What146;s your reason for coping up with a 145;devil146; boss?

A Monster poll says 70 of workers think they have a 8216;toxic boss,8217; despite that some employees do everything possible to please them

She called her new assistant by the wrong name and didn8217;t care. Her coffee had to be on her desk first thing 8212; hot 8212; or else. She didn8217;t want to hear an excuse, she just wanted it done. No matter what 8216;8216;it8217;8217; was. Thus are the traits of the devil boss in the movie The Devil Wears Prada.

Not a week goes by without e-mails from readers lamenting awful bosses who leave them cowering in a corner, weakened on weekends and wishing for a new job. Just how prevalent are evil bosses? A Monster poll says 70 per cent of workers think they have a 8216;8216;toxic boss.8217;8217; Ken Siegel, an organisational consultant and psychologist, said evil bosses keep his profession alive. 8216;8216;They are extraordinarily well-represented in the managerial ranks,8217;8217; he says.

8216;8216;Most devil bosses are relatively unaware of how they affect the people around them. That provides them with well-grounded excuses of their errant ways.8217;8217; The most common excuse: Fear can be a motivator. Well, yeah, it can, but that doesn8217;t mean you end up with great employees. Most bosses who are feared by their employees have mastered the art of 8216;8216;managing up,8217;8217; Siegel said.

Those are the people who are able to align their beliefs and values with those of their bosses and present themselves as a representative of their people. But they aren8217;t. They are good followers and will do anything to please those above them. 8216;8216;People don8217;t quit companies. They quit people,8217;8217; Siegel said, noting that quitting is the easiest and best way to take some power back from a boss.

But sometimes the overtly evil boss isn8217;t as bad as the managers who are too laid back to motivate anyone or the passive-aggressive bosses. At least with the overtly evil boss, 8216;8216;you always know where you stand,8217;8217; said William Krug, professor of organisational leadership at Purdue University. 8216;8216;Basically, you can learn to live with them. If it8217;s a consistent personality, you learn how to approach them, how to present ideas to them, what their hot buttons are so you know how to stay away from them.8217;8217; Krug recalled a screamer boss he had in the Navy: 8216;8216;At least he was a consistent screamer. I knew when to approach him or not8217;8217;.

Krug categorises bad bosses into four types: controllers, analysers, promoters and supporters. Controllers are demanding and insist things be done their way; analysers like a lot of information but have trouble making decisions; promoters are enthusiastic, dislike detail, make quick decisions but often lack follow-up; and supporters are seen as the 8216;8216;nice8217;8217; bosses who consider their workers8217; feelings but can be taken advantage of.

Workers can use this information to figure out how to handle a bad boss, Krug said.

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But we must remember that we8217;re hired because we are expected to be the best fit for the job 8212; not because a potential boss thinks we8217;ll do OKevery now and then. Of course, a good leader understands which employee might need a little praise to be motivated, Krug said. But finding that kind of perfect boss is probably as difficult as locating a perfect employee.

But why put up with an unbearable boss if the job won8217;t lead to what one truly wants to do? Or better yet, could one put up with a bad boss if it meant being in an industry one loved? Yes a job definitely gets you money to spend on your daily chores, but it is for an individual to decide whether to put up with a devil boss or to find a gig that better suits one8217;s aspirations.

Amy Joyce