You’ve just landed yourself that new part time job and you were raring to go. However, you soon realise that not everything is going to plan – that’s because you are finding your boss is really annoying!
Well, the good news is, you are not alone. Many people apply for jobs at great companies and go to work there, only to leave a short time later and begin a new role. They didn’t move onto a new job because they wanted a bigger wage to take home. They moved on because they found themselves in the same predicament as you. They grew tired of the ineffective leadership.
Jumping ship and finding a new part time job can be a big decision because it will be like starting all over again. And what about if you really love the part time job you are doing? Why should you have to move on just because your boss is annoying?
If you do want to stay in your part time job, or you are looking for some tips for dealing with potential future annoying bosses, the good news is, there are some strategies you can use to make your time in the workplace a happier time.
What Is An Annoying Boss?
First of all, let’s take a look at what makes an annoying boss. There are various ways in which your boss could be annoying you. Some might simply be to do with a personality clash whilst others can be more serious.
Your boss could be annoying you or upsetting you in any of the following ways:
- Bullying
- Racist comments
- Sexist comments and other discriminatory language
These are more serious problems which could lead to formal complaints in the future. Other traits in your boss which might not be so serious but are very annoying are:
- Micromanaging – you feel your boss watches everything you do when it comes to your job.
- Laziness – perhaps your boss is rarely in the workplace and when they are there, they seem to get away with doing the absolute minimum
- Incompetence – you often find yourself wondering how on earth your boss got to where they are in the workplace. Do they really have any idea what they are doing?
- Gives too much workload – your boss overloads you with projects and moves the goal posts on a whim.
- Your boss thinking you have no life outside of work – hey, there is a reason you work part time. Extra hours are okay sometimes, but not all the time.
- Favouritism – and that favourite isn’t you. It’s always someone else who seems to get the best projects and subsequent rewards.
- Glory hunting – that boss who takes credit for your and your colleagues’ ideas and work.
The thing to keep in mind is, some annoying bosses are annoying because they are nasty people. They know full well they are asking too much of you or stealing your thunder by claiming your ideas as their own, for example.
But, for other bosses, they might be completely unaware of their annoying traits. They’re good people…but they just happen to annoy you in their management style.
Whichever type of annoying boss you have in your part time job, there are things you can do to manage that annoyance in the workplace. Let’s take a look at some tips for dealing with an annoying boss in your part time job.
Make your boss be nice to you
For some reason, you feel like your boss just isn’t very nice to you. What you can do in this situation is to create circumstances where they have to be nice to you.
Spend a bit of time getting to know them by watching them in the workplace occasionally. Get to know them by seeing what they say to colleagues and how they react when your colleagues are speaking to them. What is that makes your boss tick? What is it that they value? Their values might not be the same as yours so you need to be aware of their values and try to relate to them.
Once you think you have an idea of your boss’s motivations and values, you can change the tack of your conversations with your boss and mention topics you think they might like. This might encourage your boss to be nicer to you in the workplace and therefore make your shifts less stressful.
Does your boss know you?
Why is it that your boss feels the need to give you a project to complete and then they come along and micromanage every little part of it. You have the experience to do your job and you don’t need to be told how to do it.
If your boss is micromanaging you, think about why they might be doing it. Yes, they might be that type of annoying boss who thinks they always know best. But they could also be micromanaging you because they don’t really know you and what your previous experience or training is. If you are working part time or temporary hours, they might not know you as well as some of the other staff.
In this situation, you can keep calm and keep ahead of the game. If you know your boss is going to ask you for something to be left on their desk, for example, make sure it’s there before they need to ask for it. If you keep doing this, they will soon realise you know what you are doing and won’t need to ask for things.
In conversations with your boss, you could also drop in comments about your previous experience or training so that they are reminded of your capabilities.
Make sure you are doing everything right
If your boss is annoying you because you feel like they don’t respect you or they always seem to be angry, take a step back and look at what you are doing in the workplace. Are you doing everything right?
If your boss gets angry when people are late, for example, make sure you are on time. Of your boss gets angry when people are taking too many breaks or using social media in work time, make sure you are not the person doing this.
And, if you are convinced that you are doing everything to the best of your ability in your part time job, well, maybe you just have an annoying boss. Or maybe it is something else that is annoying you about your boss.
Identify what it is that is annoying about your boss – make a list
So, now is the time to identify what it is that annoys you so much about your boss in your part time job. What is it that they do that irks you so much. Is it an annoying habit they have? Their actions (or lack of) in the workplace?
Make a list of all the things that annoy you about your boss so that you can start to get to the crux of the problem. You might find it is just something you need to ignore and get on with because it’s not worth rocking the boat. It could be something that you could perhaps speak to them about informally. Or, of course, there are those situations that are a lot more serious.
Keep a journal of incidents
If you do feel it is something more serious – sexual harassment, racism, discrimination or out and out bullying then this is the time where you need to keep a journal of incidents and collect whatever evidence you can.
If you can, confide in a trusted colleague to see if they agree with you that you are being singled out and bullied. Or, you might confide in that colleague to see if there are other members of staff who also feel the same about their boss. If you can get evidence and witnesses, then you can decide whether to make a formal complaint.
Be the best person you can be in work
What if your boss is that person who is never around? That might sound like a dream scenario but management is there for guidance and organising projects. If they are never there to speak to, life in the workplace can become unorganised and unproductive.
This is your chance to be proactive in your part time job and be the best person you can be. Don’t be the person sitting around and complaining that your boss is never around. Make relationships with other senior members of staff and make sure they know you are on top of your projects and are ready for further guidance on any ideas you might have.
Being proactive in this way means you could develop your career further as other senior staff recognise your abilities…and also recognise the fact that your boss is away from the workplace so often.
Be organised
Does your boss annoy you because they are messy and disorganised? Is their desk constantly scattered with paperwork that you feel ought to be filed somewhere in a more organised state?
If your boss is disorganised, this is where you need to be organised. If your Make sure you make time to sit with your boss on a weekly or monthly basis to identify what projects need to be completed, what needs to be started and where you are up to with current projects. This is especially important if you are doing job share.
Make sure you keep a record of all that was said so that you are in control of the situation and not hoping your boss doesn’t forget. You can take the lead on projects and keep your boss up to date on developments so that they don’t feel you are undermining them.
Confront your boss
No, this is not the part where you march into the office and start shouting at your boss. If you do find yourself in a situation where you feel you need to confront your boss – perhaps they embarrassed you by calling you out in staff meeting, for example – wait until you have calmed down.
Once you are calm, you can ask your boss if you can speak to them privately and then explain to them calmly how that call out made you feel. Your boss could be a perfectly sensitive human being and might not have realised how they have made you feel. It could make them think twice in the future about how they respond to staff in the presence of others.
Do your best and work for yourself
Sometimes, one of the best strategies you can use for dealing with your annoying boss is to just focus on doing your best and working for your own benefit. If you can manage to rise above what it is that annoys you about your boss, you can continue to do well in your part time job and continue to develop your skills.
If you are able to do this, you could gain a possible promotion or a move to another department and this will get you out of the way of that annoying boss.
Speak up for yourself
Is your boss that person who always seems to manage to take the credit for your achievements and ideas in the workplace? This can be very annoying, especially if you have had success on a big project.
In these cases, you need to speak up for yourself. If you have made relationships with other senior members of staff, keep them in the loop on your projects.They will soon realise that it is you and not your boss who has the ideas.
At appraisal time, you can also stress to your boss all the achievements you have made since your last appraisal and make sure these achievements go down in writing. At least, then, you will have written proof of what you have done.
Don’t let your health or self-esteem be affected
This is your part time job. Whatever your reasons for working part time, you need to be able to go to work and come home at the end of your shift without feeling stressed or having your self-esteem lowered in any way.
There are lots of cases where your boss might just have traits that happen to annoy you and there are strategies above to deal with that. But your instincts will tell you if you if your boss is being annoying in a more serious way such as discrimination or bullying behaviour. When you are working part time, it is not worth a detrimental effect on your health and wellbeing.
Work on an escape plan
And so, eventually, a time might come where you feel you have done all you can to prevent your boss from being so annoying. The only option left to you is to start working on an escape plan.
If possible, don’t let your escape plan be an argument with your boss which results in you walking out of your job. Be discreet and look for other part time positions. Try not to walk into the same trap again. Do your homework and, if possible, speak to other members of staff who are already working for the company you are thinking of applying to. In this way, you might be able to make a more informed decision as to whether the grass is really greener on the other side.
If you do decide to move on, here are some tips for handing in your notice and leaving your job gracefully. This will stand you in good stead for continuing your part time career.
