed-upon plan in advance, including deadlines and time off.

To view a clip of Ebenezer Scrooge in action, click here.

Share your bad boss stories at www.worstbosses.com. For more information about 100 Worst Bosses – Learning from the Very Worst How to Be Your Very Best and the Movin’ on Up Bad Boss of the Week, click here.