During the course of college, you’re bound to have a bad boss. Whether it’s at your internship or your part time job, this boss is never fun to deal with. While you may be tempted to quit, there are a few easy tricks to getting your boss off your back.
Problem #1: Your boss literally watches everything you do, and it’s annoying. No one wants someone hovering over them all day, but no matter how well you do your work, you boss won’t stop double and triple checking your work and micromanaging your day. The best way to handle this kind of boss is by beating her at her own game. When she comes by to check on your progress on an assignment, show her your finished–and double checked–work and some of the other things you’ve done to make her life easier. Try to go out of your way to do things you know she’ll need done. Once she sees that you’ve done everything she asked for, and more, she won’t have anything to nag about.
If that doesn’t work, try setting up a meeting with her. Kindly explain to her how you’ve been feeling and ask her if there are any ways you can improve and gain her trust. She may not even notice she’s been hovering and will be impressed by the mature way that you’ve stepped up.
Problem #2: Your boss is, well, bossy. We all know there’s a nice way to ask for things, but not all bosses seem to know that. If you find your boss is barking orders and snapping at you, don’t let it get to you. Resist the urge to yell back or give her attitude, even a tiny eye roll will likely be seen and can earn you a bad reputation. If you feel yourself getting frustrated, exuse yourself to the bathroom and take a moment to breathe. Remember not to take it personally, it’s likely that your boss is lashing out at everyone. Take some cues from the other staff members. How do they handle your boss’s fits? Probably the best thing to do is kill her with kindness, whatever she says just smile and nod. You can go scream into a pillow later.
Problem #3: Your boss treats you like a 24 hour employee. You’ve left the office and you’re home cooking dinner when you get a phone call from your boss needing you to do a quick work task. Seems like nothing, right? Wrong! Unless it’s a dire emergency, and I really mean emergency, your boss shouldn’t be asking you to work at night or on the weekends. While doing a couple of quick things may seem trivial, it sends the message to your boss that you are avaiable to him or her 24/7. The best thing to do it take note of what your boss is asking and respond with, “I understand this is important, I’ll work on it first thing in the morning when I get to the office.” This lets your boss know that you’re not blowing her off, but you won’t be sending out emails or proofreading a proposal at 10 pm.
Problem #4: Your boss is super forgetful. It seems that he/she always forgets what you say the second you said it. This can make it hard to accomplish goals and communicate. Your boss may forget that you asked for someone’s email, or forget that she approved a project you were working on. The best thing to do with this boss is get everything important in writing. Need a day off? Don’t just tell your boss, follow up with an email stating exactly when you’re leaving and when you’ll be returning. Waiting for your boss to send you some information? Email a reminder, and be specific. Spell out in detail exactly what you need, it’s unlikely that you boss will remember this from your conversation. With a boss that’s forgetful having things in writing is like having a backup plan. If your boss questions you, or calls you wondering why you’re not in the office today, you can refer them to the email you sent, which clears up any confusion and takes the blame off you.