Stop Making Bad Bosses Acceptable

Employers can be narcissists too.

Do you remember in the “Christmas Carol” story by Charles Dickens, when Bob Cratchit asked for more coal in the stove for heat in his office. Do you remember how Scrooge responded with disdain?

Those bosses still exist.

Remember hearing stories of the employers during the industrial revolution, and in thousands of sweat shops around the world, who are free to abuse workers? Free to use every trick to keep them down?

Those employers exist today.

We have laws in place that protect workers. But, still we allow things that should not be allowed. The labor laws do not do enough.

We need to stop normalizing and accepting bad bosses. The idea that “Everybody has had bad bosses” should not be used as a means of brushing off abuse or bullying.

Bad bosses should be shamed. If not actually ruined, like they ruin employees.

If an employee cannot speak to customers or bosses with attitude or disdain, then the same should apply for bosses. It’s human decency. But we allow this behavior in bosses. They are given free rein to run employees down.

In my own life, I have worked for employers who think that they have the right to speak down to workers. But, if you respond in kind, you are wrong and they will fire you. I’ve seen bosses drive people to quit or to do things to get fired or hurt themselves.

It has been shown that the authoritarian method of management does not work, and is dying out. But, you still have these old guys hanging around. Many of which were in the military, and their only example on how managers should behave comes from their drill sergeant.

Employers have the power to fire people at will in many places. This means they can destroy a worker and their family for very little reason.

They can destroy a workers life for saying the wrong thing. For having the wrong attitude. For doing something wrong off the clock. For accusations made by people without proof. All of which have nothing to do with the job itself.

An employer should be required to show that the employee had caused actual harm to the business. An employee should have more ways to correct abuses by employers and management.

They say, “Nobody wants to work anymore.”

No they don’t want to be treated like a slave and exploited.

Labor laws need to be expanded and changes made to solve this problem.

We see it everyday in the news. Someone fired for little or no reason.

We see it in our TV shows, where a tough guy boss fires people for no reason. And we are brainwashed into thinking it’s perfectly acceptable. We do not consider the families destroyed by this employer.

When a person goes to work for someone it’s often a moment of hope for entire families. Things are moving up. Life is getting better. Dad or mom has a job now. We can pay rent and have Christmas. We can stop buying clothes at the Goodwill.

Then, mom or dad gets fired for very little reason, or based upon lies. Putting the worker back out into poverty. It is shameful. It harms our country.

We all know it.

We need to stop pretending it’s acceptable.

(You know, as I wrote this it was in the back of my mind that it would probably impact my future employment efforts. That fear, is the fear we need to destroy. That a person can destroy your life or keep you down because you speak truth. It needs to stop.)

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Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger.

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