Dealing with a Toxic Boss: Strategies to Handle Lying, Intimidation, and Mistreatment

One of the biggest challenges of working life is dealing with a toxic boss. A toxic boss can be someone who lies to employees, uses intimidation tactics, and denies ever mistreating workers. Such a negative work environment can be not only toxic but can have severe consequences on employees' mental and physical health, job satisfaction, and performance. In this blog post, we will discuss some strategies that can help you deal with a toxic boss. 

Document Everything

A toxic boss often denies any misconduct or mistreatment, making it crucial to document every incident. Maintain a record of any lying, intimidation tactics, or misuse of authority. This documentation can be used later as evidence to support your claims.

Keep Your Emotions in Check

Interacting with a toxic boss can be frustrating and emotionally draining. While it is essential to acknowledge your emotions, it is equally important to keep them in check. Avoid confrontational behavior and stay professional. You don't want your behavior to make it easier for your boss to justify their mistreatment of you.

Build a Support Network

Toxic bosses can make you doubt yourself and your work. Surround yourself with positive and supportive people inside and outside of work and nurture a mentorship relationship with colleagues you trust. This network can provide you with a supportive ear, sound advice, and guidance.

Speak Up

One of the most challenging things to do in a toxic work environment is to speak up. However, it is crucial to report any mistreatment to upper management and HR as they have the power to take appropriate action. Doing nothing will only normalize the toxic work environment and ultimately harm your mental and physical health.

Start Looking for a New Job

If the toxic boss continues to make your work-life unbearable, it might be time to start looking for another job. Remember, a toxic work environment can have long-term consequences on your health and wellbeing. Don't let a toxic boss undermine your confidence and your career.

Dealing with a toxic boss can be exhausting and painful. However, through documenting everything, keeping your emotions in check, building a support network, speaking up, and potentially seeking a new job, you can gain control of the situation. Remember, your mental and emotional well-being should come first, and a toxic boss is never worth compromising your health.

Learn more about working for toxic managers here on this blog.

Don't Let a Bad Day at Work Ruin Your Career - Here's Why

We have all had them - bad days at work. Maybe you had a fight with your partner, or you woke up on the wrong side of the bed. No matter what the reason, it is important not to let a bad day at work ruin your career. In this blog post, we will discuss some tips for dealing with a difficult day at work, and how to stay positive and focused on your career goals.  

Primarily, it is important to remember that your boss is not your enemy. They are just trying to do their job and may not be aware of how their actions or words are affecting you. If you feel like you are about to lose your cool, take a step back and breathe. It is also helpful to remember that you cannot control everything, and that some things are just out of your hands.  

If you are feeling anger towards your boss, it is important to try to control your emotions and stay professional. If you feel like you are going to explode, take a step back and breathe deeply. Try to calm yourself down before talking to your boss. It is also important to be aware of your body language and keep a positive attitude. Remember that it is important to maintain a good relationship with your boss, even if things are tough. 

If you find yourself in a situation where you need to confront your boss, it is important to do so in a professional manner. This means keeping your emotions in check and avoiding getting defensive or making accusations. Instead, focus on the facts of the situation, and explain how you feel without attacking your boss.  

It is also important to keep in mind that your boss is not the only person you need to worry about. If you are having a dispute with a coworker, it is important to try and resolve the issue without involving your boss. This can be difficult, but it is important to remember that not every conflict needs to be escalated.  

If you have already had a dispute with your boss, there are a few things you can do to try and resolve the situation. First, try to talk to your boss directly and explain your side of the story. If that does not work, you can always speak to HR or another management member about the situation. Finally, if all else fails, you may need to consider looking for another job.  

Some employees who have been successful in avoiding disputes with their managers over trivial things have:  

- communicated openly and honestly with their manager about what is important to them and why  

- been willing to compromise on minor points  

- kept a positive attitude  

- avoided getting defensive or argumentative  

- remained calm and constructive in their interactions with their manager  

In general, it is important to remember that a difficult workday does not need to ruin your career by following these tips, you can stay positive and focused on your goals, and avoid letting a bad day turn into a career-ending disaster. Remember to stay calm, professional, and focused on your goals, and you will be back on track in no time. 

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Why are First-Time Managers Unsuccessful in their Roles

First-time managers often have difficulty succeeding in their new roles. There are a number of reasons for this. First, they may not have the necessary experience to effectively manage a workplace. Second, they may be unfamiliar with the workplace culture and norms. Third, they may not have the necessary people skills to manage and motivate employees. Fourth, they may not have the needed organizational skills to keep track of tasks and deadlines. Finally, they may not have the required knowledge to make decisions that will improve workplace productivity. As a result, first-time managers often struggle in their new jobs and may eventually be replaced by more experienced managers.

It's a commonly held belief that people who have never managed before are bound to struggle in their new roles. After all, managing a team of employees requires a completely different skillset than being an individual contributor. First-time managers often find themselves struggling to adjust to the new demands of their jobs. They may be uncertain of how to delegate tasks, handle conflict, or give feedback. As a result, they may start to feel overwhelmed and bogged down by their new responsibilities. Additionally, first-time managers may also have difficulty establishing authority within their teams. Without the proper guidance, they may resort to micromanaging or using punitive measures in an attempt to assert their authority. However, these tactics usually backfire, leading to resentment and low morale among team members. Ultimately, first-time managers often do poorly in their jobs because they are unprepared for the challenges that come with the role.

Janice, a first-time manager at a technology company, lacked self-control, disorganized and unprofessional. She was frequently frustrated with the teams she managed especially when they had questions that she could not answer. She was not as skilled as she had claimed during the interview process. When there were tech challenges, she either feigned like she knew how to solve the issues, blamed others or ignored her team's concerns. She boasted about having leadership skills; however, she had led a student group back in high school. She was not a seasoned professional.  To stay in her role, she promised to improve and assured management that she would do better.  Challenges continue to occur between her and the team members. Unfortunately, many have left and more have been hired under her poor leadership.   

Bob, a seasoned employee in a performance-based team role, lacked professionalism. He was often impatient, insulted fellow workers, and participated in and encouraged unethical behaviors at work.  His actions led to the entire team being punished causing all to come in last in overall team sales. The ripple effect was that most either quit working for the company or were terminated. Bob made excuses for what had occurred with his prior and current teams and used great sales pitches to remain in his position.

Incompetent upper management who chooses to ignore or tolerate patterns of unprofessional behaviors cost companies much time and money. They also do not provide the necessary tools early on to new managers so that inexperienced managers are weeded out from the successful ones.  Leaving both the strong and weak team leaders to fin for themselves.

How Do You Know You Have Manipulative, Lazy Management and Workers?

Sometimes it is hard to tell when workers are slacking when middle managers and supervisors act as barriers to keep information away from you such as: crucial details about customer service, disciplinary practices, customer complaints, wasteful company spending, poor sales performance and more.    If you aren't tracking, rarely look at data, and ignore warning signs, it isn't any wonder that you will find yourself either on the hopping block or chopping someone else's block! 

When you are distracted by other less relevant meeting topics, slow in getting requested data, or blatantly denied access to front line workers, these are sure signs that there is something they don't want you to know!  The outspoken, disgruntled and top performing employees typically have experiences they would. love to share, but if there isn't anything put in place to encourage them to open up their mouths without gatekeepers blocking them, you might as well continue to be deceived and/or possibly ripped off.  

For those who are sincerely concerned about their businesses, keep reading, this blog entry will stimulate some thoughts on what you have been overlooking and what you as a manager, investor, and owner need to improve upon. Too many executives are either too busy or slacking themselves because of that, it is quite easy to shield them from business challenges that should have been long addressed years ago, but were swept under the rug!

1) How much money is truly being allocated to: pay employees, purchase company supplies, marketing, customer appreciation activities, etc. or NOT? Very easy to move money from one place to the next.

2) How much time is really being spent by managers to train, research, or improve on existing systems/operations?  Kind of hard to do that when they are either pulled in all sorts of directions or running from pertinent responsibilities.

3) Who is consistently opening early and closing late?  So what is happening during the day that the same people are being paid overtime or not?  Do you really have a staff working or just a couple of people?

4) Who is working more weekends than most? Is that really by choice? Maybe but then again maybe not.

5) Who is often taking breaks and who isn't? Burnout will surely make someone freak out!

6) Are deadlines often being missed? A little too much talking by the water cooler, personal tasks during company hours, or phone conferences with the favorites?

7) Who continues to come late to meetings or not show up at all? Why is this person in leadership again?

8) What does the data say about profits and where are you gaining or losing money?  Why such a significant difference in the numbers?  What or who is causing such a significant rise and fall?

9) Why is there a high turnover and are you speaking to those employees who are still left and checking in with Human Resources on reasons why employees recently left?  Maybe the job board review sites will help you with that.

10) What does the data reveal about those on leave and when exactly are they coming back?  Is someone not following up?  Lots of money going out for zero work.

When leadership doesn't closely look at the data while checking for patterns and inconsistencies, conduct one-on-one interviews, research, and hold workers accountable, you will surely have employee challenges that not only reveal laziness or incompetence, but also poor, excuse-making leaders with many secrets hired to supposedly navigate the team.  What is of bigger concern is how they use various manipulative strategies to protect their paychecks while robbing companies blind.

Nicholl McGuire is the blog owner, inspirational speaker and author.

7 Signs a Manager Cannot Handle Conflict, Workplace Challenges

Workplace challenges can be very difficult to manage.  Headaches, stomach upset, and more can result, but these are no excuses to avoid workplace conflict altogether.  Eventually issues will need to be dealt with before there are staff walking out the door, profit losses, and other issues that might put a manager’s head on the chopping block.

Upper management is sometimes not aware or doesn’t care when middle managers are often delegating responsibilities to staff that they should be handling.  When this occurs, a team can start to feel like fearful and/or lazy managers are getting away with something.  Why should they have to do the managers’ job?  Not every employee is looking to take on a leadership role and they shouldn’t be expected to, the manager is getting paid to lead not hide!

1.  Makes excuses to get out of work.  The fearful or often worried manager will make up excuses as to why he or she can’t be in the office during a challenging time.  “I have to take care of my relative…I can’t be there because something has come up…I really wish I could help but I have to leave early.”  How true are these statements during a time when the manager’s presence is very much needed?
2. Fakes busyness. The leader may not come up with an excuse to leave the office, but he or she will lie about being “busy” while conflicts are ongoing.  The instructions are given to team members “not to disturb…or interrupt” when the office doors are closed.  However, the conflict that is ongoing out on the floor ought to be addressed by the manager and not a staff member.  Issues are priority not making busy work for one’s self to avoid handling problems.
3. Takes days off. The manager conveniently takes personal or vacation days to do things like:  avoid critical meetings, train new staff, reorganize the office, assist out-of-state visitors, etc.  When a date is pre-planned or fast approaching, managers who don’t want to get involved, make certain they will be unavailable on those days.  Upper management, who isn’t carefully watching the timing or looking for any patterns when days are being taken off, will inadvertently approve time that shouldn’t have been approved in the first place making it quite inconvenient for the rest of the team.
4. Talks negatively about having to work.  There is a tendency to frequently complain about workplace conflicts or challenges, but management doesn’t do anything about them.  Instead, the manager hopes the problems will work themselves out.  When they don’t and they grab the attention of upper management, now he or she wants to write people up or terminate them.  Unfortunately, the manager should have been proactive from the start.
5. Ignores responsibilities.  An important thing to remember is that not every manager who is hired by a company is there for the right reasons.  The position could simply be a temporary gig until a better position comes around.  With that said, the nonchalant manager, who isn’t fearful or worried about the office conflicts or challenges, simply doesn’t address them because his or her mind is somewhere else.  This manager expects the office to be run on autopilot whether or not he or she is present.
6. Delegates tasks to people who are ill-equipped to handle them.  Whether pre-planned or requested at the last minute, work is given to those who really have no clue what they are doing.  Very little training or none at all occurs and when things are done incorrectly, the irresponsible manager blames those who he or she assigned to complete the tasks rather than hold his or herself accountable.
7. Calls off due to a myriad of genuine or conceived health issues.  Real or imagined health problems, managers, who slack on their duties, will share either in advance or at the last minute with select team members. They will do this when they don’t want to or can’t handle tasks by deadline.  Sometimes health woes really do show up because the manager is sincerely stressed out because he or she is doing poorly at his or her job.

Employees who notice leadership is not working up to par need not suffer through the excuse-making and ploys to get out of work, notify Human Resources or upper management about your concerns.  State what you are noticing and how the manager’s lack of enthusiasm, poor work ethic, and nonchalant attitude is causing the team to miss important deadlines and other relevant information. Managers, who behave in this way, bring employee morale down and ultimately cost companies more to keep them around while losing revenue.

Nicholl McGuire is the owner and contributor to this blog.

12 Bad Habits Complacent Employees Do at Work

They are complacent employees, they have reached a time in their careers where they believe they are untouchable.  They still perform well at their jobs (when they feel like it) and they still believe that one day they will be promoted despite all the things that they do below.  During times like these with many business owners looking to recoup profit losses, this is not the time to be the complacent, nonchalant and self-entitled employee no matter how much tenure you have with a company!  

These "mistakes" or "I forgot" or "I wasn't aware..." excuses have been the culprits in getting some employees prematurely laid off (with the hopes to one day get rid of them altogether), suspended from their jobs, demoted, or worse terminated.

1)  A pattern of showing up late to work and leaving early.  After all these years of getting away with this behavior with old managers, new management decides to carefully watch the time-honored employee who is guilty, and so the write-ups start building up.

2) Missing important deadlines whether a pattern or not.  Whatever the excuse for missing a deadline, the point is the so-called established employee is cherry picking when he or she feels the need to work or not "I didn't think I had to do that...I didn't think it needed to be done so soon."  Evidently this employee doesn't want to be promoted.

3) Missing meetings.  Once again, the time-honored employee who believes that he or she can never be replaced and doesn't think that certain things are important, also doesn't think that having to attend every meeting is necessary.  Why wonder why employees like this, regardless of tenure, are passed over?

4) Refusal to take company classes.  They are boring and a waste of time to the long-standing employee, but necessary.  Chances are there is something new being discussed and that employee who thinks he or she knows it all will be bothering his or her coworkers for answers.  Why get angry when they don't want to help?

5) Workplace harassment (sexual and bullying).  After all the media hype about harassment, yet an employee still thinks it is okay to flirt with a coworker while bullying another with insulting remarks.  Can someone please call human resources?

6)  Discriminating behaviors.  The deep-rooted leader sitting cushy in the corner office, huh?  What's with the eye rolls and deep sighs when "those people" come around?  Why does an employee consistently hire people who don't look anything like he or she while there are plenty of resumes that aren't even viewed because "I think that name is black...that name is definitely middle eastern...I know how those people are...U.S. and China aren't getting along so let's just pass on this one."  Again, can someone please make some phone calls, we have racist on site?

7)  Lying.  The complacent workers recruit new employees to lie.  "I just say this...Don't tell the manager that...If she asks about...tell her this..."  Long-standing employees sure know how to lie and when caught they are "never aware, don't recall, can't ever remember saying that."  Enough already! Let's just start building that case to get rid of them!  There are plenty of other companies that welcome liars.

8) Stealing or so-called "borrowing."  Interesting how things go missing and then are suddenly returned when questioned, then go missing again and are never returned.  The seemingly stable employee still has something at home from like five years ago and another long-standing employee knows all about it (chances are he or she used it to) and never says one word.  Write them both up or better yet can we just call this company theft and start the process of getting them out!

9) Bring family and/or pets to work.  What's with this?  The workplace isn't a family reunion and there sure isn't any babysitters at work.  Stop with the "emotional support" case.  Funny, how all this happens when now it is inconvenient for everyone to stay home.  Start looking for a new job, because coworkers are only going to deal with so much concerning an employees' crying child and barking dog--either they get to work from home or not!  How long they have been with the company is not an excuse to keep allowing children and pets to come to work adding to an already stressed atmosphere.

10)  Staying on personal phone calls for long periods of time.  Established employees feel quite comfortable doing this because they have gotten away with it for so long.  Meanwhile, coworkers are answering phones, running around offices, helping visitors at the door, and doing other things while the veteran employee continues to talk and talk and talk.  Then after the phone call, this employee wants to share.  Well this kind of sharing is not caring to most employees, stop accepting these unimportant phone calls during business hours!  Is anyone noticing that the employee is stealing company time to do his or her nonemergency personal business?  Hmm.  I smell a write-up.

11)  Using company equipment to visit websites for personal pleasure.  The use of this equipment was never meant for employees to have fun doing what they want when they want and how they want it, but veteran employees feel like they are entitled because "well I use my personal phone to take photos for the company and I receive texts from management on my phone...so I can use their computer, copier...whatever to do what I want.  No one cares."  Are you sure about that?  Someone is keeping track of how much shopping for company supplies is happening each month.  Looks like it's time to check company credit cards, phone bills, office supplies and the like.  There's a veteran employee guilty as charged.

12)  Favoring employees who one has a friendship with while criticizing others. This behavior is key in creating division between workers.  It is obvious that the personal friendships that the complacent employees have with their favorites is getting in the way of making important business decisions.  Those that aren't favorited are reprimanded formally, but friends are rarely talked to.  Can we find another department for this employee or an exit out the door?  If there is racial, gender, or sexual discrimination involved well there is another case to build against the complacent employee.

So if you aren't one who is guilty of the above, no worries.  However, if you are, it is never too late to change.  Do it before all this catches up to you sooner rather than later.

Nicholl McGuire is the blog owner and author of many nonfiction books.

Workplace Training Mistakes, How You Deal with Them Will Make or Break the Training Process

Managers, have you ever cautioned, warned, scolded, or had to re-train a new employee for the umpteenth time who developed a pattern of making workplace mistakes? 

Impatience, annoyance, frustration, regret, or anger may have been emotions that some of you in leadership roles may have felt.  However, if the employee finally caught on to the process, then you were most likely relieved, ecstatic, satisfied, or grateful especially if they positively impacted your job.  How did you deal with the employee making the mistakes from the start and did what you do or not have a lot to do with why they are a success now?  Most likely yes!

Every company has a routine or process that must be followed to get results.  When new employees are not trained effectively or are left to manage process on their own, they are set up to fail.  It isn't any wonder why some new hires will quit as soon as they start when they see there is no one or nothing that helps them perform their jobs successfully.  In addition, they may not have felt welcomed from day one and unfortunately discovered that there were no tools prepared to help them do their jobs.

Some poor managers have dealt with workplace mistakes by doing the following: being overly critical, ignoring them because they plan on leaving their jobs, respectfully addressing them, or posting mistakes up in view as a way of shaming an employee into performing better.  Depending on the personality of some workers, they will simply not catch on no matter what they are told or done to them. 

Managers who were simply too impatient, too quick with explanations, short-tempered, or over-the-top during the training process, most likely were unable to keep anyone around long term whether the new worker was quick to learn or not.  If you are looking to keep someone, you have got to be understanding about unintentional errors and willing to shell out some praise and appreciation when a new employee finally does things right.

People, who are already negative about their workplaces, should never be put in positions to train others, no matter how good they might be at their jobs.  When a leader makes the mistake of doing that, he or she will suffer the consequences left behind by the old employee/trainer.  The relationship with the new employee starts off being challenged, because he or she has been told much unflattering things about the leadership and coworkers.  The new employee may not trust the manager, supervisor or coworkers who were not liked by the old employee.  Sometimes if you want good training, you are going to have to do it yourself whether you would like to or not if there just so happens to be bad blood between you and others.

When it comes to a new employee making mistakes, a manager will need to remember the following:

1.  Be patient.  Remember someone had to be patient with you and fix your errors, so why not do the same?

2.  Avoid talking unnecessarily to fellow coworkers about the new employees' errors.  You may be creating division between workers from the start without even knowing it.

3.  Demonstrate self-control regarding the joking and name-calling concerning a new employees' errors.  You will come across as looking like a workplace bully even if you claim you meant nothing by your statements.  A complaint made to the human resources team will be dealt with and will most likely mean something.

4.  Never assume that a new employee knows everything about the job, the computer applications and more just because he or she has worked elsewhere using similar tools.  Oftentimes, companies will customize certain applications to fit their specific environment; therefore, one may not be able to jump in right away and start working.

5.  Make time to answer questions and avoid blowing an employee off during their time of need.  No matter how you might feel about the questions and interruptions, keep in mind you want this employee to do a good job.  Their work is not just a reflection of his or herself, but you as well as the team.

6.  Don't rage in view while a new employee is still learning.  You look mentally unstable and he or she will consider to leaving the job sooner rather than later.  Who wants to work with a ticking time bomb, someone who you have to walk around on eggshells for fear they might freak out?

7.  Keep personal conversation such as marriage, interests and hobbies to a minimum.  With new employees, a first impression is a lasting one and if you get too personal, he or she may form a judgment about you that will be hard to dispel later on.

If you noticed from the information provided in this article, that much of what makes or breaks the training process is not with the new employee, but with the trainer who trains the new employee.

When we think about those who were good trainers, who might come to mind?  What did they do that was quite helpful when they trained you?  You might want to utilize some of those tactics.  Training employees doesn't have to be a challenge, but it becomes one because some trainers simply don't want to follow wise counsel.  Trainers' mistakes are what ultimately costs the company much money every time a new employee quits or is fired and has to onboard yet a new employee.

Nicholl McGuire is the author of What Else Can I Do on the Internet? and other books 

Poor Excuses, Poor Leaders Can Break Workplace Relationships

The reason I couldn't get this done was because...

I apologize but I couldn't...

You should have seen the traffic...sorry I couldn't...

I really wish I could....

You see, what had happened was...

I was unable to get that completed due to....

We have all heard the valid excuses as well as the invalid ones.  What were the solutions that the worker came up with to get the project done?  What decision had been reached?  Did things eventually run smoothly?  Was the excuse a valid one and what efforts are being made to resolve the issue?

Nothing is ever resolved with the poor excuse maker unless you jump right in and do some things yourself!  He or she doesn't know how to come up with a plan.  The excuse maker either doesn't know how to problem solve or doesn't want to.  Excuses show up in full force when an employee is unhappy, unreasonable, difficult, or simply lazy.  We don't always know what is occurring emotionally and/or physically with a worker until he or she is tested.

A once great working relationship goes up in flames when a person cares more about self rather than the collective especially during a time when he or she is needed the most.  Managers, supervisors, co-workers and others begin to formulate their personal opinions.  They assume the worse, "He is unreliable...she is untrustworthy...They are lazy!"  Too many excuses and heads begin to roll.

The one who is listening to the excuse whether valid or invalid can be a poor listener.  Not only is the workplace challenge eating up a lot of time and money, but now the one who simply jumps to conclusions and falsely assumes someone is a liar, lazy or something else isn't handling the problem either.  Throwing words at a situation without action won't make the problem go away!  Asking one's self, "How can I resolve the issue?" is better than saying, "What the?  Who the f&ck is responsible?  That son of a...!"  Where is your plan, Leader?

Sometimes excuses show up because there wasn't any contingency plan from the start!  In the event, this happens, what should we do?  What are the tools we can identify to solve this problem?  How many hands do we need on deck?  How much will this cost us?  What requirements can we put in place that won't push people into wanting to cover for themselves?

Excuses are also covers for what is really wrong with a workplace relationship that appeared like it was good at one point when it really wasn't ever.  For instance, an employee may not want to assist another employee because they don't like who they work for, may be fearful of ramifications or being taken advantage of, or may also be looking elsewhere for employment.  Workers begin to stop putting their best foot forward when they feel the following:  a lack of respect, overworked, manipulated, or abused.  The frequent excuse such as:  "I couldn't come to work because..." may not always be an issue going on at home, but how about someone who simply fell out of love with the job.

Nicholl McGuire
Author of What Else Can I Do on the Internet and this blog owner.

When a Loved One Doesn't Like to Work

Relatives close to the one who doesn't like his or her job or worse doesn't want to work five or six days a week, tend to be mistreated and disrespected.  These difficult men and women rarely smile, prefer to spend much time alone, easily irritated, most often miserable, and don't want to talk much or not at all on most days.  Children are encouraged to go to their rooms.  Wives are quickly shut down when they want to communicate.  Husbands are ignored.

No matter what you might ask the unhappy one, "I'm fine, everything is okay.  Why are you asking me that?  Nothing is wrong with me..."  Sure.  We must remember that many workers, who were once lazy children, didn't necessarily let go of their rebellion toward work especially if they grew up around strict parents.  As children, when they didn't step it up at home, they were called, "Lazy!  Good for nothing!  You better help or else!"  So it isn't any wonder why these workers have a negative attitude toward employment.

People who don't like their jobs or don't want to work at all can't stay in hiding for long!  Potential candidates will initially respond positively to being up for a "challenge" during an interview.  However, the truth comes out once they are hired.  We notice the following:  they are frequently late for work, delegate most or even all responsibilities to others, often request time off, avoid any customer service confrontations, and the list goes on!

Relatives catch hell when these poor performers are held accountable by their managers for their sub-par work ethic, lack of enthusiasm, and downright laziness.  On the way home, the tension of the day is building.  They will never tell the full story about what really happened at work.  Rather than be honest with themselves and others, they prefer to lash out on anyone who asks, "How was your day?"

Children are not parented effectively and nor are marriages nurtured by selfish, lazy people who not only don't like to work a job, but don't like to help build their households either.  Their lack of performance is not restricted to just a job.  They choose roles out of necessity.  They simply need money while they don't put too much thought in how their negative attitude about working might affect their loved ones, friends, coworkers, managers, and others in the short or long term.

Anyone who notices a relative or friend often acting mean-spirited without any explanation, but it seems that the mood is connected to work, you can attempt to get the individual to talk.  However, if they refuse to be open and rather ignore you, well then you have a right to distance yourself from the negative worker!

Don't be surprised if one day they lose their job or quit.  Save your money and pay off debt if you rely on this person, it's only a matter of time.

Nicholl McGuire

What's Wrong with the Job? 12 Possible Reasons Why Employees Leave

There are those reasons employees don't mind sharing with others as to why they don't work for a certain company any longer, but then there are those work observations they would never discuss because they wouldn't want to burn any bridges.  Human Resources may know, but then again maybe not especially if some staff are too chummy with managers and supervisors or at fault.

So the following are some straightforward reasons why some workers leave that can be uncovered either before you take on a position, while you are working there or after you start a new job working elsewhere.  Notice the cost savings and the headaches you no longer will have if you suggest some practical workplace changes.

1)  It was boring working there.

What exactly are one's duties and when put into practice is there really enough work to hire someone for eight hours a day for five days a week?

2)  Managers, assistants and other workers were divisive.

Notice how frequent the staff fraternize.  Do they realize that their socializing is costing the company time, money and quality of work?  Further, this kind of atmosphere often causes tension.  Is it really necessary to visit a manager's office more times than one goes to the bathroom?  All the talk definitely isn't about work.

3)  People are lying to protect their jobs.

Some of the selfish, vindictive, veteran employees are also the most harmful!  They have protected their jobs for so long with their secrets, lies, denials, and cover-ups that no wonder why new employees never seem to stay.  Notice a pattern with a veteran employee who often points out the mistakes of others, doesn't bother to train effectively, and always has excuses as to why something wasn't done accurately.

4)  Management couldn't care less about the issues that were raised.

Time and time again employees point out challenges and provide solutions and nothing seems to get done.  No wonder why there is a high turn-over!

5)  Co-workers had unchecked personality disorders that impacted business.

"That's just how he/she is..." says the supervisor excusing yet another offensive comment by a trouble-making employee.  Not good enough!  Why aren't write-ups fully enforced?  When a disorder is increasingly causing problems in the workplace either an employee gets help or is terminated.

6)  Substance abuse ongoing with a staff member.

Often taking breaks, lying about one's whereabouts, the odd smell on clothing, glassy or blood-shot eyes, hmm, someone has a major problem.  When the addict makes repeated errors, nothing is done.  Say goodbye to another observant worker who has had enough of the excuses as to why work is incomplete or not done.

7)  Flirtatious managers and/or supervisors.

You would think with all the sexual harassment policies in place one wouldn't even attempt to cross the line, yet he or she does.  Rather than raise the matter up with upper management and possibly face backlash, one attractive employee after another leave.  Does anyone ever notice anything?

8)  People stole and then covered things up.

Before one is thrown under the bus, he or she is out of there!  No one wants to work among thieves and liars if they have good sense.  Employees like this are always saying, "I'm just borrowing it." Sure.  "You didn't see that...Those numbers are correct."  Yeah right!  

9)  Management and/or supervisors were unreachable at crucial times during business hours.

So grateful to have help, yet far too eager to put one's phone on vibrate or off.  Now what is the new employee supposed to do?  You guessed it, figure things out rather right or wrong.  That split decision-making gets old over time.  Employees surely burn out too!

10)  Owners didn't bother to spend money to fix recurring problems.

There are ways to get things done, but you won't like them.  The employee is going to take matters in his or her own hands especially when management is ignoring phone calls.  He or she is going to walk just when you need him or her the most.  Making excuses and telling lies to customers' gets old.  Fix the problem!

11)  Worked far too many hours while the company was slow to hire new employees.

So the company wants to see how much work can be done with as few hands as possible.  Great cost-savings move; however, sooner or later expect your best workers to start looking elsewhere for more pay with less responsibilities.

12)  When customers' issues arose, management often took their side even when they were in the wrong.

What happened to team work makes the dream work?  Not only are staff being cut, but now customers are always right too?  Don't be surprised to see an employee's resume saved on the desktop.  Some customers have their share of hidden agendas and they sure aren't in the best interest of the company.  Listen to your employees with an open mind; rather than a mind ready to go on attack!

Recognize any of these things occurring in your establishment, you know what to do, be proactive before your good workers walk!

Nicholl McGuire manages this blog and many others.  The wife and mother of four sons is an nonfiction author and inspirational speaker.  She also works offline providing administrative support.

Lying Co-Workers: Denials and Cover-ups

You know you have family members who you just can't be around you for long because they are liars, but sometimes co-workers can be just like that too!  From lying about who stole lunches out of the breakroom fridge to personal purchases using the corporate credit card, these lying co-workers do nothing more than cause unnecessary tension at the workplace and eventually cause good workers to look for employment elsewhere!  If you suspect you are being lied to by a co-worker or many co-workers, here's what you do.

Document and gather evidence.

Before you can make an accusation, you must have evidence and proof that the liar is guilty.  The day the act happened, time and date, video image(s), conversation with or between others about questionable acts, witnesses who saw the act, financial statements that show someone lied, days the guilty employee was supposedly working, personal days off while participating in act impacting the company, etc.  No amount of complaining to Human Resources, managers or supervisors will do much if you have nothing.  However, keep in mind they too might deny, lie and cover-up when they are friendly with the lying coworkers.  So document what they told you as well like a refusal to believe that what was said was true.

Confront the liars with witnesses present.

You don't act like a lawyer in the courtroom when confronting them but rather you simply ask, "What happened to the lunches that were in the fridge last week?  Where are the receipts of those purchases you made using the corporate card?  Now where might I find those items?"  Liars deny everything, so what you will do next is either share what you know with management or if you are in a leadership role hold a meeting and present evidence.  The witnesses, some who might even be a bit bias, will have nothing to do but just stand there.  Busted!

Note the consequences.

Was there any action taken for rule-breaking?  If not, note your observation and keep it handy for when business owners, presidents, or other significant leaders come to town.  You can also send information along with attachments via email prior to their arrival or simply make a phone call.

Plan your future.

When you have observed that management has no intent to investigate a matter, handle a situation, or rather lie too, cover-up, or deny something had occurred, then you escalate the matter.  If nothing is being addressed from top leaders, start looking for another place to work. Chances are there is a nest of more corrupt things going on you have yet to uncover.  No job is worth putting your good name, health or freedom in jeopardy!

Nicholl McGuire is the author of What Else Can I Do on the Internet? and other books.

Crazy-making Co-Worker Driving You Crazy? 6 Tips to Help Get Him, Her Out of Your Hair

When you have a crazy-making co-worker, there are many things you can do rather than just deal with "the issue" on a daily basis.

1)  Confront the co-worker on what is bothering you only after you have reported the issue to human resources or a supervisor or manager who doesn't particularly care for him or her as well.  If you confront prematurely, the co-worker can flip the script and tell someone you are the problem.

2)  Document the times and days the co-worker is saying and doing things that bother you.  Be sure you have this information before you bring up to those who can help alleviate the situation.

3)  Question the co-worker about why he or she does the offensive thing.  Note his or her response.  For instance, if he or she is often tardy and is impacting your work, ask if the individual can start showing up on time.  If there is a reason or many reasons for the chronic tardiness, then note his or her response.  If it continues to happen, you will need to notify management and request that he or she show up to witness the chronic tardiness.

4)  Explain how the offensive behavior is making you feel.  Of course, a nonchalant co-worker is going to continue with the negative behavior, so escalate the matter.  If nothing is addressed, begin looking for other employment.  You might mention to a supervisor or manager, something like, "I no longer feel comfortable coming to work due to the following..." be sure this is in writing.  If you are a good employee, the manager most likely would not want to lose you and will deal with the matter.

5)  If there are witnesses, ask them if they could share what they have observed to management.  They may have already discussed what they don't like to the co-worker and he or she just ignored them too.  Getting others to talk about what they are witnessing/experiencing whether good, bad or otherwise is one way that gets results sooner rather than later.

6) Request to change your work schedule or be removed to another area or department.  If it is feasible and you really like the company, discuss with management about making adjustments to your schedule or work location.  This also puts management on notice that there is something ongoing that is causing the change and it is then that a caring authority figure will question why the sudden change.

Whether a co-worker is annoying with daily story-telling or crazy-making when it comes to not completing tasks, whatever the issue, it is always better to watch, document, confront and share rather than keep everything bottled up inside.  Too often irritating managers, supervisors, and co-workers end up remaining at jobs because no one either bothers to speak up and/or escalate matters; instead victims either find themselves terminated due to the annoying co-worker manipulating the situation against them or quitting a job.

Keep in mind the crazy co-worker may know he or she is the least favorite and will attempt to fault-find, be sure you are performing your job well and you have people around that will support you.

Nicholl McGuire is the blog owner and author of these workplace journals.

The Friendly Manager and His Harem

He compliments his staff on their looks in a way that is unprofessional.  The manager and family man enjoys flirting.  He rubs the backs of attractive female workers in a seductive way.  He stares at certain parts of their anatomy while they walk by and sometimes bumps other male managers with a smile while commenting, "Wow...Well look at that...Nice..."  And some of you know the rest. 

The manager is considered "charming," "friendly," and "sweet."   But a disheartened someone or a group knows different.  These quiet mouths avoid him for good reason.  They are careful what they say and do around him.  Yet, the women aren't innocent, they are guilty for falling into his manipulative traps and they know it.  Some of the women had received great titles, salaries, and more because of the clever gentleman while others, who weren't so accommodating or attractive, got next to nothing.  Therefore, those scorned workers feel jilted.  Yet, the gorgeous gullible women and career-driven opportunists, who obtained treats for performing tricks, wear guilt heavily on their hearts and minds.  "I shouldn't of...Why would I do that?  I don't want to owe this sick S.O.B for the rest of my life!" but they did.  Whenever they need something he is the go-to guy, but if they have loose lips they will sink their own ships at least that is what the mean-spirited manager has told some in so many words for days, weeks and even years who got to see his dark side.

People don't always lose jobs, receive death threats, or commit career suicide for exposing others, rather for many, at least lately, victims are believed, protected, and are praised for sharing their stories.  It all depends on who the harasser is and how much support or lack thereof they have.  Offend the wrong people who can help you, and you just might get thrown under the bus if one is the prideful one expecting to be protected even when guilty.  Yet, get on board with the right people, and the harasser is brought down low.

You might have encountered someone whether the same sex or the opposite sex who you thought was simply "nice" at work.  However, in time you learned there was more to that manager/boss/supervisor/owner than meets the eye.  He (or she) may have behaved disturbingly, strange, controlling and didn't mind letting you know what he or she wanted from you or someone else.  Don't sweep things under the rug, do something about them!  As I type, there are plenty more stories unfolding about sexual harassment at the workplace with A-listers as well as others.  It looks like select individuals' "protection" no longer exists.

Eye-opening #MeToo stories about victims being ensnared in a trap of sex or else teach us a lesson or two about life and beckons us to ask the questions, "What are you willing to do or tolerate for fame, fortune, and power?  How far would you go to risk your family, work and friendships?  Do you have an out-of-control appetite for sex?  Is your personal interests worth suffering over and how might what you do impact those you love?"  When you sum it all up, it's just not worth it.  So one might want to be wise when it comes to dealing with workers keeping in mind to always remain professional while leaving so-called harmless flirting, desires for sex, and overly friendly behavior out of the office and away from one's bread and butter--career.

Nicholl McGuire maintains this blog and is the author of What Else Can I Do on the Internet?  Socially Sweet, Privately Cruel Abusive Men and She's Crazy.

 

What You Don't Know Just Might Hurt Your Business

Do you ever check on managers and supervisors who have their own offices?

Do you know what they do when you are away?

Workplace Woes: No Call, No Show

They mess up everything!  Workers who just make up in their minds, "I'm not coming in."  They don't call, text, drop by, prepare fellow workers, or much else, they just don't come in.  I have been impacted over the years while working on projects that had specific timelines.  Each phase had to be completed during a set time and when one isn't around to do his or her part, the people and project suffer!

So what to do about Jane Doe who doesn't like to show up for work?

1.  Document dates and times she didn't show and how she affected progress.
List specific reasons, cause and effect.  For example, "When Jane didn't show, XYZ was affected; therefore, costing the company..."

2.  Contact Jane's Supervisor/ Team Lead and Human Resources Department making them aware of issues.  Keep them all updated on what is happening and what you are doing to deal with the problem.

3.  When Jane finally decides to show up, sit down with her and explain how her absences are affecting the team.  You may want a representative of HR as well as her trainer/team lead present at the meeting.

4.  Provide written correspondence explaining details of the meeting.  Ask Jane what she plans to do to rectify the problem.  Share what disciplinary action will result.  Note how Jane responded.

5.  Remember to follow all company protocol.  Consult with attorney if need be.

The "No Call, No Show" type of worker usually has a lot going on personally and doesn't want to share too much about his or her life problems.  Understandably so, no one wants to make others aware of weaknesses or cause worry, but when our personal challenges lead to poor work behavior, we have to at least communicate some things with our managers and how we tend to deal with them.  In Jane's case, she could have asked for a schedule change, some days off while she tends to her family matters, or ask others to cover for her while she is out while indicating when she plans to return to the workplace.  However, no calls and no shows are unacceptable at most companies and will lead to immediate termination.

Nicholl McGuire, author of What Else Can I Do on the Internet? and owner of Nicholl McGuire Media