For decades, freelancing has been the bread and butter of man. The trade picked up the pace in 2019 when the world was struck with the horrors of COVID-19. Several people have had to leave their day jobs and look for work virtually. Not just the employees but many successful business chains suffered the consequences of the sudden shift from on-site to off-site office operations.
The example of Uber is worth noting here. Owing to the pandemic, the company had to downsize and lose millions of dollars. As the world adapts to freelancing practices, many employees still find it challenging to settle in a work-from-home environment. For some of the employees, the problem of work-life balance occurs. Such employees are either unable to fit in work in their home's ambiance or do not know how to help a kid with his homework during their working hours.
In other words, many people are finding it hard to manage work and personal lives hand-in-hand. Nonetheless, it would not be wrong to say that most employees do not realize the fact that their progress may be hampered by toxic leadership rather than emotional reasons.
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Even though every employee tries to be a model worker, toxic leadership is the primary reason for an employee's lowered concentration at work. A bird's eye view of the statistics shows that over seventy-five percent (75%) employees are stressed out and feel burdened. These employees cannot perform to their full potential as they do not receive constructive criticism or appreciation. Let us read some of the typical traits of a remote toxic boss:
They are Narcissists:
Being a boss means knowing what to talk about. As a boss, one is responsible for developing the infrastructure of the work environment. Yet, leading by voicing your achievements and stories yourself is a classic example of narcissism.
A boss's work should tell a success story rather than long and tedious speeches. In simple words, if your boss is always busy telling you stories about themselves and their career choices, you are likely to be on a rocky road.
Micromanagement is their Favorite Tool:
Let us say you log in to your work as per the schedule and attend the daily meeting. You are assigned a task that you are an expert in, but your boss is not. The question is, how often does your boss ask you for an update or come with a recommendation regarding the steps you are following to complete that particular job?
If you are busy counting the times you were asked for a report when working on your assigned task, you are being micromanaged. Micromanagement means your boss gets involved in all parts of your job. Several studies suggest that micromanagement is one of the whys and wherefores of hampered progress of an employee.
They are Flawless – According to Themselves:
Without a doubt, every human being is prone to make mistakes. When it comes to off-site working, several factors can contribute to a project going sideways. Most importantly, you may not perform well at work just because you were instructed to do a task in a particular manner.
Regardless, if you are getting blamed for what you did not do, you have a remote toxic boss who does not want to take the blame for his or her wrongdoing. Mismanagement, miscommunication, distrust, uncertainty, and all the related mis-, dis-, non-, un-, etc., are the employees' fault, not theirs.
Toxic Bosses are Frequent Users of Taunts and Emotional Abuse:
For toxic bosses, remote working feels like they do not have as much control over their team as they would like. By nature, such bosses need to control others to feel satisfied. Nevertheless, when such people think they are losing control, they taunt and comment on their team members' matters.
It would not be wrong to say that the mere presence of such a toxic boss makes it difficult to create a functional and friendly working ambiance. As a result, the team's overall progress is hampered, and over fifty-seven percent (57%) of the employees quit.
Selfishness is one of Their Negative Traits:
A good boss would always give credit and celebrate success, but a toxic boss is selfish. Such a boss is obsessed with his or her career goals. He or she would not let anything come in the way of success. Being a toxic boss, it is easy for him or her to manipulate facts and take credit for what the team members have worked hard for. This selfishness surfaces as soon as an essential project presents itself. In most cases, your toxic boss would not even update you if the said task was a success or a failure.
Their Biases is Crystal Clear:
Remote working opens up possibilities to the making of assumptions that may or may not be accurate. Freelancing can be beneficial for the employees if they learn how to turn the table in their favor. Some street-smart workers can beat book-smart ones when it comes to working off-site.
Resultantly, the toxic boss gives in to discriminatory behavior and starts siding with the street-smart employees. Ultimately, the biased attitude gives birth to enhanced narcissistic behavior, prejudice, and discrimination.
Criticism is always negative instead of Constructive:
Suppose you are assigned ten tasks, and you deliver nine of them correctly and timely. However, one of the tasks was not up to the mark due to some genuine reason. If you are working under a toxic boss, it is unlikely that you will receive a well-done for the nine tasks you have done marvelously. Nonetheless, you will indeed receive a share of unwelcomed and negative criticism for the job you were unable to pull in time. Simply, you will be criticized in an insulting manner rather than doing it the other way round.
How to Work Your Way through A Remote Toxic Boss?
Keeping in view that you want to keep your job but avoid the negativity that comes with it, the following are some points to help you out of the difficult situation:
You Are Stronger in Numbers:
Toxic behavior can be felt even if you are miles away. A boss who was toxic in on-site working will rain over even more toxicity in off-site working. Having friends who understand what you are going through may prove an excellent coping mechanism. It would be in your favor to face your boss as a team rather than going on the battlefield alone.
Communication would ease some, if not all, of the Trouble:
Be strong enough to talk your way out of an issue before it starts bothering you. Prepare yourself and professionally confront your boss. If your boss is habitual of targeting you and pushing you towards uncomfortable circumstances, contact your human resource department. It is in your interest to make meeting notes and get them signed by your superior to avoid rough situations.
Having Rules and Limits is something to be Proud of:
You may think that devoting yourself entirely to work and doing more than you can handle is the only way out. One cannot stress enough that it is not valid. If your office hours end at 5:00 PM, working an additional hour may increase your salary by a few dollars, but it will reduce the time for your personal life. Similarly, not taking breaks or working on weekends may be financially beneficial, but it will compromise the quality of your life.
It is, therefore, advised to shut down the laptop after completing the daily allocated hours. Go out to admire nature. Play a game of hide-and-seek with the kid at your home. Or, go window-shopping with your family and friends. Most importantly, take some time out for yourself. Exercise, jog, and keep yourself updated with your hobbies.
Setting Short-Term and Long-Term Goals:
As an employee, having a job that gets your desired salary from the comfort of your home may seem like a dream come true, but it is not. It is worth noting that as a freelancer, you need to stay updated with the latest trends and technologies. It makes learning a critical aspect of off-site working.
Setting goals would assist in warding off the uncalled-for tantrums of your remote toxic boss. Moreover, it will help you in staying positive and managed. It will lead to completing tasks ahead of the deadlines, spare minutes to have a friendly conversation with a fellow worker, and enhance your personal and professional growth. Most importantly, it will save you from your toxic boss' wrath.
If Nothing Works, Look for Another Job:
Let us say you are taking enough breaks and working out to keep yourself positive. You are also trying your level-best to overcome your remote toxic boss' narcissism. However, nothing is changing your situation. Keeping that in view, know that you always have the option to look for a new job.
It is worth pointing out that your mental and emotional health should not be compromised at any cost. Agreeably, you should develop the ability to work under pressure, but it does not mean functioning like a machine. Know that work-life balance is a primary requirement of remote jobs.
Ideal Boss – A Myth?
As Jack Ma says, "a good boss is better than a good company."
When working remotely, the superiors must learn the difference between a boss and a leader. Where a boss is happy to dictate orders and get work done, a leader creates an unbeatable team that enjoys working and is rock solid.
On the one hand, a remote toxic boss may get a few projects done through micromanagement, but he or she will never be able to take it to the next level. On the other hand, a leader who has emotionally connected with his or her team players has a brighter chance of progressing for years and years.
The point here is relatively straightforward: superiors should set a work plan for themselves before dictating one of their subordinates. The working model of Google serves as the best specimen in this context. The multi-billion-dollar company has a hybrid work plan with over ninety percent (90%) delighted employees.
Google's CEO took his time calling people back to on-site working. He patiently waited for the hazards of COVID-19 to reduce. Pichai Sundararajan chose the well-being of his employees over monetary benefits. As a result, his team stayed strong in times of crisis and assisted in boosting the business as well.
Given below are some qualities of an ideal boss:
1. A leader is someone who holds compassion in his heart and has goals on his mind. He or she is an ideal boss who understands and evaluates the targets that are to be accomplished.
2. Additionally, an idyllic boss has the capacity to plan the tasks, manage time, and come up with secondary plans.
3. Sometimes, all the employees need is a tea-spoon of motivation. An ideal boss understands the measures that one should take to boost the performance of the employees.
4. Being a leader, owning the responsibility of running the whole team is mandatory. With exemplary leadership, every team has a chance at improving and stands out as unique.
5. Trust is the key ingredient to success. An ideal boss trusts and relies upon his or her workers to perform punctually and efficiently. Building the foundation of trust in an official relationship is a candid step towards successful team ventures.
6. Honest and open communication tactics are effective for all kinds of relationships. Feedbacks provided by a leader are an inspiration towards positive results.
7. A model leader regularly provides advice and results to the team. Be that as it may, a perfect boss is always considerate towards his or her way of communication.
8. Most importantly, an ideal boss has the intellect level to lead and mentor a team. Such a boss knows the value of work-life balance. In other words, he or she has the capacity, mental techniques, and thoroughly formulated plans that lead to the employees' fame and success.
