TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR ACTIONS
Ask yourself the following questions: is your boss really mean, or are you a really bad employee? Make sure that you give credit where credit is due. If you are showing up late to work three out of five days per week, and you’re boss gets angry, can you really blame him? A boss is in charge of making sure that his (or her) employees are being held accountable for their actions. The manner in which different people exercise authority might not be the same way that you would choose to handle the situation, and that is something that you have to come to terms with. Some bosses prefer to micromanage employees, while others prefer to let their employees work quite independently. You might think that the way you were reprimanded for being a careless worker was too harsh, but what you should really be focusing on is improving your skills and making yourself a more desirable employee. Many times, people who are on the defensive with their boss are actually in the wrong themselves, and if that is the case for you it is important that you to accept responsibility for you own actions. If you realize that you have been giving your boss an abundant supply of reasons to be “mean” to you, then the way to deal with that is by being more aware and conscious of your actions as an employee. Good, reliable employees are the recipe for a happy and kind boss.
NO PAIN, NO GAIN
If you work in a high-stress environment, such as in a busy restaurant, then you are more than likely to have a few rough experiences with your boss. When everything and everyone has to work at a fast pace in order for business to be productive, people get stressed out, and sometimes stress can lead to bursts of hostility and aggression. Try to be compassionate to your boss for the occasional blow-up – it happens to the best of us, and the last thing that you should do is take it to heart. Part of being a mature adult who is a member of the workforce is accepting people for their flaws – as you would want people to do for you. Nobody is perfect – not you, and not your boss, and not your co-workers. It is not cool if your boss is constantly using you as a human punching bag, but if you take a little heat sometimes, you have to learn to let it roll off your back. Never let an isolated incident determine your future within a company or industry. If you are able to be compassionate towards your boss for the occasional “mean” spell, then your boss is going to appreciate your understanding, and you will actually wind up looking like a team player in your boss’ eyes. If you take things too personally, then your boss is going to view you as a hurdle and as a drama queen. You don’t want your boss to have to walk on eggshells around you, rather than giving him the comfort of knowing that you comprehend the stresses of his job, and that you can deal with occasional moodiness.
BE PROFESSIONAL, NOT CONFRONTATIONAL
You are at work, not on a reality television show. Just because you feel that your boss is mean to you does not give you the entitlement to make a loud and overly dramatized scene in front of the entire office staff before a weekly sales meeting. If you want to be treated in a professional and courteous manner, then you better be prepared to set that example through your own behavior. Two wrongs don’t make a right. Don’t fight fire with fire. Take a trip down the high road, even if you feel that your boss is stooping low. If you feel that your boss publicly humiliated you, you should not be seeking vengeance. The bottom line is that this person is the boss, and you are not, and you have to respect your boss (or at least act like it) if you want to keep your job. If you feel that your boss has wronged you repeatedly and you cannot take it anymore, then you should request a one-on-one meeting so that you can discuss the problem privately. You should not try to tackle an issue right when it arises as far as your boss being mean to you because if your boss is in a bad mood (and he probably is if you are getting unjustly yelled at), then he is far less likely to be open to your critiques. During a private meeting with your boss, you should calmly explain that you are unclear as to what you should be doing to be viewed as satisfactory in his eyes. Try to focus more on what your boss wants than what you want (which is to be treated properly) because that will give your boss a feeling of control, and it will make you look like a concerned employee trying to improve rather than a whiny complainer with a bone to pick.
TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT
If you have tried to communicate with your boss and you really feel that it is impossible to make things work so that you are both content in the workplace, then you need to evaluate whether or not you really need or want to be there. This cannot be the only place in the world that you can work at, and your happiness should be important to you. Some people just don’t get along – maybe you and your boss have a severe and insurmountable personality clash. If you are miserable, you should leave. You boss is important, but your wellbeing should always be your highest priority.
