5 Ways to Engage or Elude Monster Managers (Part 4)
What’s the best solution for workers to fend off a horrible boss?
Attention employees — especially Gen Z who are new to the workforce — whether you know it or not, there are “monster managers” (as I call them) lurking in your midst.
These mid-level managers can turn an otherwise productive workplace into a cesspool of despair for those they supervise, similar to a mob boss.
This is the fourth installment in a five-part series examining monster managers and the irrevocable damage they cause to companies and the workforce alike (see Parts 1–3 below, in case you missed it).
Monster managers not only poison the work environment but also cost companies untold millions of dollars in lost productivity. They can also make work life miserable for all employees under their iron fist.
The unenviable result is less employee engagement, lower job satisfaction, plummeting morale and increased absenteeism — all of which hurt bottom-line productivity for any organization.
These costs are especially high within corporate America and for global companies. Monster managers can wreak legal havoc for employers via protracted LITIGATION, causing PR nightmares which taint the brand image and hurt customer loyalty — not to mentioning all the negative effects on workers.
But what are your options as an employee when confronting a monster manager who just won’t leave you alone?
Stay, Pray, Flee or Fight
Five ways to engage or elude monster managers include (but are not limited to) the following options:
- Taking it on the Chin: Play nice with a monster manager (ie. suck up) while absorbing the abominable behavior because you need that paycheck — and then pray for better times ahead. This entails obediently interacting with the monster manager by marching in lockstep — and with no questions asked.
- Taking Flight: Elude the monster manager by seeking a transfer to another department within the company or to a different location. Often times, abused workers can find solace in a new office environment within a large organization. That can offer a much-needed fresh start or work reboot.
- Hitting the Road: Escape the monster manager by seeking new employment ASAP, whether or not you remain with the company during the interim — although this can be dictated by personal finances. Many employees exposed to monster managers simply flee the employer and look for a new job, rather than stay and fight the evil incarnate.
- Spreading the Word: Identify other victims and formulate an effective strategy by acting in unison, as there is strength in numbers. You can speak confidentially with co-workers to help more victims come forward. Often times, co-workers are likewise suffering but don’t want to speak out and stand alone.
- Fight Back: Engage the monster manager head on — by standing up, speaking out and bravely fighting for your rights. This usually means enduring severe retaliation in which the monster manager doubles or triples your misery before getting the boot. You may lose some battles, but you can still win the war. You might choose to file an internal complaint or even sue the employer.
Why fight management abuse despite the inherent risks?
Because you're mad as hell and can’t take it anymore!
Unfortunately, fighting back against monster managers is the road less traveled for most aggrieved workers.
But ignoring the problem only empowers the monster manager to grow worse, while exacerbating your misery.
3 Reader Questions
Ask yourself three questions based upon your own career experience, and please consider sharing your valuable feedback and important insights in the comment section below.
You can consider this an informal and unscientific survey of sorts…
1) Are monster managers a big problem or no problem at all?
2) What is the best way to engage or elude monster managers?
3) What are the most effective ways to fight monster managers?
Final Thoughts
There are likely hundreds of thousands of workers worldwide who are regularly targeted for management abuse, or worse, by monster managers. And this troublesome trend does not appear to be dissipating.
From an executive leadership and management perspective, monster managers bring a preventable risk of legal liability, bad publicity and a diminished brand image — all of which hurts bottom-line productivity and customer loyalty.
CEOs and the C-suite should remember that it only takes one unethical and malicious monster manager to make work-life intolerable for an entire team.
In essence, the best and most productive workforce is a happy and engaged workforce. However, ignoring the issue of monster managers won’t make them go away.
To the contrary:
Looking the other way only empowers monster managers, while compounding the management crisis. And that’s a lose-lose outcome every time.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: I’m a former strategic communications executive and national/global spokesman for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Prior to that, I worked in the White House, Congress, and the news media. You can learn more about me here.