Bad Bosses Beware

Warner Bros.’ Horrible Bosses hits theaters this week, delivering a tale of three disgruntled workers who plot to kill their overbearing superiors. But how many Americans can relate to the bad-boss storyline, and how do they react when faced with miserable managers?

California-based staffing company OfficeTeam helped answer these questions, releasing a survey this week that shows nearly half of workers (46 percent) have worked for an unreasonable manager. Among those employees, most remained at their jobs and either attempted to address the situation or simply resolved to suffer through the torment.

Only 11 percent of the 441 respondents quit their jobs immediately, while 27 percent waited to find new (and we hope more satisfying) employment before giving up. Among those who stayed, 24 percent simply coped with the torture without even attempting to address the problem, which suggests bosses can sometimes behave badly without the threat of retaliation.

Then again, 35 percent of employees said they stuck around but tried to "deal with" the issue—and there's no telling what that means. Office productivity also can suffer, according to a similar survey by Christine Porath, an assistant professor of management at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business. Her results indicate that 80 percent of employees lose work time and 78 percent are less committed to the company after bosses behave badly.

And if productivity risks aren't enough to keep managers in line, Porath's study also showed that 6 percent of employees verbally threatened their unbearable bosses and some actually resorted to physical attacks.

Apparently, the movie plot isn't completely far-fetched after all.

Tips and Advice

For employees placed under the watchful eye of unreasonable managers, there are a variety of ways to cope with the persecution. Daryl Pigat, a market manager for Robert Half International (OfficeTeam's parent company), offers the following tips.

Be adaptable: Keep an open mind and remain flexible when dealing with an unreasonable boss. Make it clear that you are available to tackle a wide range of tasks and be prepared to roll with the punches. “You have to find your inner confidence and adapt to the challenges the boss throws at you,” Pigat said.

Communicate constantly: Maintain a stream of communication going between yourself and your manager, even if it doesn’t make for pleasant conversation. You can do this subtly, by cc’ing your boss on emails that have your name stamped to your work. “The most frustrating thing is having your superiors take credit for your efforts,” Pigat said. “Make sure you document your contributions so you have emails to point back to and so that senior management sees what you’ve been working on.”

Don’t take it personally: Remember that your boss may not be comfortable with the managerial role or may have little experience leading a large group of people. Some managers are unpleasant simply because they don’t like or know how to handle the position in which they have been placed. “Bad managers are not necessarily bad people,” Pigat said. “They may be as unhappy with the situation as you are.”

Think big picture: When times get tough, consider the reasons you want or need to keep your job rather than switching to something new (if that’s even an option in this economy). You may be working toward tenure, stock options, or pensions plans, and those might not be worth giving up over one unreasonable boss. “Keep those perks in mind, and remember what you would be giving up if you let the boss drive you to quit,” Pigat said.

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J.D. Harrison is an assistant editor at Portfolio.com.