Bad bosses aren’t just a workplace nuisance. A leader’s manipulative, passive-aggressive, credit-taking, and overly critical behavior can lead to workplace bullying, job dissatisfaction, psychological distress, and depression among employees according to a set of recent studies by the University of Manchester of more than 1,200 people. If you’re struggling with the effects of your boss’s toxic personality, you aren’t alone. According to Mental Health America’s examination of over 17,000 employees across 19 industries, 64% of employees don’t feel their boss provides them adequate support, and another survey found that 44% of employees have left a job because of a bad boss.
Dealing with a passive-aggressive manager is tough. But your boss’s limitations shouldn’t completely dictate the degree to which you are able to contribute and thrive in your job. Pay attention to the patterns in your manager’s comportment and try to anticipate when the person will act out. Rather than feeling blindsided, limit your boss’s ability to make passive-aggressive choices at critical moments by setting parameters and clarifying expectations in advance of those moments. When your boss employs passive-aggressive behavior, don’t be tempted to act in kind. Reciprocating only reinforces your manager’s behavior by legitimizing it. And you don’t want to behave in a way that contradicts your own values. You also want to avoid assertively confronting your boss. It’s best to give your boss the benefit of the doubt. They may not know that they’re behaving inappropriately. It may feel unjust that you have to manage the immature behavior of the person who earns more money than you and has undue influence over your future. And on some level, it is. But you have to decide if your job and your company hold benefits for your career that outweigh the costs of managing a passive-aggressive manager.