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7 Popular Examples of Negative Behavior At Work That A Boss Should Avoid

7 Popular Examples of Negative Behavior At Work That A Boss Should Avoid

Work

Astrid Tran 28 Feb 2024 6 min read

We, as regular employees, aspire daily to accomplish professional milestones and always want to give it our all. Sometimes we make a mistake and need help and direction from compassionate and knowledgeable managers.

Of course, instances of receiving a reprimand, a warning, or an unpleasant look from the supervisor are common in the workplace. Even a good boss can act a bit too harshly when reprimanding us. However, you should learn to be cautious if you come across circumstances like your leaders constantly having a bad attitude even when you perform well, no errors are found, or even fail to acknowledge your mistakes.

You should read this article right away if you’re curious about whether your leader’s actions are too out of line. The following seven examples of negative behavior at work help you identify a toxic boss, understand why it happened, and act quickly to address the situation with the best solution.

Image: Education Executive

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7 Common Examples of Negative Behavior in the Workplace

 You have an excellent teacher if you have a good boss.” Nobody can simply meet a professional boss who motivates them to work hard, learn, or be a part of a nice workplace all the time. It is always a difficult time when your boss acts aggressively as an excuse for taking care of employees. You might confuse bad interactions with genuine concern. Let’s learn about the common examples of negative behavior in the workplace.

examples of negative behavior

Poor Feedback

Before discussing or resolving an issue, employees frequently seek advice from their supervisor. If they decline to provide feedback, offer generic information, or express an opinion, you might have a situation where your boss is incapable or irresponsible.

Make Too Many Requests

Not giving, giving little feedback, or giving too many requests,… are examples of negative behavior that are extremely typical and common. A boss who makes too many demands may be intentionally making things difficult for you (or wanting you to do better). You should carefully consider the requirements to see if they are excessive and affect your current tasks.

No Trust in Employee

Employees who lack trust exhibit not only negative personality traits but also a lack of professionalism and people management experience, even though they know they are capable of handling people. In addition to fostering a climate of mistrust, this bad habit can prevent team members from being creative.

Lack of Communication

Another negative boss example of negative behavior that can be harmful to the company is poor communication. This poor behavior frequently shows up as a failure to listen or as an inability to communicate clearly with other team members.

Ineffective communication can result in misconceptions and give workers the impression that they are not being heard. Poor communication from supervisors reduces productivity and increases stress at work.

Always Blame Staff

Blame is one of the most well-known examples of negative behavior in the workplace. A blame culture is frequently the outcome of inadequate leadership and communication abilities. It will be challenging for bad bosses to foster a positive work environment if they are incapable of accepting accountability for their actions.

Don’t Listen to Suggestions

Your feedback, suggestions, and concerns will not be cited as examples of your boss’s poor behavior. “No organization can thrive if people don’t learn from each other. Otherwise, we all do the same things we always do,”

Casciaro, Professor of Organizational Behavior and HR Management at the University of Toronto said: “When your boss makes it nearly impossible for you to communicate with your superiors and communicate mistakes, there is no growth.” Additionally, you might feel as though your work or ideas are unimportant and lose out on important opportunities to learn and improve when you are unable to communicate with your supervisor.

Uncontrolled Anger

An angry manager may act censoriously when speaking with staff members. Anger never solves anything properly. Avoid letting your manager’s stressful work environment lower your morale, job satisfaction, or motivation.

Examples of Negative Behavior
Examples of Negative Behavior – Image: Work It Daily

How To Deal With the Negative Behavior of Your Leader

Have you noticed any discrepancies in your management from the few examples of negative behavior we discussed earlier? What can you do if you discover your boss is toxic? Here is some advice if you are unsure about how to handle it correctly.

Give Them Constructive Feedback

Some managers may be unaware of the harmful effects of what they’re doing. There are many examples of negative behavior from bosses that have a major impact on employee anxiety and leaving. 

First, try to communicate with them clearly and concisely. This can also be useful in figuring out whether your boss’s management style is just wrong or if they are toxic—that is, disrespectful, egotistical, and disruptive. meets your comfort zone.

You’ll see that if their response to professional, courteous criticism is callous or insensitive, you’ll at least know what you’re dealing with.

Cultivate Self-care

Never forget that only you can keep yourself safe. Identifying instances of detrimental conduct is how you can develop self-defense.

Furthermore, record specific instances of your boss’s abusive behavior, gather them, and arrange someone with whom to discuss your concerns when they arise. It’s a practical self-defense strategy. This is particularly crucial if you run the risk of your boss finding out that you’re talking negatively about them and taking revenge.

Ask for Help

You have very little power when you are an ordinary staff. Ask someone else for advice on how to handle the situation or get out before it becomes too much for you to handle. It might be your senior manager (also known as your boss’s boss), a human resources employee, or a trusted advisor. It really should be someone outside the workplace in certain cases, such as when your toxic boss is a member of a larger toxic management team or represents a deeper toxic culture. carry out your tasks.

Talk with Your Fellow Employees

Think about discussing it with a coworker if your manager behaves in an unprofessional manner toward you. It’s possible that your boss treats a lot of people in this manner, or other people may think your boss is treating you unfairly. They may also offer insightful counsel. This can also assist you in deciding what to do next when bringing up the matter with your manager or the human resources division of the business.

Look For a New Job 

If your level of dissatisfaction at work doesn’t improve, you should think about changing careers. Revise your resume and dedicate a couple of hours on a weekend to perusing job boards and submitting applications for new roles.

You can always apply for a different job in a different department or branch if you work for a larger company. A large body of research indicates that most people quit their managers rather than their jobs. If you want to work for a new company and be happier, healthier, and more productive, there’s nothing wrong with switching jobs.

Key Takeaways

Every workplace has bad bosses with negative behaviors, but there are strategies to deal with them. Remind yourself not to let uncomfortable or stressful situations cause you to become less productive at work. Don’t let it get too far and find a quick solution. Even if you are a new employee, nobody should have to endure unjust treatment.

🚀 Additionally, cooperation and professional tools like AhaSlides can improve communication and relationships between bosses and employees.

FAQs

What does a toxic boss look like?

The characteristics in question are lack of empathy, excessive talking, undermanaging, and fake friendliness. Legg, who has 20 years of experience in corporate professional learning, stated that many employees “seem to desire all these traits, not only because they seem harmless.”

What is negative employee behavior?

Some examples of negative behavior are aggression, a lack of responsibility or accountability, narcissism, rudeness, disdain, or intimidation of clients or coworkers, words or deeds that undercut corporate objectives or team spirit, and opposition to criticism or change.

Ref: themuse