Equal-Opportunity Terrible Bosses

A bad boss is a bad boss. He’s not bad sometimes. And he’s not bad to some people. He’s just bad at managing people almost all of the time.

            His badness presents itself in different ways. He berates. He uses sarcasm. He is unclear in his expectations. He makes inappropriate jokes. He fails to guide or develop talent. He is a jerk most of the time. And everyone knows it.

            Folks are always surprised when they fully confront the reality that the boss is a jerk. Because it is unexpected. We believe that if someone has risen to the level of management, they must have exhibited some trait, characteristic, or skill meriting the position. So when we see a person holding the title of “boss” we give them the benefit of the doubt.  

            Lots of times the bad boss will target someone from a protected class. He might go harder after women employees or Black employees or gay employees. But if you take a step back you begin to notice that while he may save his nastiest behavior for the women or the gay employees, he can be just as venomous from time to time with the white guys too.

            You may feel like you are being harassed or facing a hostile work environment because you’re a woman, or Jewish, or Black. So you visit with a lawyer to find out whether there is anything you can do about it because you know if you are required to stay working for this boss at this company for another couple of months, you just may lose your mind.

            So you visit your lawyer with your list of complaints. He comments about the length of your skirt. He asks you about your love life. He berates you in front of your co-workers and then gives you the silent treatment for three days. Your nights are sleepless, you can’t eat, and you are irritable at home.

            And your lawyer asks you if he behaves this way with other women in the office. As you think about it you recall that three other female employees have left the company suddenly after working with him over the last couple of years. You have heard stories about how he has treated women for years but he seems to get away with it.

            Not only that you say, but he is terrible to the men too. Two guys have quit and one almost came to blows with him before walking out.

            At this point, your lawyer stops you and says that it does not sound like you have a case for discrimination or hostile work environment based on your gender. Because it sounds like the boss is an equal-opportunity jerk. He treats the men just as badly as the women.

            For years courts have assumed that an equal-opportunity jerk of a boss cannot discriminate. But that idea is coming into question now. Experts are now writing about the fact that male bosses who have sexist attitudes and who behave negatively toward women, frequently are rude to men as well. Just because they treat men badly too does not mean that they don’t act on sexist or misogynist beliefs in the workplace. It is a false assumption to think that the sexist boss is not motivated by gender just because he mistreats male employees too.