Halloween is a delightfully spooky time of the year for many. And for some, the rest of the year is equally scary as they look for ways to handle working with difficult managers. After all, scary managers can disrupt the way you work and your career potential. With the eeriest night of the year almost upon us, LinkedIn has identified the five scariest workplace management styles and tips on how professionals can deal with these issues and make their careers shine bright:
The Ghost Boss – The boss who leaves you to do all the work, providing you with little to no guidance.
TIP: Having an absent manager, one who is hands-off, can be a frustrating and alienating experience to some, especially when you are working remotely in a hybrid environment. While dealing with a ghost boss can be tricky, it also poses an opportunity to demonstrate your leadership skills by taking charge of the situation and showing initiative in running projects while your manager is away. Be specific with your boss about where you need more guidance, and pick your battles. For instance, reach out if there’s an important project coming up. It can also be a good idea to find a mentor within your company whom you can go to for career advice if you feel like you’re not getting the right mentorship from your boss.
The Vampire Boss – The Vampire Boss messages you at unsavoury hours about work, expecting a quick reply.
TIP: We’ve all had to work late as a one-off for an important meeting or presentation, but if your boss regularly tries to reach you outside working hours, you know something isn’t right. Setting clear boundaries and pushing back in these scenarios is difficult, but crucial if you want to avoid burnout further down the line. Make sure to set these boundaries early on and clearly communicate your limits.
The Trick or Treat Boss – They can be calm and collected one minute, then angry and irrational the next. Just like Jekyll and Hyde, you can never tell which mood to expect and what might set them off.
TIP: Regardless of the circumstances, rudeness is never the solution. The app’s research found that 68% of Indian professionals say that reaching out to a colleague or boss for an open conversation when feeling angry helps them to calm down. Try to stay calm and diffuse the situation by sharing with your boss in a private meeting how their behaviour is making you feel. If this is a continuous problem rather than a one-off outburst, you should escalate it to HR.
The Haunted Boss – You send them various emails and messages, but rarely get a response.
TIP: It can be extremely frustrating when you are trying to communicate but don’t hear back much. Openly communicating with your boss and letting them know how their behaviour affects you is key to building a healthy and working relationship. It’s possible that they are busy with other projects or preoccupied with other engagements at work. Initiating a conversation can help you understand their perspective, communication style, and help build trust.
The Micromanaging Spooky Boss – The type of boss who feels the need to control every aspect of your work and never lets you make decisions or own projects without running it by them first.
TIP: Being micromanaged at work is a very de-motivating experience. More often than not, this stems from a manager’s own insecurity about letting go. This can be a hard pattern to break, but setting clear goals and sharing progress updates can help. For example, sending a weekly written update at a time that suits you will help you to take back some agency and demonstrate that you’re capable of being trusted to run projects, while also helping with your career development.
Nirajita Banerjee, Career Expert, LinkedIn, says, “We’ve all had to work with challenging managers at some point in our professional careers. This usually stems from a preferred way of working that may not work for all, but is imposed by a certain manager as the best way to get work done. Such encounters can not only disrupt our work, but also hamper feelings of belonging at work, and ultimately have an adverse impact on career progression. So, it’s important to know how to deal with tough managers and when to ask for help."
She further feels all managers and workplaces are different, but the best strategy for dealing with any issues is being open and honest about your needs and feelings. “You can keep it respectful and professional without letting it fester — it’s always best to address any issues as early as possible," adds Banerjee.
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