Three Ways to Deal With a Toxic Boss

No employment is perfect. And even sometimes when we are very satisfied with a job, a management switch can make all the difference between being OK with your job and being one of the millions who hates what they do. However, the effect of toxic bosses can be minimized. Here are some suggestions:

Keep Your Side of the Street Clean

You have no control over what other people do. You can only control your self. So make sure you do so. Making trouble just makes any situation worse, so don’t contribute to anything negative.

I find this rule of thumb helpful: do nothing you will have to apologize for. But sometimes this is hard to remember, particularly with emotionally charged situations. So the rule can be amended: do nothing you would have to apologize for were it your best friend.

Simply keeping your own emotions and reactions held back can ease the stress of the situation, and give the boss no material to use against you.

Leave Breadcrumbs

Or in this case, maintain a paper trail. If your boss’s form of toxicity involves backtracking on what she said previously, having everything in writing can simplify proving things later. (It is also critical to document anything that may become a human resources issue.)

Some bosses, when faced with the consequences of their decisions, try to blame their staff. Having a paper trail of the decisions made can help clear yourself should the situation arise.

Go Above

This is not the correct move in every situation, but consider talking to the boss’s boss. This is a good move if the situation is affecting concrete things like billable hours. If you can write an email without emotion, listing the specific items and their impact on the overall product, you might get results. (It never hurts to get the wording checked by someone without a vested interest in the situation, and give it some time before sending it.)

Having a toxic boss is a big stressor. Having ways to deal with the stress can mean the difference between bringing the stress home with you or leaving it at work.