CATEGORY | Workplace Psychology

Is My Boss Manipulating Me? 12 Signs To Look For
Workplace Experiences

Is My Boss Manipulating Me? Here Are 12 Signs Of A Manipulative Boss

Working in a toxic environment is what I consider a ‘silent killer’. Maybe you can relate to this. The effect settles in over time, not all at once. You start feeling less enthusiasm for your work. You start questioning you own abilities and skill. You take home a little more baggage with you each day. You’re working more to ‘keep up’. You feel worn out, tired, and Monday mornings are your worst enemy. You feel like you’re being drained of your life force one day at a time. Let’s get into the ways bosses manipulate employees, and what to do about them!

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Surviving A Two-Faced Boss - A Few Tips From Experience
Workplace Experiences

Surviving A Two-Faced Boss: A Few Tips From Experience

Most of us have worked for a bad boss at some point. Whether they’re mean, incompetent, selfish or manipulative, bad bosses all have one thing in common – the ability to drive their subordinates nuts. The vast majority of people just want to come to work, have a decent day and head home when it’s over. Unfortunately, the ‘vast majority’ still doesn’t mean everyone. Some people can’t help but to get involved in drama or negativity at work – even if they must start it themselves. Other people don’t crave drama per se, but their personality and mindset effects others anyways. That brings us to our main topic: dealing with a two-faced boss. Let’s talk about how they act and how to ‘survive’ working for one.

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When Your Boss Criticizes You in Front of Others, Do These 5 Things
Project Manager Soft Skills

When Your Boss Criticizes You in Front of Others, Do These 5 Things

Bad bosses are the bane of many employee’s existences. No matter what industry you work in, how old you are or even what your position is, the vast majority of us have dealt with a bad boss at some point in our careers. There’s plenty of ways a boss can be “bad”: poor understanding of the company’s needs, terrible at planning ahead, being clueless on what’s happening day-to-day, and so on. Situations like those are surely annoying to deal with, but few boss behaviors are more insidious than bullying. One common way bosses bully employees is through humiliating them in front of others. These reasons bosses behave this way are varied and complex, but one thing is for sure – we all want to put an end to it. If you’re wondering what you should do when your boss criticizes you in front of others, don’t miss the five tactics we discuss below.

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Why Do Idiots Get Promoted? 7 Reasons To Consider
Workplace Experiences

Why Do Idiots Get Promoted? 7 Reasons To Consider

We all know at least one person at work who’s…….not great. They make mistake after mistake, act like jerks, gossip, bring negative energy and seem totally incapable of doing any job well, let alone a job in upper management. “They’re so stupid, a trained monkey could do a better job!”. Dumb managers and coworkers are so common that it’s a storyline repeated all over TV and movies. We can all relate to this regardless of industry and geographic location and in that, we at least have each other. But it does beg the question – how does this keep happening? Why do idiots get promoted? In this article, we’re talking about 7 common reasons why this is the case.

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How To Deal With A Coworker You Don't Trust - The Do's & Don'ts
Project Manager Soft Skills

How To Deal With A Coworker You Don’t Trust: The Do’s & Don’ts

Trust is a vital aspect of any relationship. This applies to our family, friends, romantic partners and coworkers alike. Just like our family and romantic partners, we must see our coworkers for an extended amount of time every day. In most instances, we spend more waking hours with our coworkers while working full-time than we spend with our families – that’s a lot of time at work! When we have great coworkers who we can trust, this doesn’t feel nearly as harsh as it sounds. What happens when we just can’t trust coworkers? It could be something they’ve done, rumors we hear or just our gut feeling – regardless, a situation like this puts a tremendous strain on our work life. In this article, we’re talking about how to deal with a coworker you don’t trust!

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Managing Jerks As A Project Manager - What To Act On & What To Accept
Project Management

Managing Jerks As A Project Manager: What To Act On & What To Accept

As Project Managers, we get the ‘pleasure’ of working with people of every variety. Not only are we expected to work alongside everyone else involved with the project, but we’re also expected to help them, answer questions and provide direction. Simple enough, right? Well, on paper it is. Management gets difficult when personalities begin to clash. Maybe a teammate thinks you’re stupid and doesn’t want to listen to you. Perhaps they think you’re too smart and are threatened by you. Even more vague – they might just not like you for their own reasons. While this seems like a big deal when it’s happening to us, it’s statistically inevitable – no one can please everyone. Manage enough people over time and you’ll run into difficulty with some. Today, we’re taking about managing jerks as a Project Manager, along with which behavior we should act on vs. let slide. Let’s get into it!

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Are You Experiencing Anxiety About Going To Work Everyday? Read This!
Workplace Experiences

Are You Experiencing Anxiety About Going To Work Everyday? Read This!

If you wake up with a pit in your stomach every workday, you aren’t alone. According to ADAA, nearly one in five adults suffer from anxiety. That’s 20% of the adult population in America! With so many people experiencing anxiety every day, it’s no wonder it manifests itself in our work lives. How could it not? While anxiety as a whole must be treated and tended to, there are a few things you should keep in mind when it comes to workplace stress. If you’re experiencing anxiety about going to work everyday, check out our list of thoughts to consider – you may find that your anxiety at work deflates easier than you thought! Let’s dive in.

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Signs Of A Positive Work Environment - Our Top 10 Indicators To Look For
Career Planning

Signs Of A Positive Work Environment: Our Top 10 Indicators To Look For

Nobody like to work in a negative, crappy environment. Not only is it not enjoyable in the slightest, but it’s difficult to excel, stay motivated and envision a future there. According to statistics, only 12% of workers leave their jobs for more money (via Forbes) – the majority leave due to some level of unhappiness in their present jobs. You may recall an article we wrote in the past titled “What Are The Signs Of A Toxic Work Environment?”. Today we’re talking about the antithesis of this – in this article, we’re exploring our top 10 signs of a positive work environment and what to look out for.

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How To Have A Life Outside Of Work - Our Top 10 Tips
Workplace Experiences

How To Have A Life Outside Of Work: Give These 10 Tips A Try

Burning out sucks. No one likes to work, work, work with no reprieve. As the famous line says, ‘all work in no play makes _____ a dull _____’. At the same time, it’s not the responsibility of our employer to give us a life outside of work, either. We need to do that for ourselves. Don’t feel like you have the time? Too tired? This article is for you! Today, we’re discussing how to have a life outside of work, along with 10 tips you can start using right away!

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I Don't Like My Job: What Should I Do? A Few Things To Keep In Mind
Career Planning

I Don’t Like My Job: What Should I Do? A Few Things To Keep In Mind

There are few workers who haven’t had this thought at one point: “I don’t like my job!” It can be pretty crappy to feel this way since we spend so much time at work and it makes the future look bleak, too. When you are feeling this way about your job, another question always follows: What should I do about it? In this article, we’re talking about what to do when you don’t like your job, including questions to ask yourself!

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About This Topic

We’re all human. We all experience a range of life circumstances, emotions and dynamics between ourselves and others – the workplace is not exempt from this. Millions of people deal with anxiety at work, depression, losing focus, manipulative coworkers, bad bosses, personality clashes and other things like that. Since it’s highly unlikely that a person will avoid all of these situations throughout their careers, it makes sense to prepare for these situations ahead of time. Check out our workplace psychology articles to learn how!