Managers who drive staff mad

by | 15.11.24

There are many things that Managers do that drive employees mad, some of the things they do are deliberate and some are just because they haven’t thought things through, or that they have been insensitive. Having done a little research here are the top ten most annoying things that Managers do:

They give assignments then forget they have

An annoying Manager will give an employee an assignment then forget they did and ask someone else to complete the same assignment. This mistake is doubly annoying because your boss has wasted two peoples time and energy, plus they have seriously peed them off.

They criticise an employee in the presence of another

This is one of the tackiest things a Manager can do. Sometimes Managers say they didn’t mean to do it but it is unacceptable. If a Manager needs to criticise an employee then they should have the decency to take them into an office and do it privately.

They ignore employees contributions

If a Manager ignores their teams contributions of time, energy and brainpower but picks up on tiny mistakes then are simply a wally. Any decent Manager will recognise and hopefully reward hard work and commitment.

They withhold information you need to do your job

Some Managers think employees are better off not knowing anything about the big picture but most employees would disagree with them. The more information an employee has, the more loyal they will be. By withholding information Managers are just setting up a ‘you and us’ situation.

They talk the talk but don’t walk the walk

They talk about teamwork, vision, collaboration, new ideas and lofty topics but at the end of the week they freak out about weekly targets. For employees to achieve set objectives they need a Manager who motivates them and leads the way.

They say they support their staff but actually don’t

A poor Manager will say ‘I support you lot’ but when it’s time to stand up for their employees against a stupid corporate policy they don’t do it. A good leader will support their staff if they don’t agree with a policy and use their voice to fight it.

They stress about employee issues

An example of this is a Manager dealing with an employee to is habitually ten minutes late for work, they don’t address the issue directly with the employee they go to HR about it instead. A weak Manager unfortunately does not get the respect of their staff, so this person is a real looser.

They forget to manage employee requests

A dopey Manager will forget to process holiday and time off requests for employees, they will also forget when an employee has said they will be in late for a reason or need to leave early. If a Manager does not care enough about their staff to look after them, then the staff are not going to give 100%.

They rely on your good will

A bad boss will lean too heavily on the good will of their employees. For instance they will tell you late in the afternoon that they need you to work late in order to finish a project. It’s an even worse boss who asks you to do this and then leaves on the dot of 5.30pm themselves.

They guilt-trip you

There is nothing worse than a boss who makes you feel guilty, they really are wimps. If a boss ever says to you “you need to do this for the team” they are being unfair, let them ‘do it for the team’ the reality is they are asking you to do it for them and will make you feel guilty if you don’t.

They never say thank you

Thank you as only two small words, but these two words are really important. Being thanked for doing a job well, or working hard, or getting into work early can go a long way. Saying thank you does not cost anything but it is very, very important and a good Manager will do this.

So to summarize if anything on this list applies to your Manager I don’t blame you for getting mad at times. Managers come in all shapes and sizes just make sure that yours doesn’t drive you too mad, if they do then it’s time to look for a new job.

 Good luck