This Thing about Bosses!

Taking my thoughts from my being a manager at many instances, and

being under others, I have found this thing that has made very negative
impression on people working with slightly insensitive bosses.
This thing is about bosses bringing their personal lives (especially the
challenges) into the office. I will try to deal with one at a time and the
negative effect on employee.
Thing 1
Im bored at home, so yall have to stay at work till Im ready to
go:
This phenomenon is common place at work especially among people who
by nature are given to honouring superiors like they would any other older
person, even if the boss in question is younger in age.
It is almost a violation of the right of an employee who has been given a
clear job descriptions and a letter or contract of employment stating
resumption and closing times to make them stay extra time at work. Such
delays are usually not because there is something very important to be
done that could not have been done if the boss is one who understands
Time Management and the place of planning and delegation.
The worst hit among such employees are the very loyal ones (I would
have preferred to call them loyal to a fault) who dont know how to draw
the line between professionalism and sentiments.
The Effect on the Employee
1. Demotivation: Such employees are demoralised and feel used
rather than appreciated.
2. Wrong Motivation: The essence of working is to get better and be
rewarded for it, not merely please your boss for the sake of getting
his/her praise (trust me, its very time bound and unreliable).
3. Unhealthy Work and Family Life: Staying extra-time disrupts the
balance that has a huge effect on the psyche of the employee.
4. Fatigue: There is time for everything, and if work time clashes with
rest time, it is just a matter of time, the employee is bound to crash.
5. Unhealthy Comments and Complains: this is the hallmark of the
discussion among such employees and the direct effect of this is
also;
6. Unhealthy Favouritism: some loyalist (sycophants) will go and tell
their boss about what others have said, in order to buy his/her
favour, at the detriment of others. Funny enough, more than one of
the employees may be doing this per time.
7. No Self-improvement, Creativity, Innovation and Dynamism: all
these virtues are absent in an overcrowded mind.

8. Wrong Legacy: most employee become what they dislike about

their bosses; it is a basic fact of influence. The unhealthy circle
continues.
What to Do as an Employee
Be ready to face the fact and live your life:
1. Take time to study all the company or organizations employee
manual, your employment letter and or contract document.
2. Schedule a meeting with your direct report or boss and talk with
him or her with respect to the effect of this Thing on you (personal
and work life). Make sure you are very polite and on-point (yes, talk
from what you have learnt as your right from the manuals and
documents).
3. Respectfully proffer solution to your current working schedule and
show willingness to do more if necessary to avoid the thing.
If your boss shows willingness to change:
4. Be very grateful and appreciate the kind gesture, and work harder
than before.
5. Disengage from unproductive activity and be the standard among
your colleague; work-the-talk. (Safe this for my take on performance
management).
Okay Boss
Okay Boss! There is more to productivity than using your position to tell
people to do things for you. It may be that you are replicating what was
done to you. Try to take a step away from your former boss or bosses, you
can get the best from people without necessarily taking their life (time is
life). Extra time spent at work should be paid for.
Take time to learn from people who are doing better; you might need to
spend time learning the following skills, it will make you the desirable
boss:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Leadership
Performance Management
Delegation and Supervision and
Leadership (theory and practice).

This is a sketch of my thought, I hope to make it better soon, and if

possible, with contributions from you, we can make a journal for bosses
(managers, supervisors and leaders) in the African context.
Thanks.
Ayodele-Josh I.O