#badmanager

I've worked some bad jobs before but nothing even comes close to what this place has done to me. The leadership is awful, the managers are worse, and I genuinely don't recognize myself anymore after dealing with it all. It's taken such a toll on my head and my confidence that I'm not sure how much longer I can keep showing up like nothing's wrong.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/10-red-flags-of-a-toxic-boss-and-tips-for-working-with-one/

Is Your Boss Really Toxic or Just Difficult?

Your boss may be toxic if their behavior is repeated, harmful, and makes it harder for you to do your job or feel safe at work. Not every frustrating manager is toxic, and recognizing the difference can help you respond more effectively. A difficult boss may be frustrating to work with or demanding, but they’re usually still fair and focused on work outcomes.

Following are some notable differences between a difficult and a toxic boss.

A difficult boss may…

Give blunt or unclear feedback
Set high expectations
Be disorganized or hard to read
Struggle with communication
Have occasional bad days
Push for results
A toxic boss may…

Belittle, insult, or intimidate employees
Create unrealistic expectations and punish people for missing them
Create confusion, fear, or constant stress
Withhold information, shift blame, or manipulate situations
Show a repeated pattern of harmful behavior
Take credit, play favorites, retaliate, or ignore boundaries
In many cases, it comes down to how often the behavior happens and how much it affects you.

If the behavior is occasional or tied to poor communication, it may be manageable. If it’s ongoing, manipulative, targeted, or emotionally draining, you may be dealing with something more toxic. Many employees second-guess themselves in toxic environments, especially when behaviors are subtle or inconsistent.

10 Signs of a Toxic Boss

The clearest signs of a toxic boss usually appear as repeated patterns rather than isolated incidents. One bad meeting or tense conversation doesn’t always mean your boss is toxic, but ongoing behaviors that create stress, confusion, or unfairness are toxic boss traits worth paying attention to.

1. They Blame Others Instead of Taking Accountability
   When something goes wrong, a toxic boss often looks for someone to blame instead of asking what happened or how to fix it. This can happen even when they gave unclear instructions, changed priorities, or failed to share important details.

For example, your boss might approve a project direction, then criticize you later when leadership pushes back. You might hear, “You should’ve known that wasn’t what I meant,” or “I don’t have time to hold your hand through this,” even though they never clarified expectations.

1. They Take Credit for Your Work
   Some toxic bosses praise your ideas in private but present them as their own in meetings, reports, or conversations with senior leaders. Over time, this can make it harder for you to gain visibility, build credibility, or show the full impact of your work.

For example, you may develop a new process, solve a major client issue, or create a successful campaign, only to watch your boss say, “I came up with a new approach,” without mentioning your role.

1. They Belittle or Intimidate Employees
   Public criticism, sarcasm, threats, and condescending comments are common signs of toxic leadership. These behaviors may be framed as “tough love” or “high standards,” but they often leave employees feeling embarrassed, anxious, or unsure of themselves.

For example, you might hear comments like, “I don’t know why this is so hard for you,” “Maybe this role is too much,” or “Everyone else seems to understand this.”

1. They Change Expectations Without Warning
   Changing priorities is normal at work, but constantly moving the goalposts can make it feel impossible to succeed. A toxic boss may ask for one thing, shift direction without warning, and then fault you for not meeting the new expectation.

For example, your boss may ask for a quick draft by Friday, then criticize it for not being polished enough. Or, they may say a task is low-priority, then act frustrated when it’s not completed first.

1. They Ignore Reasonable Boundaries
   A toxic boss may expect constant availability outside normal working hours, during time off, or when your workload is already full. Instead of respecting boundaries as part of sustainable work, they may treat them as a lack of commitment.

For example, they might send messages at night and follow up first thing in the morning with, “Did you see my note?” or say, “I know you’re on PTO, but this will only take a minute.”

1. They Play Favorites
   Favoritism can show up through better assignments, more flexibility, more praise, or fewer consequences for certain employees. A toxic boss may create an inner circle while leaving others with less visibility, fewer opportunities, or harsher treatment.

For example, one employee may repeatedly miss deadlines without any clear accountability, while you’re criticized for minor issues. Or, your boss may consistently give stretch projects to the same people while telling others they “aren’t ready,” without explaining how to grow into those opportunities.

1. They Retaliate When Employees Speak Up
   Toxic leadership can also show up after employees ask questions, raise concerns, or give honest feedback. Retaliation isn’t always obvious. It may look like colder communication, sudden criticism, fewer responsibilities, exclusion from meetings, or negative performance comments.

For example, if you ask for clearer priorities and your boss responds by saying you’re “not being a team player,” that’s a warning sign.

1. They Micromanage Everything
   Micromanagement becomes toxic when your boss monitors every detail, second-guesses your work, or makes you feel like you can’t be trusted to do your job. Instead of offering guidance, they create bottlenecks and constant pressure.

For example, they may ask for updates multiple times a day, frequently rewrite your work without explanation or input, or require approval before you take even small next steps to complete a task.

1. They Create Confusion and Unclear Priorities
   Toxic bosses often create unnecessary confusion that makes work harder than it needs to be. They may give vague instructions, contradict themselves, share incomplete information, or make everything feel urgent. As a result, you may spend more time interpreting expectations than doing the actual work.

For example, they may assign a project with little context, disappear when you ask questions, then criticize the final result. Or, they may say, “This needs to be done ASAP,” without explaining what should move down the priority list.

1. They Consistently Make You Feel Undervalued
   A toxic boss may rarely acknowledge your contributions, dismiss your ideas, or focus only on what went wrong. Everyone needs constructive feedback, but constant criticism or lack of recognition can make you feel invisible, replaceable, or like nothing you do is enough.

For example, your boss might ignore strong results but immediately call out small mistakes. They may respond to a completed project with, “This is what I expected anyway,” or give new opportunities to others while offering you little guidance or recognition.

6 Tips for Dealing With a Toxic Boss Without Quitting
You can deal with a toxic boss without quitting by protecting your work, setting clearer boundaries, documenting harmful behavior, and seeking support before making any major career decision.

It’s not in your job description to “fix” your boss. In a toxic situation, the best thing you can do is reduce the impact their behavior has on your performance, confidence, and career overall.

1. Clarify Expectations in Writing
   When a boss is inconsistent, vague, or quick to blame others, written expectations can help protect you. After meetings or verbal conversations, send a brief follow-up confirming priorities, deadlines, and next steps.

For example, you might write: “To confirm, I’ll prioritize the client report first and send a draft by Thursday. I’ll move the internal recap to next week unless priorities change.” Doing so creates a record and gives your boss a chance to correct misunderstandings before they become bigger problems.

1. Document Problematic Behavior
   If your boss’s behavior is repeated or harmful, start keeping a private record. Include dates, what happened, who was present, and any related emails, messages, or project details. Focus on facts rather than emotions.

Instead of writing, “My boss was awful in the meeting,” note what was said and how it affected the work: “During the Monday team meeting, my manager said, ‘I don’t know why this is so hard for you,’ in front of five coworkers after I asked for clarification on the deadline.”

Documentation can help you spot patterns, prepare for HR conversations, or make a stronger case if the situation escalates.

1. Set Boundaries Where You Can
   A toxic boss may push boundaries around time, workload, communication, or availability. You may not be able to control how they act, but you can be clear about what’s realistic and what trade-offs their requests require.

In practice, setting boundaries often means naming your capacity, asking for priorities, and putting decisions back in business terms.

For example, if your boss assigns a new urgent task when your workload is already full, you might say: “I can take this on, but I’ll need to move the reporting deck to tomorrow. Which should I prioritize?”

1. Stay Professional and Avoid Matching Their Behavior
   When your boss is rude, dismissive, or manipulative, it’s tempting to respond emotionally. But staying professional protects your credibility, especially if other leaders, HR, or coworkers become involved later.

Keep your communication calm, specific, and work-focused. Avoid venting in company channels, sending angry emails, or making accusations you can’t support. You can be firm without escalating the situation.

1. Build Support Outside Your Boss
   A toxic boss can make you feel isolated, so it’s important to connect with trusted people who can offer perspective without escalating the situation unnecessarily.

Build support: Maintain relationships with trusted coworkers, career mentors, former managers, or other leaders who can help you reality-check the situation. If colleagues are experiencing similar behavior, keep those conversations professional, focused on facts, and away from gossip.

Use employee resources: If your company offers an employee assistance program (EAP), consider using it for confidential counseling or support. If the behavior involves harassment, discrimination, retaliation, or illegal activity, you may also want to seek legal guidance to better understand your rights.

Contact HR: When you’re ready to take a formal step, bring the issue to HR. Before requesting a meeting, make sure your documentation includes specific examples, dates, the impact on your work, and any steps you’ve already taken to address the issue.

1. Protect Your Career
   Even if you’re not ready to quit, start preparing for the possibility. Update your resume, save examples of your work where appropriate, refresh your LinkedIn profile, and quietly explore roles that may be a better fit.

Having options can make the situation feel less overwhelming. You may decide to stay, transfer teams, or look for a new job, but you’ll be making that choice from a stronger position.

When Is It Time to Quit Because of a Toxic Boss?

It may be time to quit because of a toxic boss when the situation is damaging your health, limiting your career growth, or continuing despite your efforts to address it.

You don’t always need to leave a challenging work situation, but some environments become too harmful or unstable to manage long-term.

You should consider walking away from a toxic workplace when:

Your health is being affected: If work stress is causing anxiety, sleep issues, physical symptoms, or constant dread, the job may be costing more than it’s worth.
The behavior is getting worse: If your boss becomes more aggressive, critical, unpredictable, or retaliatory after you speak up, staying may put your job or reputation at greater risk.

You’ve tried reasonable solutions: If setting boundaries, clarifying expectations, documenting issues, or talking to HR hasn’t helped, the situation may not improve.
The toxicity goes beyond your boss: If toxic behavior is tolerated or encouraged by other leadership, leaving may be your best long-term option.

5 Ways to Avoid a Toxic Boss in Your Next Job

You can avoid a toxic boss by watching for warning signs throughout the job search, from the job ad to the final offer.

While you can’t predict every workplace issue before accepting a role, you can look closely at how the company communicates, how the hiring manager describes their leadership style, and whether the role’s expectations seem clear, fair, and sustainable.

Scrutinize job ads. Watch for vague responsibilities or phrases like “high-pressure,” “thick-skinned,” or “fast-paced environment,” which may point to stress, disorganization, or unrealistic expectations.

Watch for red flags in recruitment communication. Long delays, rushed timelines, unclear instructions, or pressure to accept quickly can signal a poorly managed workplace.

Assess the interview experience. Pay attention to how your potential boss communicates. A good boss should be able to describe expectations clearly, answer questions directly, and show active listening. If they seem dismissive, negative, evasive, or focused only on what they expect from you, that may be a warning sign.
Evaluate the job offer. Review the offer for unclear terms, unusually restrictive conditions, limited support for work-life balance, or signs that the company is trying to rush your decision.

Talk to your network. Before accepting, ask current or former employees what the company culture and management style are really like, especially if they’ve worked with your potential boss.

I keep seeing coworkers bail for jobs that pay way less. Nobody even tries to match their old salary anymore because things have become that miserable here. That's how low we have fallen.

Biggest bully manager at DSG?!!!
...and gets away with it...bc we all know the rules do not apply to everyone here like they want folks to think.

After about 15 years of experience in GN&T my sincere advice is to move on and leave the toxicity behind! Don’t waste your time analyzing the future of the company, the impact of Dan’s decisions, the impact of AI, or whatever. Who cares? It’s a toxic environment and you need to get out.

At first, I thought I had drawn the short straw and got an incompetent and unethical boss who did his utmost to promote his rather incompetent favorites while holding back much more capable engineers but as time went on and positions got reshuffled, I realized it was a widespread and systemic issue.

All my bosses were fundamentally clueless about how to really improve network KPIs and relied on vibes. The company spent a lot of money on the network which masked the incompetence to a large extent.

Some people did well and got promoted to Principal or Distinguished engineer but paradoxically their work resulted in little or no concrete improvements. The promotions were also based on vibes.

You deserve bosses that know what they’re doing, treat you fairly and value your contributions! So do yourself a favor, move on as soon as possible and don’t look back.

Shoud be Enrique Lores followed by the incredibly incompetent BOD’s. Instead of terminating the employees someone needs to clean house on the horrible SLT.

Infosys is the absolute worst. None of the promises have come to be. They have no idea of what they are doing unless the goal is to destroy the business by running off customers due to their terrible performance. They are extremely difficult to communicate with and they lack basic critical thinking skills. Finally they are lazy and lack any sense of urgency. I wish I would have received a severance package because this nee reality is agonizing.

It always amazes me how cr-ppy I fiserv treats their clients. Bad pricing, strong arming negotiations because they are fortune 500 company and it’s hard deconvert , and allowing people with little regard to how they impact that client and even the economy, the slightest increase are passed down to its card holders, but sometimes the increase that Fiserv gives are really high and then question why people make drastic decisions to choose other vendors leave like if they’re the only ones that offer this service… maybe yes it’s hard to leave but once they get to leave, they are leaving. Like stop putting your profits over clients - stop putting your profits over employees and maybe and just maybe your stock will make it over $70. Should be ashamed of themselves. This is what happens when you merge with a sh-t company, place the same sh-t company leaders in high positions after the merger and wonder why it’s going to sh-t. Change your leadership.. change your culture.

How does everyone feel about their manager at Cisco? I have never had worse. The engagement pulse, the 1:1 meetings are so fake. The lack of even trying to help with a question is staggering. On the recorded team meetings you hear from managemnt “if you need help with anything, reach out”, but when you reach out you get sent to someone else or you just get a “no, not possible”. There is noone else to go to, because everyone is on the same page.

On Glassdoor, when you go to reviews, the entire first page of latest ones are negative. Good. People are waking up to what this place really is and warning others about it.

Make sure you do some research on the team before making a switch. I’ve heard of teams with ongoing management concerns, including one where the manager has been out on maternity leave for extended periods almost every year for the last 3-4 years and then returned to take credit for the team’s work. There’s also another team where employees were reassigned primarily so they could be given poor performance reviews and eventually laid off. You definitely want to avoid ending up in an environment like that.

I have worked for some difficult people over the years, but the two worst managers I ever had were both at Chevron. I am still dealing with the anxiety and stress that came from working under them, and I am not sure I will ever fully recover from those years. My current manager is okay, but I'm scared she'll leave and then who knows what I'll get stuck with again.

He’s exactly the kind of person others have described. He posts our personal information on on Gemini, exaggerates his knowledge of tech and telecom, and then dismisses or talks down to people who actually know what they’re doing. He’s a sc-mmy person, and unfortunately more managers like him keep getting hired. If layoffs happen, people in positions like his should be first on the list. The CSSC needs a drastic change.

No raises and no promotions for years, so now I do the bare minimum and they get exactly what they pay for.

It's either personal, or they're trying to push me to quit. Either way, it's become unbearable. I've only been here a year and a half, and I don't really understand the dynamics yet. I'd like to move to another team. Who should I talk to? Just to explore my options, if there are any.

I have put up with being underpaid and overworked for years because I am used to it. But my new manager has crossed a line. I refuse to be yelled at and bullied every single day by someone who only got his job because he knows how to flatter the right people. I am too old for this nonsense. I don't have anything lined up, but I'm going to give my notice next time he gets into my face.

Headcount keeps dropping but the work never does, so you just keep piling more on your plate. Meanwhile, your manager couldn't do your job if their life depended on it, so good luck getting any real support. It is exhausting and completely unsustainable. This is a nightmare and I'm sick of living it.

I came from a very tough regional bank, but being at BNY right now is way harder than that ever was. The team is extremely unorganized, there is no proper development process, and there was absolutely zero onboarding training. The culture is mostly toxic, my manager seems mentally unstable, and people are constantly backstabbing each other. It is an absolutely horrendous experience.

My manager told me in front of my entire team that if I am so unhappy here, he has a replacement ready and I am free to leave. I was so stunned that I just said okay cool and went back to my desk. How out of line was that?

I would rather just stay understaffed than keep watching new people come in, fail to learn a single thing, and leave after a few months. Every time I end up explaining the exact same things over and over, doing their work and mine, and then starting all over again when they quit.

Pay attention to these Middle Managers causing alot of these issues.....This is conservatively 30% of Fiserv issue. These manager don't even want to manage. It is for money or sponsorship. How is this fair to the reporting worker. I really no longer care but for the recent college graduates adapt and get creative. It will only get worse. Fiserv has some really really really really really really bad managers and they lie. The bad out weighs the good use to be the other way around.

I was actively looking for a new job, both within and outside of Verizon. My direct manager knew I was searching and even gave me permission to use him as a reference. After a few months of applying and hearing nothing back, I assumed it was just the job market.

Then, after about four months, I finally landed a position where I could actually use my degree, which had me genuinely excited. When I told my manager at Verizon, he seemed noticeably unhappy. At the time, I figured he was just coming to terms with me leaving.

About a month into the new role, my new manager told me I was nothing like the way my former manager at Verizon had described me.

“This n***a work hard but he ya typical white boy from the south”.

I’m from Brooklyn, the furthest south I’ve gone is Jersey, not counting Disney World, and I’m Puerto Rican. My old manager was sabotaging me the whole time.

Working at Verizon was an overall great experience, and it’s something I genuinely miss. That said, the company really needs to take a harder look at the people they place in management positions. The work environment itself was strong, but poor leadership can completely undermine that if the wrong people are put in charge.

I’m pretty sure my boss is a re--rd and lacks the judgment and skill set for the role. He has a very childlike mindset and doesn’t seem to understand that putting people’s personal information into AI is a serious violation of trust. I go into work with the best intentions, but my direct manager consistently makes the experience frustrating and unprofessional. Basic decision-making, communication, and common sense seem to be a struggle for him, and it’s hard to see what qualifications or actual expertise got him into the position in the first place. It honestly feels like the rest of the team is constantly compensating for his lack of competence instead of being led by someone capable.

CSSC New York

This is crazy.

Your manager doesn't matter at all. They don't do anything regarding whether you remain employed or not, they learn of you getting fired about an hour before they let you know...they are useless so don't worry about pleasing your management.

DXC was designed from the start to be a financial instrument used to extract value. It explains all the shoddy treatment of staff and the cycling of poor mgmt. They appear to not have a clue because they don't, they'll spin you a line to keep you working, but the Leaders are working towards their bonuses and golden parachutes. They have all done it as each new cohort of leadership has come along. This is a long term plan to extract maximum value and then sell it on to another financial instrument such as Apollo, where the process will begin again. I'm sorry if you work at DXC, but don't expect anything from them and you won't be disappointed.

Two talented people are gone from the team, but the clueless, passive-aggressive manager survived. Lucky us.

I just started my career at Nike and I think I made a huge mistake joining. My manager is impossible. Every week he either ki-ls our ideas, adds random nonsense to our projects, or just criticizes for no reason depending on his mood. He doesn't understand the technical work but tells us how to do it anyway. Then later he asks why we did it that way. He interrupts everyone constantly and yells at least three days a week. I'm so tired. Is this the norm when it comes to managers here?

How much worse can it get than the situation I'm in now? Constantly worrying about cuts, dealing with an abusive manager who thinks fear is a legitimate managing tool, and being significantly underpaid compared to market. If I'm laid off, I'll be jobless but my future will look more promising than the one I see if I stay here.

I used to believe that if I worked hard and stayed loyal, my manager would protect me. Then I got put on a PIP after my manager promised me I was safe. They don't have your back. They have their own back. Never forget that.

I'll start. Mine took credit for a project I led, got a bonus for it, and then blamed me when something went wrong six months later. I hate that man.

Looks good on the outside but at its core, just rotten. Very polished, good story. When you look under the hood it’s a vile, rotten place filled with rotten SVPs and executives who all have sh!t in their pants.

They need to be able to make great slides to hide their incompetency so they hire consultants. They’re greed, self centered people who would stab you in the back in a second without thinking about it. They’re incompetent, immature, a$$ kissing, vile human beings who are nothing but greedy.

Get out of Dell if you can because there is absolutely nothing behind that stock price and it’s going to drop like a rock.

The worst of the worst types of people are at Dell and it’s not going to get better.

There was a manager in my group who was about to get fired because of how toxic she was. But then had a minor injury and just kept playing up for almost a full year.

If she is let go, that would be the best kind of karma.

vp bolted so directors are now trying to level up themselves by punching down on the lower level members on the team. it’s actually stunning how far you can go by giving all your work to your juniors with zero direction and then publicly dressing them down when it’s not up to your (see: dipsh-t) standards. so much for being an industry veteran when someone with no experience can tell you how it is. the job hunt continues!

Have to be two of the worst AI tools I have ever used

No wonder these pieces of cr-p are the ones fiserv mandates

I retired from exxon making 220k at 55. I could not stand it anymore. I said I would never work for this dysfunctional s heet show again. Well they offered me a contractor position through an agency. My pay was only half at 120k per year. They told me I would not have to deal with all the BS forms, moc, procurement, and training cr-p. I got put under a young female supervisor and she immediately started lecturing me about performance and expectations. I was simply there to help with engineering designs and reviews. This supervisor knew nothing of engineering and only knew exxon bruacracy. I was asked to perform some saftey tasks and lab inspections. I told my overlord it was not part of my duties and I was to do engineering work. She told me I was being insubordinate and she would delegate my tasks. It was all downhill from there. Since I was familiar with gmocs I was instructed to initiate several because the new engineers did know how to complete them. The supervisor was getting very angry at me complaining that I was taking too long on tasks. I quit 3 months into my failed return to exxon. The supervisor was pi---d and told me that I would never work at exxon again and I was on the black list for hiring. I told her to stick the job up her ar-e and I never wanted to work at exxon in my life. The contract company was pi---d as well and told me I could not work for them again. I do not want to work anymore. My treatment was the worst by this individual. I wanted to punch the s heet out of her. The power went to her head and she treated me like a child. I knew it was a mistake but I was bored and thought I could do work that I liked. This is just my story and hope it helps others not make the same mistake. I might just volunteer some where to stay busy.

Like we said on our last post, you fed us sh-t again! This is the 2nd bad choice who was made our lead and forced on us in a row.

I always love how the day starts out great. But then my boss gets into her email and starts firing away all sorts of directives and asks. I probably have a few more hours before this nonsense starts. Often wanting a response “ASAP”. Almost all isn’t urgent yet treated that way.

I’m on the clock at all times Monday thru Friday and basically get a Saturday off. This isn’t sustainable.

Anybody else’s boss “lead” in this glorious 2010 fashion? At least we sponsored the NBA Dunk contest, right “see you on the commute guy?? That changes everything.

So mismanagement loses the Marriott account and immediately out come the travel cuts! I don't think we will T&E our way out of this poorly run company! Does stopping manager travel and meetings, training events, back filling roles send the right message? How about stripping Senior Leaders bonuses? Those bloated million dollars payouts for poor performance? And if you say we will lose them so be it there has not been a strategic decision made in over 5 years! Funny how we blow smoke up everyone's butts on Town Halls but behind the scenes we do this cr-p!