10 'Horrible Bosses' We Can Learn From!
1.Gordon Gekko, Wall Street
Gordon Gekko is a corporate financier who is defined by his famous credo "greed is good". Gordon is a self-centred, narcissistic stock broker with the soul concern of making money and who has no interest in doing anything that will help anyone other than himself. He has no qualms about manipulating and corrupting his young protégé Bud Fox.
What can we learn? Because it's about control, workplace manipulation is commonplace and it can lead to an increase in stress and depression among those on the receiving end. A company's HR function is key here, as is a properly framed employer's handbook detailing the company's procedures and processes. While a workplace manipulator can be hard to identify as their actions may be covert and directed at one person, there are ways of picking up on manipulative behaviour. There might be a pervasive culture of negativity and gossiping.
2.Katherine Parker, Working Girl
Katherine is a financial executive who has a PA (Tess McGill) with ambition and a great business idea. Katherine is the definition of a passive-aggressive boss, giving Tess simplistic tasks to do, talking to her like a child and pretending to be her friend whilst going behind her back. When Tess comes to her boss with a great business idea, Katherine tries to claim the credit; thankfully, the softly-spoken Tess wins through in the end.
What can we learn? Passive aggressive bosses are fairly commonplace today and they are one of the most difficult to deal with. This behaviour could be calculated, or it could be simply down to the fact that the boss has poor people skills. Either way, it's vital you try to address this behaviour by trying to schedule a meeting with your boss. You could ask how you can help work through an issue or approach it from a different angle. If the passive-aggressive behaviour is written down, perhaps in the form of an email, it would be useful to have a digital trail. Documentation will be particularly useful if things escalate.
3.Miranda Priestley, The Devil Wears Prada
Miranda is the ballsy editor in chief of Runway Magazine who has been through a succession of assistants, and is not about to stop any time soon. She's a tyrant who frequently demands the impossible from her team. From balancing her diary down to the minute to almost anticipating problems, Miranda is a truly demanding boss.
What can we learn? This type of boss is more likely to be at the helm of a small business where there is little or non-existent staff development. This type of boss can be difficult to deal with but she / he is ultimately extremely good at what they do. They do not suffer fools gladly either, which is a positive in an SME. However, the employee needs to be the right 'fit' in such a business. If their skin is not thick enough, they could crumble, or just leave as was the case with the assistant in The Devil Wears Prada. This type of boss can overstep the mark though with verbal abuse and demands that cannot be reasonably met, or by contacting the employee at unsociable hours. This all needs to be documented, the HR department needs to be informed and a grievance procedure started, if necessary.
4.Bobby Pellit, Horrible Bosses
Bobby is an extreme caricature of a boss, or rather a bosses' son with responsibility who is that unfortunate combination of incompetence and arrogance. He thinks he's God's gift to women, to business, to humour and in fact, to the world, when he really has no idea what he's doing. He is full of sexual innuendo and is fuelled by his cocaine habit.
What can we learn? Bobby is an industrial tribunal waiting to happen. While many other examples of bad bosses had their 'badness' hidden under the radar, Bobby is such an extreme example that his behaviour is unlikely to be overlooked for too long, even in a larger company.
5.Margaret Tate, The Proposal
Margaret is an executive editor in chief of a book publishing company. She has a Canadian passport and in order to avoid being deported she persuades her assistant to marry her to gain US citizenship. The bribe is that if she does not, his chances of ever becoming an editor will be severely limited.
What can we learn? Margaret is an example of a boss who is using workplace power to gain advantage of a subordinate by means of what is quite literally blackmail. Her motives are unscrupulous but they are motivated by blind panic at her situation. As it turns out, the ending in the film is positive with the pair getting engaged for real. In reality however they would both be breaking the law and it could end very badly. The employee should consider his / her position very carefully before embarking on such high stakes power games.
6.Basil Fawlty, Fawlty Towers
Basil is another caricature of a boss who is verbally abusive to his staff, particularly to put-upon Spanish waiter Manuel. Basil is a clown who reacts to the world around him in own peculiar way. His wife acts to put the brakes on some of his more extreme behaviour. However, he is a bully and there are bullies in every workplace, which is particularly problematic if they are a boss.
What can we learn? Bosses like Basil are bullies and they can be so because of inherent incompetence or because they are angry or frustrated with life and lash out. At such an extreme, aside from resorting to an industrial tribunal, there is little that can be done. It would be very difficult to change his / her behaviour and it might be wise at some point down the line to take a decision about whether the job is suitable for you.
7.Selina Meyer, Veep
Selina is US Vice President and later President. She adopts a passive-aggressive attitude and is regularly caustic and belittling to her underlings. Selena has landed the top job in the world largely by accident, and it shows. She is barely up to it and is someone who tends to hide behind her high-performing staff, somehow muddling through.
What can we learn? It can be difficult to address such behaviour. All that can be hoped for is that his / her incompetence will eventually be found out.
8.Montgomery Burns, The Simpsons
Albeit a cartoon character, Montgomery is an extremely sketched example of how not to behave as a boss. He is the evil owner of a nuclear plant and is Homer Simpson's boss who is supremely unconcerned about his employees' wellbeing and safety.
What can we learn? The Health and Safety Executive would probably have this boss's guts for garters. Failing that, multiple industrial tribunals could ensue.
9.David Brent / Michael Scott The Office UK and US
David Brent, or Michael Scott, are great examples of bosses who are innately insecure but arrogant on the face of it. They are benign and cringe-worthy rather than malign; however they do not encourage good workplace harmony. They wreck it with their tomfoolery, incompetence and offensive comments.
What can we learn? David or Michael typify the kind of boss who thinks they are everyone's friend. However, their staff think they are mean and distrust them. This type of boss is a more straightforward candidate for an industrial tribunal as his behaviour could well land him in hot water on the grounds of sexism, homophobia or even racism.
10.Franklin Hart, Jnr. 9 to 5
Franklin Hart is the President of Consolidated Industries and is regularly to be found fondling and using overt sexual innuendo with his female staff. He's an unreconstructed boss, a familiar fixture of the workplace in the 1970s and who seems to be more like a dinosaur these days, but bosses like Franklin do still exist.
What can we learn? Franklin, particularly these days, is an industrial tribunal waiting to happen. Discuss any overtly sexual or otherwise inappropriate behaviour with your HR department and start a grievance procedure, which could as in the case of David Brent end up at an industrial tribunal.
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