Going to work is a must for the majority of us.  We start a job with the best career intentions and hope to progress and succeed.  We spend a huge chunk of our week at our workplace and this should be a progressive and productive time.  Sadly, most of us have had all our career hopes and dreams dashed in an instant by having a boss who would rather dictate and bully, than support and encourage.  This can be difficult to deal with when you have to show up to work every day and feel powerless to speak up against the tyrant.

How to deal with a tyrant boss

Luckily there are some steps you can take to protect yourself and your career.  Of course you could apply for another job and get out of there, but if this is your dream employer or you love everything else about where you work, then why should you have to leave when you are not the problem?

Hopefully the below tips will help you to resolve the issue.

Firstly, remain composed and consistent

The most important thing you can do, no matter how tempting to do otherwise, is to remain professional and polite.  Continue to perform your best and always be composed when conversing with the difficult manager.  Do not sink to their levels of communication.  Rise above it.

By doing this you will not have any reason for your boss to file a complaint about you, but you have every reason to follow the proper procedures and file a complaint about the way they are mistreating you.

Document everything

It’s crucial to document all the abuse you have suffered from your manager.  Keep a record of what is said that you believe to be inappropriate and save any correspondence that will support this.  If it’s always in conversation then you may want to try and capture a conversation by using a recorder on your smartphone.  Building a portfolio of neglect, harassment and victimisation will all help to prove your case.

If your colleagues are also suffering the same treatment then encourage them to do the same.  You can then present your army of evidence to Human Resources or the appropriate department to take further action.

Consult your HR department

Once you have gathered evidence, or even before if you feel able to approach them without, you should approach your human resources department to raise your concerns.  You will be able to tell whether the toxicity goes right to the top from your meeting or whether it is something you believe your HR department will be efficient in dealing with.

There should be an official procedure in place to make a formal complaint and your HR department should advise on the steps you need to take, with their support.

If nothing changes and no action is taken then you may wish to take this further legally, or it may be a sign that you should look for work elsewhere.

Take legal action

With legal counsel at your side, you can be sure you receive the best possible support and know your rights as an employee.  It will help you to defend yourself against any potential workplace disciplinary procedures or false claims from your bad boss that you are taking action against.  Additionally, workers compensations lawyers will be able to help you should your manager’s neglect lead to something much more serious, such as an injury or safety hazard suffered.

After all, managers that have somewhat of a mean, bullying streak are not always as perfect at their jobs as they claim, and this may have serious implications.  If your health has been put at risk by your manager’s actions then you should seek legal advice.

Final word

Tyrannical managers are never pleasant to deal with, but hopefully you will have a robust and supportive HR department in place that can resolve any issues before any legal action is needed or health impacts are caused.