What to do when insulted by your boss?
(3 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)
Loading ...One reason why employees leave their company is their boss.
- Nagging boss
- Unreasonable boss
- Sexually aggressive boss
And the list can go on and on…
What I like to blog though, is the common experience employees may have with their bosses– INSULT in the context of performance or work related issues.
An insult from boss may not be personal but performance related and may not be direct but sometimes below the belt. The intention is to call your attention, stir emotion and get the message across.
Perhaps 2 out of 5 people experience insult from their superiors. Middle management and sales group are more likely to experience this. In some cases, insult, in the name of fun, is incorporated in employee or training programs.
When one experience this, what options are available for the offended party? I have 2 in mind, but you can throw your two cents and add more
- Resign or
- Stay
On Resigning
There is no law prohibiting employees from leaving the organization When one is no longer happy. However, employee must serve 1 month notice prior to separation or may be held for damages. However, employee may terminate his employment with his company immediately when “insult” is involve. Please note provision of the labor code below:
Art. 285. Termination by employee.
-
- An employee may terminate without just cause the employee-employer relationship by serving a written notice on the employer at least one (1) month in advance. The employer upon whom no such notice was served may hold the employee liable for damages.
- An employee may put an end to the relationship without serving any notice on the employer for any of the following just causes:
- Serious insult by the employer or his representative on the honor and person of the employee;
- Inhuman and unbearable treatment accorded the employee by the employer or his representative;
- Commission of a crime or offense by the employer or his representative against the person of the employee or any of the immediate members of his family; and
- Other causes analogous to any of the foregoing.
While this is an option, the process is not easy and maybe highly stressful because at some cases, litigation may be involved.
On Staying
Another choice is to move on. “Welcome to life” as they say, and be focused on your goals. Consider the passages below
Proverbs 12:16 –A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.
Proverbs 19:11 –Smart people are patient; they will be honored if they ignore insult.
This option may be easier said than done but certainly one will not only develop character, one can also expect an incentive.
What option do you think will add more value? Is there another way to handle an insult from your boss?
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Comments
Confront them diplomaticaly in private.
Document the situation, including any witnesses and inform someone in human resources.
Start looking for another job, it will only get worse.
Hostile Work Environment
http://www.fcc.gov/owd/understanding-harassment.html
If the \”insult(s)\” do not comply with above then:
http://www.inteliorg.com/archive/How_To_Work_For_An_Idiot.htm
I believe the employee-supervisor relationship is the main reason employee\’s leave their organizations.
When it comes to an insulting boss, one who does go overboard or \”below the belt,\” I think the employee has little room to help the situation. It\’s been my experience that managers and supervisors who engage in this kind of insulting behavior are Theory X thinkers and do not have the competence or intelligence to grasp the consequences of their actions on the situation. Explanations of the cost of turnover, benefits of positive employee relations on work performance, and positive coaching techniques often fall on deaf ears unless that supervisor\’s boss sets the expectation (and provides accountability measures) for the behavior to change.
The best bet for the offended party is to consider this: What would the boss\’s boss think about the behavior. If other bosses in that organization exhibit similary leadership styles and behavior patterns, I think it\’s a matter of culture. In that case, the employee\’s best option is to either adapt to the culture or move on to a better organization.
If most of the leaderhip in the organization operates using positive leadership techniques, the employee may have an opportunity to work with the situation, but following protocol is important. A discussion with the boss about the situation is important before going over their head. If the boss is aware the employee will seek help from other members of management, if necessary, there is a possibility that this will be considered. If not, the boss\’s boss would be the person I would speak to next. Also, if I were this employee, I would encourage others to speak out with their concerns about the behavior. With such a low unemployment rate, it\’s relatively easy for them to find employment elsewhere if the situation does not change.
One final word about the \”sexually aggressive boss:\” This could be a potentially sexual harassment issue. It\’s very important for the organization to act on this occurrence. It\’s not illegal to be a jerk, but it is illegal to sexually harass an employee. I would hope that organizations would listen to this type of complaint and take quick action.
–A fool shows his annoyance at once,
Ah yes! I remember when I was young, such a long time ago it seems now. I was slow to anger but when I reached a certain point of ‘boiling’ inside, I reacted very swiftly. Usually the guy was on the floor wondering what happened. Now i just say, “God loves you too.”
Sonnie,
I agree with the 2 steps what an employee can follow. If it was couple of years ago , I would have followed step-1 , ie. leaving the employer .But now I would prefer to give a try to stay back. The challenge is getting motivated and coping up with the Boss . The proverbs are good and gives a punch .But in reality it may not work that great.The best way is to make the boss understand the situation and get him also along with us . How can we do that . If we do that by challenging his opinions , it may be very harmful as it makes us to move towards a forceful exit. If we act according to his words , we are sure that we will end up in trouble also. Confusing according to me. What do you think ?
Listen to what the boss has say, there could be a mistake from our side otherwise the boss wouldn\’t have to call us, if there is a mistake from our side, listen to him, make proper apologisation & leave the room with a smile.In case if there is mistake from our side, take the matter calmly, just say sorry for a formality and leave the room.
This kind of Manager is insuburdination, he must be put on investigation immediatly, other wise unoin will fire him
Well, it’s so nicely explained… 
I have been a regular employee and a boss and sometimes, we can never read minds. In any workplace or in any given situation with conflicts… there is a need for OPEN CONVERSATION not necessarily confrontation.
One has to understand each other’s side before taking any further action. And this is possible only with having open talk. In the process, you will not even need to like the other, but having expressed your side is quite a psychological and physical relief.
And oh, one think, when you’re not sure of anything yet… DON’T MAKE ANY DECISION.
Regards to all.
If you can’t stand the heat get off the fire or get the fire off if you can do so. Both has some consequences though that a person should face with a ball.
If you have the patience of Job, what you can do is stay on and “educate” the boss.
I can take insult once or twice from my boss particularly if I’m at fault, but to have him/her do it out of habit is something I will not allow. Bosses are stress-prone humans just like the rest of us, and sometimes they lose the brain-mouth connection when they experience pressure from their superiors or from their wives.
Sometimes it’s worth the trouble of diplomatically pointing out to the boss that he/she has made an error in judgment. Make your boss realize/understand his/her mistakes. What’s better than to have the boss treat you to lunch so that he/she can say “I’m really sorry, I made a mistake”? The feeling is priceless, I can tell you–my first-hand exerience. 
You will understand until your standing on his/her shoes. He/She experienced the same insult and learned from it. Besides, Boss responsibility is to run the company or else he/she’ll be fired not only insult from the owner.
Better stay and pray.
Regarding the response from “Danny”
Stay and pray is hardly a strategy for success. That sounds dangerously close to complacency to me. Furthermore, pressure for results from the ownership is a weak reason for verbally abusing subordinate employees. If the manager is too weak or unskilled to perform as they are expected, then perhaps they should be replaced.
By that rationale, all of the distasteful things in the would would go on unchecked (discrimination, etc…) if bad behavior is chalked up as a bad day for the boss.
Managers should be held to a higher standard the farther up the ladder they stand or face the consequences (increased turnover, internal complaints, increased unionization, and litigation).
I think many people prefer option no 1 i.e to resign and look for another job.I would prefer option no 2 i.e to stay and do your job well; much as you pray for God to come through for you.I was in a similar situation 2 years back;and decided to resign while my fellow workmates decided to stay and wait on God.God worked miracles for them! The nagging Boss was transfered to another department and a very understanding boss replaced that one.A few months later they got a pay hike something i could have really enjoyed if i was patient enough to wait.I had prayed and commited the issue of salary hike to God apart from trusting God to change our boss or replace him with a another one; but my making the wrong decision of quiting that job led me to loosing everything.
I would suggest that if one is competent in his/her job,it is wise to continue working irrespective of the situation ,for God will one day change that situation.No season is permanent.What we go through is for a short while and if we don’t give up on the way; our patience will be rewarded greatly by God.
Another suggestion is, if someone is not professionally empowered ,it is wise to go back to college or university and further his/her studies so that one can have what it takes acdemically too and to avoid being retrenced.
Regards.
Give the boss a second chance. It might probably be a slip of the tongue, or anger just clouded his reasoning at that certain point in time. If it’s because of performance, I’d rather do my job well the next time.
If he’s unreasonable most of the time, I’ll move on in another company, and strive to surpass his level.
I do agree with Sally’s comment. If you were insulted once which you felt that is below the belt then give another try but if the Boss habit is to insult his employees then I believe you need to leave the company before you totally lost your self esteem and self respect. You aimed to be productive but if you feel that your boss is pulling you down your performance and cannot get any support at all then it is high time to take a hike and find a better company who will acknowledge and value their employees.
https://plusweb.org/index.cfm/p/Journal.Article/articleID/100034.htm
{{{Under current law, employees have little or no legal recourse against supervisors who non-discriminately intimidate, insult, verbally abuse and demean them in the workplace. Those days may soon be over. Over the last five years, at least thirteen (13) states have introduced legislation that permits employees to sue their employers and supervisors who insult, intimidate and verbally abuse them regardless of race, gender, age, national origin or disability (“Bully Legislation”). Although none of the Bully Legislation has yet been passed into law}}}…..this is part of an article from the above URL….Hopefully it will be passed into law sooner… Honestly this is hard for me to believe that an employee be a victim of a mentally ill manager, and have no option other than quitting, in this modern and democratic country.
Simple.
When the employer insults you or he cannot handle the situation (nervous, out of control etc) or he is just trying to give you pressure so you quit and he has nothing to explain to his superiors why you left or pay damages to you if he would fire you.
On the first case just look at him apathetic, let him keep on insulting until he understands that he only insults his own self, soon he will stop and not bother you again plus you’ll gain his respect.
On the second case that he is just putting pressure, react clever. Think and believe that no one is to decide when you quit a job. Keep an attitude like nothing is happening and sooner or later you will have his nerves broken, understand he cannot win with you and leave you alone. or just simple report the situation to the superior.