5 Ways to Engage or Elude 'Monster Managers'

How do YOU handle a so-called "monster manager"?

They can be described as malicious, abusive, vicious, or any number of unflattering terms. They might discriminate, harass, bully, steal, lie, embezzle, commit fraud and other misconduct.

Put simply, monster managers (as I call them) are bad news for employers -- not to mention for the aggrieved workers who suffer under their wrath.

It only takes one rouge monster manager to make an employee's work-life miserable and intolerable, poisoning an otherwise ethical work culture. Yet there are likely tens of thousands of workers worldwide who are regularly targeted for management abuse or worse.

This troublesome trend does not appear to be dissipating (see data below).

From a corporate perspective, monster managers bring a heightened risk of legal liability, bad publicity and a diminished brand image -- all of which hurts the bottom line. In short, nobody wins by supporting, condoning or ignoring the heinous actions of monster managers.

Yet the problem persists.

Memo to CEOs

One month ago I wrote a blog post here entitled, "Memo to CEOs: Fire 'Monster Managers' Now!"

In that post, I urged executive management and leadership of all companies worldwide to be more mindful, vigilant and proactive in rooting out monster managers and firing them when appropriate.

As noted in the prior post, monster managers can wreak havoc in the workplace with damaging results for the corporate culture, including:

• Eviscerating employee engagement,
• Causing morale and job satisfaction to plummet,
• Preventing peak performance and productivity,
• Increasing employee absenteeism and related health case costs,
• Stifling innovation by clinging to change resistant bureaucratic cultures, and
• Causing talented employees (human capital assets) to leave the company and work for the competition.

Many monster managers thrive in companies with unethical work cultures.

These organizations have lax procedures regarding professional standards of conduct, HR policies, diversity training, commitment to equal opportunity, and internal complaint systems, for example. In fact, some small businesses might not be able to afford in-house legal counsel or human resource departments to keep them out of trouble.

Daunting Data

Sometimes statistics can help tell the story. To wit:

According to a recent Gallup survey on the State of the American Manager, only 35% of managers are engaged at work!

Many monster managers may fall into the other 65% who are purportedly disengaged   from their professional work responsibilities . Perhaps these disengaged mid-level managers and first-line supervisors are too focused on unprofessional, unethical or unlawful conduct -- to which many employees can attest through on-the-record testimonials in legal proceedings.

According to HR Magazine of the Society for Human Resource Management or SHRM:

• “41 percent of U.S. workers said they observed unethical or illegal misconduct on the job” (Source: Ethics Resource Center’s National Business Ethics Survey). And many may not speak out.
• “Globally, only 28 percent of [people] believe that businesses follow ethical practices” (Source: Edleman Trust Barometer survey). Or, 7 out of 10 people think most companies are unethical.
• “ Managers are responsible for 60 percent of workplace misconduct” (Source: Ethics Resource Center). Thus, in a large company with a workforce of 10,000 that’s potentially a lot of monster managers!
• BUT: “Only 20 percent of workers reported seeing misconduct in companies where ethical cultures are strong, compared with 88 percent who witnessed wrongdoing in companies with the weakest cultures. ” (Source: National Business Ethics Survey).

Laying the Foundation

This is why it's critically important for executive management and leadership to comprehend the true extent of the problem, as well as the negative repercussions, rather than sweeping it under the rug.

In essence, it simply makes good business sense for all employers to make sure their organizations are built on a foundation of strong ethics, as well as professional conduct and personal values.

Effectuating an ethical office environment usually equates with fewer monster managers and a more positive, healthy workplace.

This benefits employees and management alike. Yes, a win-win!

But what should YOU do when trying to fend off a monster manager? What are some of the best and worst options?

Following are some suggestions for consideration and discussion below...

Stay, Flee or Fight

Five ways to engage with, or escape from, monster managers include (but are not limited to) the following:

Taking it on the Chin. Playing nice while absorbing the abominable behavior because you need that paycheck. Engage the monster manager by doing what you're told and marching in lockstep. Taking Flight. Elude the monster manager by seeking a transfer to another department within the company or to a different location like a field office. Often times, abused workers can find solace in a new office environment within a large organization.  

• Hitting the Road.  Escape from monster manager by seeking new employment ASAP, whether or not you remain with the company during the interim. Many employees exposed to monster managers simply leave rather than fight. 

• Spreading the Word.  Engage the monster manager through passive-aggressive action. An example is starting a water cooler “whisper campaign” to get the word out about the misconduct to make others aware and help more victims to come forward. Often times, co-workers are likewise suffering but don't want to speak out and stand alone. 
  

• Fighting Back. Engage the monster manager directly by standing up, speaking out and bravely fighting for your rights. This might include filing an internal complaint with the company's Human Resources Department. It might also involve mediation, arbitration, or private litigation -- if all else fails. But fighting management abuse also poses serious risks, some of which include being frozen out, demoted, retaliated against and/or fired. That's why you should only consider this if all other options fail and, as the saying goes, you're "mad as hell and can't take it anymore."

Which option do you think is most and least effective -- and why? Please share your valuable comments below.

You also might like:

• Should Managers Be Feared or Loved? (March  23, 2016 on beBee Producer)

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David B. Grinberg is a proud beBee Brand Ambassador with prior work experience in the White House, U.S. Congress, federal government agencies, national news media and elsewhere. In addition to beBee, you can find David on Twitter, Medium and LinkedIn.

NOTE: All views and opinions are those of the author only and not official statements or endorsements of any public sector employer, private sector employer, organization or political entity. The information above is NOT legal advice. Thus, proceed with caution.

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