Bad Boss

Working for a bad boss can be a nightmare; but, being a bad boss in and of itself is not against the law.

For example, there are no employee rights provisions in Federal employment and labor laws regarding a "bad boss" per se, that make it illegal. After all, even bad bosses have rights in the USA, despite that their subordinates don't think they deserve them.

In other words (and as ridiculous as it might sound), your bad boss generally has the "right" to be a bad boss in the legal sense, for as long as he or she doesn't break a law while in the act; subsequently, there are few places for you to turn for relief, outside of the company for which you work or the associated union.

However, if your bad boss seriously harms you in some way by breaking a law, then that's another matter; your employee rights entitle you to seek relief through outside legal action, especially if following a company or union grievance procedure didn't adequately provide it.* For example, if your bad boss:

• Creates a hostile work environment, sexually harasses or otherwise discriminates against you, then you may file a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or state equivalent
• Forces you to work in unhealthy or unsafe conditions, then you may complain to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) or state equivalent
• Doesn't pay you the minimum wage or overtime pay to which you are legally entitled, then you may report it to the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor or state equivalent
• Refuses to permit you to submit a legit claim for workers' compensation, then you may complain to the state workers' compensation board

The relevant laws prohibit your bad boss from retaliating against you for taking an action indicated above. If he or she does so anyway, then you may take further action and seek additional relief through the enforcing government agency, an attorney or both.

At this writing, the Connecticut legislature is considering Bill SB-60, introduced during the February 2008 session and referred to as "An Act Concerning Bullying in the Workplace". If the Bill passes, it will grant Connecticut employees the right to take legal action against workplace bullying, as defined by the Act. According to the Workplace Bullying Institute, an additional 12 states have introduced similar bills since 2003.

If your bad boss doesn't do you the favor of getting fired for breaking a law or if a grievance-procedure outcome fails to change his or her behavior, then it's not likely that he or she will turn into a tolerable boss on his or her own, much less a great one. So, short of quitting for a better job, it's up to you and your coworkers to figure out how to deal with him or her.

There are a variety of "bad boss" resources on the Web that might help you and your coworkers actively deal with the situation or at least passively cope with it. Some even suggest social and psychological tactics for changing a bad boss into a better one.

To find Web resources, just type bad boss into the search window of any popular search engine, such as Google (displayed below). If that's not as fruitful as you'd like, try common variations such as:

If you don't want to fool with searching the Web or the results are less than satisfactory, there are a variety of inexpensive, authoritative books that will help you deal with your bad boss. Examples are Was Your Boss Raised by Wolves? and Coping with Toxic Managers, Subordinates and other Difficult People from Amazon.com. If those titles don't grab you, click the links for more recommendations. See also Employee Rights Books.

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* You'll likely have a stronger legal case, if you first followed a company or union grievance procedure that failed to remedy the situation. Consult an attorney or contact the enforcing government agency for legal advice about this.