How To Survive A Toxic Boss

Karl Marx said that “the worker needs respect more than bread”. Fortunately, the work situation today is not as probative as it was in the days of the great thinker… at least in much of the planet. Yet, the figure of the toxic leader is increasingly present in the current panorama.

What are we referring to when we talk about toxic boss? To those people with power who believe they can bestow a right on us. People who believe themselves superior in any situation and who use all kinds of resources, sometimes unlawful, to maintain control over their employees.

When we talk about toxic bosses, we are referring to unjust leaders who can even lead us to hate the profession we loved. While they can cause us to lose sleep, these people also have weaknesses. Today we will show you which ones.

The different types of toxic garments

The first thing to do is to establish the categories of toxic items that can be encountered. By proving to be able to spot them early on, we can put an end to their negative influence. To do this, we will build on the book of the writer Vijay Nair, “The boss is not your friend” ( The boss is not your friend ).

Vijay Nair loads his work with a powerful dose of humor, without detracting from the rigors of his work. The writer makes a thorough analysis of the most deplorable types of leaders in the Indian corporate organization chart, and we took a cue from his words because we believe that laughing about it can help to digest certain situations.

The chief careerist

According to Nair, there are 5 main categories of toxic bosses, the most curious and common of which is the upstart leader. This character is difficult to identify, as  he has a habit of appropriating the good ideas of others. But that’s not all: in addition to masking his inability, he tends to blame his employees for their own mistakes and ineffectiveness.

The insecure boss

Another toxic leader is the insecure supervisor. This leader is always looking for a circle of allies to follow and support him at all times. He uses his followers for the purpose of controlling the work environment, as he is afraid that his employees may turn against him at any time.

The workaholic or the slacker

Let us now see two types of toxic leaders who occupy the two opposite poles of the same whole. On the one hand we have the workaholic , a character who has no life outside the office and expects the same to apply to his employees. On the opposite side we find the slacker, the one who constantly expects you to do your part and also his.

The arrogant

Finally, there is a fifth type of toxic leader and it is among the most common , namely the overbearing and arrogant leader. It is almost impossible to hear people of this caliber apologize, they are never wrong. They also tend not to listen to anyone but themselves.

How to fight a toxic boss

We have taken the first step: now we have all the information needed to identify a toxic garment. This step, in fact, is essential to understand how to deal with these profiles. Well, what can we do to avoid getting involved directly and personally? Pay attention to the following tips:

• Never get involved in the first person. Always try not to react emotionally to abuse, criticism or injustice. If you stay calm, avoid any confrontation and adopt a composed attitude, your boss could look elsewhere for an outlet for his anger.

• If the situation persists, go to the supervisor. In other words, instead of clashing with him, be willing to understand him and find out what exactly he wants from you. If you know what he wants from you, it will be much easier for you to meet his needs.

• Don’t think you can change a toxic boss. Usually they are conflicting people both on a professional and personal level. For this reason, you will never be able to change their attitude. All you have to do is try to navigate the stormy facets of his behavior.

• Remember: your boss is not your friend. He may behave as he sees fit, but don’t allow him to become an obstacle to your professionalism. Do your job to the best of your ability and always behave like educated and capable people.

Three extra tips for dealing with a toxic boss

Also keep the following in mind:

• It is a good practice to document everything in writing. Keep a copy of the emails and letters received, as one day, if the conflict evolves negatively, they may be useful to you.

• Enjoy your personal life without thinking about work. It is a rather complex exercise, but completely necessary. Outside the office, leave the problems of work alone, otherwise your life will become hell.

• If none of the above has had a positive effect, there is only one option left: quit your job. If a person makes your life impossible by affecting your daily existence, affecting your physical and mental health as well, forget about that job to prevent the situation from escalating. *

Vijay Nair’s advice can be very useful to carry on your work without suffering too much the consequences of a toxic boss. If one day you happen to have to face such a situation, do not hesitate to put them into practice!

* Editor’s note: We know that nowadays the job market does not offer the possibility to leave a job as if nothing had happened. If you can’t do it for financial reasons, our suggestion is to start looking for a new job before you even leave your current one. This solution is much more effective than complaining constantly, since it means taking concrete action to put an end to a degrading situation and feed a thread of hope.