50 Awesome Bosses That Proved There’s No Need To Be A Jerk To Run A Company (New Pics)

So, what’s a good boss? Funnily enough, explaining what a bad boss is first is the easier task. Brace yourself as it’s about to get super crunchy (get it, because numbers and facts?).

The tl;dr explanation is that a bad boss is any managerial persona who’s confrontational, unkind, unaccommodating, or unmotivated. This can manifest in a number of ways: lack of leadership skill, use of micromanagement tactics, and exceedingly high demands for employees, just to name a few.

This is besides lacking any sort of positive human qualities, thus prompting for hostility, avoiding providing help where needed and just being flat out disrespectful. And then morale plummets, employee turnover skyrockets, productivity tanks, and the negative Glassdoor reviews start piling in, culminating in a cluster-truck of trouble for the company.

Now, there are ways of dealing with poor management. Mostly, it’s tackling the issue head on and working together to fix it. This involves taking notes and recording (within legal limits) the actions and behaviors that need correction, consulting with fellow employees, and approaching the supervisor directly, either with or without HR (though the former is recommended).

Ideally, the use of “proper channels” makes sure that everything is civil and it provides the manager with a chance to explain themselves. By proxy, talking through an issue can determine who is at fault (if any) and identify ways to rectify it. A learning experience all around.

So, 13%. A 2018 study done by the Institute of Labor Economics dove deep into how common bad bosses are in a discussion paper series of theirs. The need for the study arose for a number of reasons. Most notably, it was the increasingly common media and movie representation of bad bosses, the Peter Principle (whereby managers were often promoted to positions one level above their realistic aptitude) and the more recent concerns of stress and psychological ill-health in workplaces.

The study also premises its research with a number of factors. A key aspect was that supers, managers and the like exert a great deal of power in the workplace, and this has a significant impact (either positive or negative) on employees and the way the company operates. This includes a direct correlation with performance and results.

The key demographic of the study was Europe, though data sets and descriptive stats were given for the USA as well.

Bosses were classified as bad if the net score was negative across seven categories scored by workers: feedback, respect, praise and recognition, help getting the job done, support for individual development, successful team-working, and one who helps and supports.

Around 13% of all employees in the survey were actually working under what the survey would consider a genuinely bad boss. This was actually lower than some of the extreme convictions brought about by other similar studies and polls of the time. Funnily enough, 13% of employees also gave their bosses a perfect score.

According to the study, the most bad-boss-laden industries were transportation (a bit above 17%), manufacturing (16%), and human health and social work activities (nearly 15%). Runners up include agriculture, admin and support services, hospitality and food service industries, wholesale and retail, among many others.

So, let’s circle back to what is a good boss? The same ILE study provided a dead giveaway, actually: it’s a boss who gives useful feedback, is helpful in getting the job done, respects workers as people, encourages development, gives praise and recognition, is successful in teamwork, and helps and supports employees.

PeopleHum adds to this by also suggesting other lesser-practiced, yet still significant aspects. You know, having a plan (a clear vision) on how work will be done, communicating expectations, treating employees like equals (horizontal hierarchy), and making work fun. Team building, events and activities, snack giveaways, that sort of thing.

But if you need an even more digestible version of what is a good boss, hey, you’re scrolling this list! Absolutely meta, we know, but the employees are real, the bosses are real, and the goodness you’re feeling right now—yep, real too!

The overarching theme that is the beauty behind all of these good boss posts is that they were all done in very simple ways. Just think about it: one boss makes breakfast for his team every Wednesday, which has amazing potential for team building; another boss sent a thank you letter, acknowledging all of the hard work the employee did, which is just plain nice; heck, just straight up giving money is always a nice gesture, and the kind words add volumes to it.

And just as violence begets violence, it works the same way with being nice, kind and caring. If your boss is good to you, be good back!

Management values employees who show dedication and commitment, perform their tasks reliably and with confidence, and don’t shy away from teamwork all while being able to work independently too. And whipping out skills like critical thinking, self-awareness and self-improvement, and good interpersonal communication is always a good idea throughout the entire work process.

It’s naturally tempting to say “screw it” and quit your job on the spot when a rotten egg of a manager is in charge. But, again, a civil code of conduct is the way to go and so the laws of teamwork have to apply.

In other words, mutual respect between managers and employees leads to more willingness to offer support (both ways) and perform well. Both find reasons to do their best, thus boosting productivity and collaboration, all while pushing away the problems of absenteeism (unplanned absences from work) and employee turnover.

If you’ve enjoyed this list, then buckle up because this was part two. You can enjoy more great bosses, brought to you by Bored Panda, in part one of the series.

But before you do that, make sure to share your thoughts on anything or everything you’ve read here today. And if there’s a good boss story to tell, be sure to do so in the comment section below!