
Learn the Warning Signs of a Toxic Boss and How to Resign with Dignity
In today's competitive job market, finding the right job with the right company is essential to achieving success in your career. However, while many employees may find themselves in roles they enjoy, working under a bad boss can make their job unbearable. You may feel trapped, anxious, and stressed. In such situations, it’s important to recognize what qualifies as unacceptable behavior and to resign for the right reasons.
What constitutes a bad boss?
A bad boss is someone who has a negative impact on employees due to poor management style or attitude. According to this study by Gallup in 2022, only 33% of employees felt engaged while working in a thriving environment. Some attributes of a bad boss are:
Unprofessional Behaviour - This is behavior that is disruptive, uncomfortable, or inappropriate to the point where an employee starts to dread showing up to work or feels unsafe. This can take the form of verbal, sexual, or physical harassment, bullying, not adhering to the dress code, or attending to personal matters while on the clock.
Unreasonable expectations - A boss with unreasonable expectations is difficult to work with. These expectations may fringe on disregard for an employee’s personal space or boundaries, overworking and overloading employees with huge output on a tight deadline. They have no regard for work/life balance which often leads to employee burnout and resentment.
Lack of Respect - This can range from gender or race bias to gossiping and pitting employees against each other. Taking credit for an employee’s hard work, dismissing an employee’s expertise, manipulation and gaslighting, as well as favoritism are also forms of disrespect.
How do bad bosses treat their staff?
Micromanagement – The presence of excessive scrutiny and control that can hinder an employee's productivity, creativity, and motivation is toxic and shows that a boss does not prioritize growth and building trust in the workplace.
Poor Communication – A lack of listening skills, poor conflict resolution, or absenteeism in the office leaves employees with very little direction. Poor communication can negatively impact work output. This can stem from disorganization. If a manager is disorganized, a lot of pressure is placed on the staff to pick up the slack, with or without sufficient information or instructions.
Unreasonable Criticism – When a manager focuses solely on the negative aspects of an employee's work, without offering any positive feedback or recognition for the employee's strengths and accomplishments. Another instance can be critiquing an employee for not completing a task on time, even though the employee was not given enough time or resources to complete the task.

Should You Resign from Your Job?
Evaluating the pros and cons of resignation – Before you make a final decision, consider the pros and cons of resigning from your job to be free of a bad boss.
Pros:
better mental and physical health
the opportunity to find a better work environment, go back to school, or start a new venture/business
work-life balance, more time to prioritize personal time and other aspects of life formerly neglected
Cons:
losing a steady source of income which may potentially lead to financial instability
losing company benefits, and pension plans
getting bad references if you leave on bad terms with your toxic boss. This can affect future interviews and job applications.
having a gap on your resume if it takes a long time to secure new employment
How many people quit because of their boss?
A survey by GoodHire found 82% of 3000 sample participants had a high potential to quit their jobs because of a bad manager. Another survey (7,272 participants) by Gallup also revealed 50% quit their job to simply get away from a bad boss. Many other surveys have found similar results with a fair amount of employees stating that the main factor in their resignation was or would be due to a bad manager and their management practices.
Understanding the Impact of Resigning
In today’s economy, it’s hard to find work and many people hold on to jobs they hate just to make ends meet. Resigning can bring a certain level of instability if you do not have a Plan B. Therefore, before making a decision to resign, you should carefully weigh the pros and cons attached. Companies with a high turnover rate are also less appealing to job seekers and a lack of staff can affect co-workers after you leave.
Signs that you should resign
Low Morale - If you have lost passion for your work and no longer find it fulfilling or enjoyable, it may be time to resign and pursue a new career path.
Unethical practices– if your work environment is toxic or your values do not align with that of your superiors, it’s best to move on, especially if there are unscrupulous business practices, mismanagement, abuse of power, and other forms of disrespect present.
Unreasonable expectations– When your manager constantly assigns work that infringes on personal time, gives last-minute tasks with urgent deadlines or asks you to complete tasks that are not related to your role.

How to resign from a toxic boss?
Draft your resignation letter
Follow company policy to draft your resignation letter. Use a professional and respectful tone in your wording and include all the areas of concern which lead to your resignation. Mention any attempts to solve the issue and the outcome (or lack thereof). State your reason to resign clearly and include a note of gratitude for the time employed despite the negativity.
Have a conversation with your boss
Schedule a meeting with your boss to discuss your resignation and give notice. This will allow management to plan for your absence and start looking for a replacement. Even if your boss is hostile, it is professional to inform them of your decision and be open in your communication.
Make a plan for moving on
Create a solid plan and put things in place before handing in your resignation letter. This will make it easier to transition out of the job into a new one or have some funds in place to support you while you pursue other options.
Conclusion
A toxic boss can deter you from getting joy and satisfaction out of your job. It can take a toll on your mental and physical health and even hinder your progress and growth in your career. It also makes it more difficult to trust your superiors whom you would normally look up to for mentorship. If you are experiencing too much negativity in a job, it’s probably time to re-evaluate what you really want to achieve in life and if a position is worth it in the long run.
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