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Four Types of Terrible Bosses That Make Employees Quit

12 July 2017
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Organizations with the best employee video communication in the world still lose valuable workers and mid-level managers due to terrible bosses. Here are four archetypes of bad bosses that send talented employees running for the hills and torpedo the best employee retention efforts.

If you’ve worked in an office for longer than two weeks, you’ve probably heard this classic phrase:

People don’t quit jobs, people quit bosses.

This is absolutely true. A manager/boss can make or break a workplace almost as much as the job duties or overall corporate culture. Having someone competent, trustworthy, and honest leading a team is a recipe for a happy company and high employee retention, better than any employee video communication gadget or strategy.

If the person in charge of your office is one of the below types of managers however, you might find yourself conducting a lot of exit interviews until they’re fired or put into a different position.

The Ghost

Who they are: This mysterious boss is difficult to find at their desk during the work day. Instead they’re usually spending their time ‘working from home’ but out of contact or hiding out in a friend’s office to avoid dealing with their responsibilities. Even with fast employee video communication applications, The Ghost is impossible to get a hold of until it’s too late to fix what the employee needed their help with. That’s when they mysteriously reappear and ask why they haven’t been kept updated as to what was going on.

Why employees quit: Although no one likes a micromanager, employees still want a present leader who gives honest feedback. When you don’t have the approval level to make a crucial decision and the person who can is absolutely unreachable, the employee will feel powerless. This leads to the soul-crushing feeling that their work doesn’t matter.

The Clueless

Who they are: The Clueless boss tries hard, but has no idea what it is that their employees actually do. They can be found giving directions on technical projects that make no sense. Another characteristic of this boss is having no clue how much time their employees actually spend working, as they don’t really understand what the employee’s job entails or how long tasks should take. No employee video communication strategy will help them understand this.

Why employees quit: It’s demoralizing being given orders by and needing approval from someone who has no idea what you actually do. When clueless, incompetent people get promoted over more competent people for whatever reason good employees will often walk. Worse, they’ll remain in their job but put forth the bare minimum effort and slowly poison the corporate culture with negativity and apathy.

The Iron Fist

Who they are: Arrive at 8:01 instead of 8:00? This boss is already writing a report. Take three bathroom breaks instead of two in a day? The Iron Fist is rewriting the rules to prevent that as we speak. Boss is staying at the office until 10:00 tonight? All employees are staying too, no matter how much babysitter money it costs and how much it flouts the principles of a good employee video communication strategy. When the Iron Fist is in charge, employees will work exactly as the boss prefers whether or not it’s reasonable or practical.

Why employees quit: A little flexibility and trust in an employee goes a long way. Conversely, telling employees that you trust them so little they can’t be five minutes late once in a while is a great way to turn your office into a breeding ground of resentment.

The Snake

Who they are: The Snake might be the most insidious of all these terrible bosses. This is someone who will take every chance they get to take credit for an employee’s work and blame an employee for their own failures. Snakes are experts at politics, making just the right connections to rise through the company no matter how much it hurts the employees.

Why employees quit: The other boss types on this list can breed resentment and apathy. This one can lead to outright insubordination and hostility. If an employee feels like they’re being actively screwed over by a boss then they will not only jump ship, but could feel like they need to get revenge. And forget about the use of a new employee video communication strategy. If you don’t want to risk key employees actively sabotaging the company before quitting suddenly don’t make them work for a snake.

With new bad bosses appearing all the time, the taxonomy of a bad boss grows every day. In a world of high-priced employee video communication applications and software, there should be no room for a bad boss mucking up internal communications and employee retention.

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Elizabeth Woodard

Liz Woodard is an office veteran who's fascinated by office dynamics and believes that applied behavioral psychology can go far towards managing a company well. Find her at http://www.lizwoodard.com/.

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