A survival guide for dealing with a bad boss

As long as there’s been work, there have been people who make it miserable for those underneath them. And the recent spate of job-switching has given rise to some job regret. Desperate for talent, many companies swiftly promoted new, sometimes unproven, managers and at the same time accelerated their hiring processes to snap up prospects before rival employers did, says Cate Luzio, the founder and CEO of professional development organization Luminary.

Saying yes to a job was easy for many recruits while they were being wooed with raises and promotions, she says. Harder was knowing what it would actually be like working for that stranger on the Zoom interview. Nearly three-quarters of adults surveyed this year by The Muse, a job-search and career-coaching company, said they felt surprise or regret after starting a new job.

Ms. Luzio has recently seen workers show up to new gigs only to realize they actually have three bosses, or have managers pull back on promises of remote work. Meanwhile, the boss remains the gatekeeper to everything from choice projects and bonuses to your all-around happiness.

It can get better. Here’s how to survive, change, leave or overthrow your particular type of bad boss, according to those who’ve done it.

The Micromanager

Overbearing bosses can’t bear being unsure of how a project will turn out, and can feel no one else cares as much as they do, says Janet Ahn, a social psychologist and executive at training firm MindGym. This type of boss needs assurance that the work will get done well. Tell them you share their sense of urgency and understand exactly what needs to be done for the task to be considered a success—right down to the font they prefer.

Subtly, you’re communicating, “It’s getting done, you don’t have to watch over me, but I do hear you," Dr. Ahn says.

Then, flood them with information before they even ask for it. Mary Abbajay, president and co-founder of professional-development company Careerstone Group LLC, recommends sharing frequent status updates—even daily lists of priorities you’re focusing on.

“Become their ally," she says. “All they need is information and control, so you just give it to them."

In the moment, it’ll feel awful, she says. But as you build trust, they’ll loosen their grip.

“You gotta find their pain point and cure it," she says of bad bosses.

The Checked-Out Boss

Maybe they’re busy, or burned out, or just very trusting. In any case, it’s not great having a manager who ignores your questions or is missing when an assignment goes awry.

This boss needs you to take the lead. Be tenacious, Ms. Abbajay says. Book a series of meetings on their calendar, more than you think you need, since they might cancel half, she warns. In the invite, lay out your agenda and follow through. Preferably in 15 minutes or less.

“Be succinct, be clear," she says. “And be gone."

Aim to primarily communicate via their favorite medium, whether that’s email, text or in-person. If it’s the latter, keep a running list of all the items where you need their input and carry it around for when you run into them in the office.

Cover yourself, too. If they’ve been MIA while you’re wrapping up a big project, lob over a breezy email noting that it’s due tomorrow at 5 p.m. and you’re attaching a draft, Ms. Abbajay says. Note that if they have any questions they should let you know by 4 p.m.

And branch out. When Dr. Ahn, the social psychologist, was assigned advisers who were aloof and indifferent during her years as a student, she set up coffee dates with other professors and researchers she admired.

“It feels a little vulnerable," she acknowledges. But forming more connections will help ensure your career keeps moving forward even if your boss isn’t advocating for you.

The Toxic Whirlwind

Could you, should you oust your terrible boss? It’s worth a try, says Robert Sutton, a Stanford University professor who’s written books about working for jerks.

“Employees sometimes forget companies don’t want bad bosses," Dr. Sutton says.

Start by documenting misbehavior and its impact. Save emails where the boss is spewing demeaning insults. Keep a diary. Record the date, time and what happened. (For example: The boss’s outburst during a meeting sent a colleague to the bathroom in tears.)

Then rally a posse, Dr. Sutton says. Have your colleagues record diaries, too. He recalls an animal-control officer who first went to her boss’s boss to complain about her verbally abusive manager. Nothing happened. Then she and her colleagues went back with their diaries. Suddenly, the team had a new boss.

The key is to find a person in power, ideally someone who has warm relations with a posse member. It’s risky; your group might not have enough pull to prompt change. Prep your résumé and look out for other opportunities too, Dr. Sutton says, in case the mutiny is unsuccessful. Still, plenty of leaders can be convinced that keeping a bad manager around is doing more harm than good.

“When everybody keeps coming and complaining to the powers that be, that’s when they start believing," he says.

Open the Escape Hatch

Sometimes, it’s just time to go. If your boss seems an anomaly and you like the company, career consultants advise trying an internal switch. Thank your boss for helping you grow, and explain you’d like to expand your skills in another department.

To avoid jumping to another bad boss, inside or outside your company, check on LinkedIn to see whether people have recently left the department you are considering, says Matt Kerr, an executive recruiter in the Chicago area. During interviews, “take notes, take names," he says, and tap your network for unfiltered feedback on your potential future colleagues.

Ask pointed questions in interviews: What happened to the person who was in the role prior? (If you get different answers from different people, that’s a red flag, Mr. Kerr says.) What’s made folks in the department successful, or not? Watch how leaders treat their administrative assistants.

Mr. Kerr recommends trying to stick it out at a job for at least a year to avoid eliciting questions about your résumé. But everyone’s entitled to one career mulligan, he says.

“Life’s too short to work for jerks," he adds.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text