Jezebel: bosses

Surveys Say Bosses Are Dishonest, Superficial

Anna N. — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:20:00 EDT

According to a new survey, more than half of Americans think their bosses are liars, and more than a quarter would fire them if they could.

Reuters says the survey, conducted by at Zürich-based human resources company, found that 53% of Americans think their bosses are dishonest. Specifically, 28% think their superiors are lying about their job security. A majority also think their bosses are unfair and disloyal. Oddly, two thirds of Americans would not change anything about their relationship with their boss, implying that we're all just used to a Kafkaesque work environment of backstabbing and deceit.

Possibly lending credence to the idea that bosses suck is another survey, showing that 22% of female executives have withheld a promotion or raise because of the way an employee dressed. In the same survey, 98% of women said their appearance affects their career, and 55% said they frequently felt like they had nothing to wear.

My current work uniform includes: sweatpants, a Snuggie (oh yeah), socks (it's cold in here), and a t-shirt with a picture of a dirt bike and the phrase "Personal Watercraft: Spend money in a royal style" (it was a gift). So I guess I'm in the lucky 2% of women for whom appearance doesn't matter. Then again, Anna H. probably just made these surveys up. What is "Reuters" anyway?

Workers Think Bosses Are Dishonest, Survey Says [Reuters]
U.S. Working Women See Appearance As Key: Survey [Reuters]

Scientists have finally discovered why your...

Margaret — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:30:00 EDT

Scientists have finally discovered why your male boss behaves like a chest-beating chimpanzee: it's in his genes. Aussie researchers interviewed hundreds of managers and employees, and found that, like animals, bosses assert their authority with visuals and behavior. (Like monkeys who flaunt brightly colored body parts, male managers tend to pair bright shirts or ties with dark suits; they also have bigger chairs, interrupt more, and use confusing jargon to assert their place in the office hierarchy. "Groups were territorial in the past because it helped them survive...But it is surprising how many... workers are still very tribal in their behavior," says professor Jeffrey Braithwaite. The research focused on men, but Braithwaite says that among female managers, some become "alpha females" to compete with the men while others adopt "a more team-oriented style." [The Independent]

Girl-On-Girl Crime Rampant At The Workplace

Jessica — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:00:00 EDT

Female bullies in the workplace, like particularly insidious farts, are silent but deadly, according to the Financial Post. They often use passive aggressive tactics like "little insulting jokes and putdowns, the cold shoulder, those subtle but degrading comments and deliberate humiliation, all designed to eat away at the person's self-esteem." And the Post notes that while male bullies are equal opportunity offenders when it comes to gender, female office bullies target other women 70% of the time. In addition, when men are the offenders, it's more easily seen as harassment, but when a woman is bullying another woman, the Financial Post says, it's "perceived by many as a 'personality' issue."

One of the women, Lynda Cuddy, who was a target of girl-on-girl workplace bullying said, "You tend to expect women to have more empathy and compassion, but she didn't have it. And when she seemed to, it wasn't genuine." And the evil female boss used this perception to her advantage: "the 'compassion' was likely nothing more than her fishing for personal information to identify Ms. Cuddy's vulnerabilities," the Financial Post notes.

Be very, very wary of anyone at a new job who wants to me your omg bff within five seconds of your joining a company. They're generally not to be trusted. Which is not to say that you shouldn't be friends with people at work, just be cautious, as many of us have been burned by allegedly friendly co-workers. The Financial Post also suggests that if you think you're getting bullied at work, get absolutely everything in writing. "Document and log everything — gather facts. - Get it in writing. E-mails are better than voice mail. Avoid communicating with the bully when there is no witness. - For behind the closed-door bullying — do some detective work," the Post advises. "Try to gather as many specifics as possible as to what's been said. - Be professional and calm in all communication with the bully, human resources or management. Stick to the facts, present a business case of the cost of the bullying to the employer."

The sad thing is, 77% of the time bullies go on to bully, and the targets lose their jobs, the Post notes. Quebec and Saskatchewan have already put anti-bullying laws on the books and Ontario is considering such a law. In the meantime, if you think you're being bullied, follow the advice above and be professional, but make sure to have a paper trail.

No Sisterhood At Work [Financial Post]

Earlier: Bullies Are As Common In The Cubicle As The Classroom