How to Deal with an UNJUST Boss?

By: NBA

In my previous blog before this, I have talked about boss-gone-mad tales. http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4962636334307266278#editor/target=post;postID=3943067719268651193 But I'm not letting you guys just ponder on it and forget about it.  So, I prepared some tips and word of advice collated also by some colleagues who have experienced the same problems as yours.  Some are my own formulas that I have used to remedy my own situation.  Let me warn you though that I am not in any way going to give you a reluctant-angel-like way to get to the bottom of your problem.  The last thing I want to employ is a**licking.

•           Keep it Cool FIRST.  I know you are so infuriated with your boss’ attitude and you just to want to wage an all out verbal war with him but actions brought about by temper is usually not good and well-served to your purpose.  Relax, think and gather all your cards so you can play a smart game with your boss. Besides, remember he is unjust and so fair grounds are definitely not his cup of tea.  Let me share to you a metaphor I came across in an article that says -- try to imagine your problem as a ‘knot’, the more you panic and pull on the ends, the tighter the knot cinches.  But when you adopt a singular focus, a calm takes over and you can loosen one strand at a time.  Now, when you know that you’re not panting and your reason came back to the picture already, it is time to think on the next step.  Think first before you make any move.

•         Share your issues with the person you trust the most. “A friend can tell you things you don’t want to tell yourself.” ~Frances Ward Weller.  The whole idea is to calm your senses, grieve on your emotions and most importantly to put reason amidst your woes.  The last thing we want to defend is a pointless argument.  How can you defend a promotion you’ve been eyeing on if you had a bad record on punctuality?  Your friend knows you day in and day out.  He might not be at the same company as you do or he might have diminutive idea of your boss but sure he’d be able to say in your face what you don’t want to admit to yourself therefore saving yourself from arguing and later on a subject for your boss to make grounds for your dismissal. 

Moreover, as the famous saying of John Heywood goes, “two brains are better than one…”  His ideas can give you a variety of things to choose on.  Whether be it bringing it to the higher court or just simply hitting your boss’ sports car with a baseball bat.  Next thing you know, you are laughing on your predicaments with your friend, suspending you from an utterly young heart attack. 

•         Ask your boss the impervious question, “WHY?”.  After all, you deserve to know the reason why he is bullying you or why has he not granted you the reward you deserve for being his best ally.  Do not chicken out, if you know that you are on clean slate, strike the beast with this 3-letter word and sure he’ll be rounded up on his posh swivel seat.  Not only will you catch him offguard but you’d be able to get the answers straight from the source, your unnerving boss himself.   Remember that when you do this trick, try to look at his eye for 3 seconds first and without blinking, fire the “why?” question away!

On the other hand, if you are the introvert type and you are not good with face to face encounters. Ditch these trick and make an email or call your boss instead after working hours.  You wouldn’t want to mess up with his temper thereby deserving you a ‘go to my office and let’s talk’ line.  This is what you are avoiding and this is what you will get.  So again, play your cards well.

•        Appeal your case to the ‘boss of your boss’.  When things go beyond your hand and it is futile to talk to your unjust boss, don’t.  Besides, its just going to be a waste of time.  He will deliberately put you on hook because he did what he did and he will by all means defend his own action.  Talk to the bigger person, if he is your supervisor; then you can probably talk to the manager and so forth.  State the facts (do not add or try to aggravate the situation because you will soon be busted if you do) and tell him what you really feel towards the issue.  If he is not like your immediate boss then sure he will investigate and try to make amenable resolutions.

If your boss doesn’t have a boss, you can consider going to the Human Resource Department who handles employee relations.  Lets just wish that your boss is not the owner of the company or its dead-end not unless the situation is so grave you would want to bring it DOLE (Department of Labor & Employment).

•        Review and Seize your contract, memorandum, previous text message or email that contains what you have talked about a certain matter.  It is therefore important for any employee to keep all records pertinent to his job.  If you both have signed as the conceding parties then you have a big chance of winning your case.  If it talks about an incentive that is due for you, show it to your boss and you’ll send a message to him that you are not a person easily brushed off.  If its about taking credits on your own work, show to him your emails (if you do have it) signifying that you were the one who cooked up the genius idea for your company.  If possible, make it known to him that you will not succumb to his credit-grabbing style. 

•         Lastly, Know when to Let GO and Find ANEW.   I have always believed that you have to let go of small things in order for you to see greater things.  Do not try to limit yourself with what you have right now.  Get out of your comfort zone.  Trust yourself and conquer the world.  There are a lot of opportunities lurking around for you.  If you are not happy with your boss and your work place, why stay?  Find new job opportunities or probably you can enroll in that class you’ve been eyeing on when you said 'only if you have time'.   Letting go is not a sign of weakness but maturity.

Lastly, let me end this with a quote by C. Joybell –

“Choose your battles wisely. After all, life isn't measured by how many times you stood up to fight. It's not winning battles that makes you happy, but it's how many times you turned away and chose to look into a better direction. Life is too short to spend it on warring. Fight only the most, most, most important ones, let the rest go.”


Got your own remedies for this bossy boss problems? Share it with us :)