#badmanager

I really cannot stand to be here any longer. I’ve been applying for other places and hoping to get something good because being here is terrible

With all the restructurings, layoffs, people leaving on their own, we've lost all the knowledgeable managers who cared about both their people and the company (and yes, it's possible). The ones we have left should be shown the door immediately and 3M should try really hard to bring some of those we lost back if this place is to improve in any way.

Our store manager has her favorite minions
Calling them “sweetie”, “baby” “honey” and talking to them like they are her own children——-weird

Store H.R. literally drinks coffee all day, every day. And gossips with her clique.
When someone who is not in the clique walks near them, it suddenly gets quiet.

Support team is a clique. Same thing when you get closer to them in the hallway or office it suddenly gets quiet

Store manager MAYBE working 35 hours a week, and usually closer to 33, 9-4 Monday to Friday, lots of PTO and time off.

HR works 7-2, or 8-3, and never works Saturday or Sunday. Never.Gives little to no information or help, never correctes missing punch, delayed in responding to schedule changes or issues

How do you navigate working for a leader who consistently deflects responsibility when things go wrong, portrays themselves as the person holding the organization together, and repeatedly singles out one or two employees for criticism until they eventually they leave or get fired as a cause of this set up. Abusive or demeaning language in private but present themselves as professional in public. How do I protect myself from this gaslighting? Very shameful.

Can someone teach me how to be a yes-man and boost the egos of unskilled, manipulative managers? Apparently, that's the skill needed by TPD Associate Director. Please for once can they let go Boston AD …

Unfortunately, I'm not good at that, so they'll probably let me go.

Does anybody else feel like the only task their managers have is to make our lives miserable? Never helping us but always there to add an unnecessary comment and complicate simple things. I honestly believe T would be a better place without the lot of them.

If you want to see bad management, look at how layoffs are being handled. One day would have been enough, but they've dragged it out for the whole week, which to some of us feels like forever. For days we wake up stressed wondering if today is the day. Why's that necessary? Outside of just being cruel for the sake of being cruel.

I need to leave, and I need to leave now. I can't do this anymore. Every day I have to listen to people who don't know my job tell me how to do it and give me terrible advice while they're at it. They make me to do things wrong despite my protests and when it fails, I'm the one who takes the blame. I'm so done with this sh-t.

Can you name a single company with a more embarrassing CEO? Just one?

I know it sounds odd considering the state of the job market, but I keep hoping I'll be on the layoff list. I'm too chickenshit to quit, so having them make the decision for me would be perfect. I was excited when we were spun-off, imagining great things, but I was brought back to reality fast. Now all I want is to be out of here.

Got laid off in November. My supervisor set up a calendar invite at 5am, with no title or agenda. No secret what was coming. She told me at 8am that I was being laid off, etc etc. But, the highlight of the entire 5 minute meeting was at the end when she said to me, "Have a nice day".

She could not lead a bunch of people to McDonalds. Even if she had gift certificates.

Coming to Centene was the worst decision I've ever made. I was thrilled when they offered me the position. Now I wish I'd never taken it.

Let me list what's wrong here. Incompetent leadership. No honesty from the top. Managers who promise one thing and deliver another. A terrible culture. Fear driven by constant cuts. And the only people who get ahead are the ones who know someone. Am I forgetting anything?

I thought the re-org was supposed to eliminate the chapter model. Why am I still reporting to a do-nothing, useless people manager?

https://newsroom.intel.com/corporate/ceo-letter-2025-26-intel-corporate-responsibility-report

As always, Intel CEO (or Mr. Ronery) is just full of word-salads, nothing in this letter mentions anything actionable nor shows any results of actions taken in the last 1+ year of his leadership. Just a lot of marketing talk and tries to show a tough stance on whatever "Corporate responsibility" is at Intel.

This guy is a clown along with the clowns he has hired from other companies (qualcomm and co). I'm glad i left this Circus when i had the chance, Intel is a sinking ship and will continue to lose leadership in the long run. Hopefully Intel goes bankrupt and we can put this horrible legacy to bed. Intel no longer leads and the world no longer needs Intel, the Industry has shown it does not need Intel anymore.

The world is better off without Intel.

You did it!!! You managed to find someone in Skip who’s d-mber and even less competent than you are. Bet that feels good

Fu-k this shiithole company and its shiithole leadership bunch of greedy, incompetent, a--holes!! Dell is the worst company in the industry for employees. Do the bare minimum, nothing more. They do not care about the employees at all!

My boss made every single day miserable. I'd take the income hit over dealing with his leadership any day.

This is a post regarding a specific je-k I have to see every damn day I go into the office.

I see this scrum master who literally says he took the role just to do nothing all day. He laughs at me since I’m a software engineer, saying stuff like “haha I make more money than you to do less work”. Has a snarky attitude. Just walks in like he owns the place. This is someone who made a reputation for himself for being a lazy person. People on his own team call him a slacker often. He’d literally put his feet up on the desk he’d sit at.

I can’t say too much because he belittles me in front of other people, so I can’t say too much without giving away who this is. But I doubt anyone knows this. Every day when he’s at cafeteria, he order a T bone steak, and walks back to his desk with a styrofoam tray that has the said T bone steak. I used to be able to walk away from my laptop when my workload wasn’t too much. Once every 2 or 3 months for that time period that my work was easier, I’d come back to my desk, and guess what I’d see on my desk? An eaten out of styrofoam tray, with a gnawed on bone of a T bone steak inside of it.

He doesn’t do it anymore so I don’t think I can report it to anyone. I thought about reporting every time he did that or taking pictures for evidence. But I was always afraid of “snitching” or being seen as a problem for reporting the bullying. So, I just dealt with it. I don’t leave my desk at Fidelity (due to workload). I don’t want him to speak with me but he acts like everything is ok and he’s the best thing to ever grace this company. I’m one of the only people that are fine with myself coming into an office for RTO, but he made it so insufferable.

He’s a scrumbag. Why can’t he just get laid off? I thought he was surely gonna be gone but he’s still here. He’s a damn cockroach. Better yet, why can’t I get laid off so I can be free and find another job while getting severance pay? Why can’t we just see him lose the job where he does literally nothing all day, or get demoted to a role where he makes even less money, and realizes he’s sc--wed himself.

I know we have many people who are lazy at Fidelity, prior to the sheer burnout from RTO. But how many people here are THAT level of crude? Smh.

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.