Dennis Nishi, a columnist for the Wall Street Journal writes in a recent post that during tough times, employees don’t always feel they have the option of simply quitting if they find themselves in a job they hate, or worse, for a boss they can’t stand. He says times like these call for a new plan of action; one that benefits both employee and employer.
First of all, he notes, by way of example of an executive at a firm who hated his boss, that because employees don’t have much leverage to bring about changes they might like, they have to instead look inward to see if there is a way to change how they view their job or boss. Doing so allows the employee to regain some control over the situation. As Nishi notes, if your boss is a jerk, it’s probably easier to change your views about him or her than to change the irritating behavior. He suggests that, like the guy in his example, people can study the situation a little more closely and adapt their behavior to respond to that environment, rather than try to fight it. Doing so almost always results in less pressure from the boss; after all, who doesn’t like having everything go just the way they’d like, even if it’s wrong or bad policy?
Nishi suggests there are other things employees can do to change how they view their job. One of them is doing some research. For example, if you feel like your boss is picking on you all the time, looking around and asking questions might uncover the fact that the boss is that way to everyone, not just you. And while that bit of knowledge might not change anything really, it might make you feel better about while you’re at work, knowing that it’s not just you that is the target.
He also suggests that people learn to separate their own work expectations from the reality of what is going on. A lot of people are apparently compounding their misery at work by constantly second guessing themselves or worse, criticizing themselves for their shortcomings. Such self-flagellation only leads to more misery making life truly miserable. What’s worse is if others can see what you’re doing, making you a target for abuse or criticism by others.
Finally Nishi suggests that if it’s possible to change anything about your job, inside the rules of course, that you think will make your job more tolerable, then make it happen. He cites an example of a customer support rep who was constantly bombarded with less than friendly comments from angry customers. Instead of simply withstanding the daily onslaught, the rep found a way to let customers know what they were in for when they signed, up; a move that didn’t change anything except the degree of hostility he received when answering such calls.