Horrible Bosses

Blair McPherson

What do Mike Ashley and Jose Mourinho have in common? Both are arrogant both were in trouble over their treatment of their employees. It not just in the private sector that some bosses think they can treat employees the way they like. There are plenty of examples in the public sector. What surprises me is that someone could become a chief executive of an NHS trust or a local authority and have have such poor people management skills often compounded by an arrogance that means they don't listen to the professional advice of HR. Usually its frustration over the pace of a reorganisation, change of working practices or budget cut proposals. Others lack their sense of urgency.

I'm not surprised at the temptation to impose change. What I have been surprised at is how many experienced senior managers take dissent as personal disloyalty and pursue a vendetta against the individual. Threats are uttered within the inner circle with the intensional this should get back to the individual. Their competence previously not in doubt is questioned, the individual is removed from high profile projects to other less prestigious work, their integrity is subject to scrutiny by a surprise audit of their expenses, their authority is undermined as decisions they have made are reversed, petty indignities are performed, an office accommodation reshuffle is manipulated to result in a move to a smaller office and the loss of a reserved parking space.

The individual has a good case for constructive dismissal.

Blair McPherson author and blogger www.blairmcpherson.co.uk

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