While management methods are evolving to become more collaborative and respectful of employees' well-being, we can see that the profile of the toxic manager still exists in some companies.
According to a survey conducted by the ADP in eight European countries, 23% of respondents point to toxic management as the source of employees' lack of productivity.
This type of manager is a dread of any employee who joins a company. With his methods that belong to another time, the toxic manager sows terror and anxiety among his team. It can lead to a loss of self-confidence, burnout and depression or even resignation in the long term.
This week, Meet My Job helps you recognize a toxic manager!
1. He's ALWAYS right.
First of all, you need to know that no matter what you do or have done, the toxic manager will always be right. This type of manager always thinks better than his team and he doesn't care if he has their opinion.
However, if a decision he has made turns out to be counterproductive and unsuccessful, he will not hesitate to contest his responsibility and will even seek to find one or more scapegoats within his team.
It is therefore very difficult, if not impossible, to prove him wrong because he shows so much bad faith and excessive self-confidence . However, if you decide to confront them, be wary because they could make you pay for it, by attributing the failure of a project or a bad decision to you, for example.
2. He takes all the credit.
The toxic manager will always seek credit for his team. He only wants to reap praise.
For him, if his team succeeds, it's because he is first and foremost a good manager. He doesn't care about the efforts of his colleagues and is not able to encourage his team or congratulate them.
Nevertheless, as we said before, if it turns out that his team fails, he will seek to exonerate himself and will not hesitate to criticize you in front of you or in front of his superiors in relation to this failure. He doesn't have the slightest notion of teamwork and teamwork.
3. He's constantly harassing his team!
It's a safe bet that if the toxic manager had done another job, it would probably have been spying.
Indeed, the toxic manager will not hesitate to monitor you in every possible way and in an abusive way. All means are good to put pressure on you: constant emails, calls, SMS, permanent notifications on the collaborative work software...
He wants you to know that he's constantly behind your back, ready to see if you're doing your job well. By proceeding in this way, he is clearly in the most absolute moral harassment.
If your manager is harassing you like this, don't bother to reply to all their messages and especially don't check your email inbox on Sunday night. He will surely have sent you a very anxiety-provoking message to start the beginning of the week in style.
4. He shows favoritism.
This strategy of the toxic manager could be summed up by the expression "divide and conquer".
This is because the toxic manager pits each other against each other and seeks to instill unhealthy competition between his team members. He will highlight everyone's shortcomings in the public square and use them as a divisive element in his team.
He seeks to destabilize his team and push them to better results...by humiliating them!
You need to be careful because these repeated unhealthy acts can lead to a loss of self-esteem, burnout or even depression. In addition, it is necessary to
Maintain normal relationships with your other colleagues and not fall into the game of the toxic manager.
5. He's aggressive and threatening.
Finally, the toxic manager is a real potential aggressive liability . He doesn't hesitate to put a touch of aggressiveness and menace in his sentences in a subtle way or not at all.
He wants you to understand that your professional future is in his hands and that he could fire you in a snap of his fingers. The toxic manager shows a certain sadism because he likes to think that people fear him, this allows him to boost his self-confidence.
Be aware that practices of this kind can be denounced because it is also moral harassment. Don't let yourself be talked to like that and be prepared to confront him if he goes too far. Don't hesitate to record his threats to have evidence against him.
A toxic manager is never easy to deal with. It's all the more difficult to manage because it's your line manager and there's always this fear of being reprimanded or even fired.
However, just because he is your superior does not mean that everything is permissible for him. It's important not to let yourself be destroyed by his intrusive personality. If this toxic manager is too much to bear, you have several options: quit to get out of this downward spiral and to maintain your sanity.
Or, and if this type of management begins to have a lasting impact on your health and that of your colleagues, take legal action against it. However, have the intelligence to collect evidence of his behavior to prove your claims and ensure that he is punished.
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