If you’ve ever had an awful manager at work, you may have spent some time during your shifts daydreaming about them quitting or being fired. If only they left, suddenly your work life would be all sunshine and rainbows!

But instead of waiting patiently for someone else to take action against his manager from hell, one man decided to take matters into his own hands. Below, you’ll find a story that was recently shared on the Petty Revenge subreddit detailing how this employee got the ball rolling in his former manager’s departure from the company. And keep reading to also find conversations with the story’s OP and Ronald E. Riggio, PhD.

This man’s manager made a habit of disrespecting and taking advantage of her entire staff

Image credits: maksymiv (not the actual photo)

So he decided it was time for her to be held accountable for her actions

Image credits: Phil Wiffen (not the actual photo)

Image credits: voronaman111 (not the actual photo)

Later, the employee added even more details about his former manager

Image credits: u/PneumaNOMAC2112

The vast majority of workers have experience with poor management

Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)

According to a 2022 survey, 84% of workers say they’ve had a bad boss before, and 43% report that they’ve even left a company due to poor leadership. In fact, an awful manager can be the sole reason someone decides to quit, as 59% of workers said they would have stayed at a job they left if they had been given the opportunity to work under someone else. 65% of these employees even say that they would take a new boss over a pay raise if given the chance. But sadly, over half of these dissatisfied workers never report their bad boss’ behavior to upper management, so the problems often go unaddressed.

To learn more about this story in particular, we reached out to Reddit user PneumaNOMAC2112, who was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda. “I want people to know how bad some manager can get and, like me, should not just allow them to walk all over good workers,” the OP says.

“I worked for this manager off and on for around 5 years. If she hadn’t quit, I was going to start looking for another job,” PneumaNOMAC2112 shared. He also noted that, thankfully, he’s in “a much better, stress-free [work] environment with great managers” now. “This all took place in a long term care setting, and this manager was a Registered Nurse who worked in the field for (claims) 40+ years. Last I heard, she was working with the government regarding funding to health care sites.”

“No one can retaliate on you for reporting them, even a manager”

When it comes to why managers act like this, the OP supposes that “they allow the ‘power’ and ‘position’ of ‘manager’ go to their head. I have worked under a manager who started out as a team leader to me, and was amazing. She was a union steward too and was the best team leader to work under.”

“She became a manager and almost became Darth Vader,” the OP added with a laugh. “Hated, rude, awful, risked the safety of the staff, was not understanding. I think the manager I was referring to in my post was aware of all she was doing because I don’t think anyone in their right mind would act the way she did. She would even throw out homemade Christmas baking staff received from family members (this was in a long term care setting). I ended up telling her I would be telling the families about what she was doing, so she stopped. I think if I didn’t say anything, that behavior would have gotten worse. She made staff cry and did not care at all. Told people to quit if they weren’t happy.”

And if anyone else out there is in a similar, toxic work environment, PneumaNOMAC2112 says not to fear retaliation. “No one can retaliate on you for reporting them, even a manager,” he told Bored Panda. “Report a bad manager because it will save you a heap of problems down the line. Your mental health is important too!”

Companies aren’t always willing to invest in properly training managers, and toxic behaviors often go unaddressed

Image credits: Alexander Suhorucov (not the actual photo)

To gain more insight on this topic, we reached out to Ronald E. Riggio, PhD, who was kind enough to answer some of our questions. Professor Riggio is the Henry R. Kravis Professor of Leadership and Organizational Psychology and former Director of the Kravis Leadership Institute at Claremont McKenna College. He is the author of over 150 books, book chapters, and research articles in the areas of leadership, assessment centers, organizational psychology and social psychology.

When it comes to why there are so many bad bosses and managers, Professor Riggio says, “Many managers have poor ideas about what constitutes good and effective leadership. They likely believe that leadership is all about power and control and that a manager/leader simply needs to give orders and subordinates follow them. Good leadership is about ‘partnering’ with followers to focus on shared goals, and to mutual benefit.” He also noted that many managers are poorly trained in effective management. “They rose to the top based on seniority or some performance success, but it takes good interpersonal skills and knowledge of leadership to be a good leader,” Professor Riggio added.

As far as what employees should do when they’re being treated poorly by their managers, Professor Riggio says the first step should always be going to Human Resources. “Unfortunately, that doesn’t always help, as some HR departments are more about protecting the organization than protecting the workers,” he noted. “Standing up to your boss, and calling him/her out might work, but it takes courage to do this, and there is a risk of making things worse or getting fired.” In fact, it’s estimated that 60% of workplace misconduct goes unreported due to fear of repercussions, embarrassment, and worries about how the situation will be perceived.

Calling out toxic managers can be difficult, but it’s important for employees to speak up

Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)

But if we want changes to occur, we have to speak out against all unfair treatment at work, even if it’s not technically illegal. Throwing personal belongings in the trash makes employees feel unsafe and unvalued and can lead to additional stress in their lives. “No one should have to deal with abusive treatment,” Professor Riggio says. “So if you are in that situation, you should always be on the lookout for a better job in a better environment.”

The leadership expert also shined a light on why it’s so important for bosses to treat their employees well. “Managers should realize that it is the employees/followers who get things done,” he told Bored Panda. “If you have a motivated, satisfied workforce, a group of dedicated individuals who share the values and goals of the organization, they are going to work hard to accomplish goals — working hand-in-hand with leadership. Of course, that means treating them well, being concerned about their needs and their well-being. A truly great leader develops followers so that they too can one day become leaders.” If you’d like to hear more words of wisdom from Professor Ronald E. Riggio, be sure to visit his Psychology Today profile right here.

We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. Then, if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda article discussing toxic bosses, we recommend reading this one next!  

Readers applauded the man for his petty revenge and called out the manager for her behavior

Bored Panda has reached out to the employee who shared this story and will update the article when we receive a comment.

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