SINGAPORE: A Singaporean employee turned to social media for advice after his new boss made his work life an absolute nightmare.
In a post on Reddit’s ‘Ask Singapore’ forum, the employee shared that it was his first time encountering such a toxic person in his professional life and admitted that he didn’t know how to handle the situation.
“Since joining, this person has been mostly idle, contributing little to the work and instead showing up only for social events and making snide remarks about the team,” he elaborated.
The employee also revealed that the new boss had been taking credit for the team’s work and gaslighting them into questioning their abilities.
“In several instances, we’ve been made to feel like we didn’t perform well, only to discover later he had submitted our work as his own. To sum it up—[he’s] useless, idle, gaslighting, and toxic,” he said.
The employee admitted that the ongoing toxic behaviour was taking a serious toll on his mental health. While he had raised the issue multiple times with his other boss, he felt no real action had been taken.
“It seems like everyone is being tactful since this person ultimately has influence over the team’s overall feedback,” he wrote.
“I’m relatively happy with my job now, so resigning isn’t something I want to consider. It also doesn’t feel serious enough to escalate to HR. I just need him to leave, but not sure how to do it. Help.”
“Find a new job or boss…”
The post struck a chord with many Reddit users, who responded with a mix of empathy and advice. Several users shared their own experiences with difficult bosses and offered suggestions on how to approach the situation.
One user said, “This happened to me before. You have two options: either change your reporting line, which requires a solid reason and some influence with management or find a new job or boss.
Don’t spend more time than necessary in a role where you report to a terrible boss – life’s too short. YOLO!”
Another wrote, “I was in a similar situation this year. It sucks having such a slimy person as your boss while being unable to do anything about him.
The best thing you can do now is to do the bare minimum to keep your job and use the extra time and energy to apply for other jobs and go for interviews.”
Others, meanwhile, suggested a more rebellious route: messing up the work so that his boss couldn’t pass it off as his own.
One Redditor commented, “Put deliberate mistakes in the work. Ask him to sign off and proofread. When the you-know-what hits the fan, it’s his name. Then say, “We invited you to join the work process, etc., but you weren’t around.”
Toxic bosses and their impact
Toxic bosses are, unfortunately, a common issue in many workplaces worldwide.
A 2023 survey by Flexjobs, a job search platform, revealed that 87% of professionals have encountered at least one toxic boss during their careers, and 30% have dealt with more than one.
Another survey by Perceptyx, a business management consultant based in California, found that 24% of employees are currently working under the worst boss they’ve ever had.
But just how harmful can these toxic leaders be for businesses? Research from Italy, Pakistan, and Indonesia showed that toxic bosses contribute to burnout, emotional exhaustion, and reduced job satisfaction and motivation.
The effects of toxic leadership aren’t just on employees’ mental health.
These bosses also create a range of negative outcomes, including high employee turnover, low morale, increased stress, a fear-based culture, and poorer performance at the individual and organizational levels.
So, what can employees do if they’re stuck with a toxic boss?
Caroline Castrillon, a senior contributor at Forbes, offers some helpful advice. She suggests that employees try to understand the underlying reasons for their boss’s behaviour and whether it’s directed at just one person or the whole team.
She also recommends giving direct feedback to the boss, finding support from colleagues, setting clear boundaries, and focusing on self-care to navigate the situation.
Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)