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Managing bad bosses, Part 4

(Editor's Note: This is the final instalment of a four-part article by Heera Singh, called Managing Bad Bosses.)

Three more effective ways to handle bad bosses

Ganging Up
This might seem to be an unorthodox solution, but it has its strengths. If several people from the same department voice similar views or frustrations, then there is a chance that the head of department might take heed. This voicing of opinions can take place individually or else at a meeting where everyone is present. If it is the latter, then it has to be handled sensitively, as you do not want to create the impression that there is a mutiny in the department. At the same time, be aware of the fact that there may be some people in the department who might try to gain political mileage out of this situation by being the odd one out of the ‘gang’ to gain favor. The good thing about ‘ganging up’ is that it is very difficult for a boss to take the situation lightly as the number of messengers is high, and all carry the same message. Do not however expect the boss to change immediately.

Ask for a Transfer or Resign
If none of these strategies work, then you have two choices. If you really love your job because you are learning a lot and you like the people you're working with, then you will just have to ‘bite the bullet’ and accept your boss as best you can. Or, if all else fails, ask to be transferred to another department or finally simply hand in your resignation letter. Only you know your own worth, and if you don't feel respected and motivated then just move on. This is a difficult course of action, but one that you must always have as an option. Remember however that the other side may not necessarily be ‘greener’.

Conclusion
Managing ‘bad’ bosses is a very difficult and sensitive exercise. Always remember that finding a perfect boss/employee match is almost impossible. There will always be grounds for conflict in any working relationship. You have to try to work on each other's flaws and strong points to complement your work methods. The onus is on you as the subordinate to adapt to your boss’s style of management.

A final piece of advice and that is, when dealing with bad bosses the worst thing you can do is simply to do nothing, hoping the problems will get resolved. No job, boss, or company is worth losing your health, sanity, or self-esteem. If you can’t find a way to resolve these issues and your boss simply will never change his behavior, then you should immediately start looking for a new job, within or outside the organization. But before you do this, please do carry out an objective performance appraisal on yourself. It might change your mind.

Read Part 3 here

Read Part 2 here

Read Part 1 here

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(This article is reproduced with permission from Heera Singh who is the Principal Consultant for his own firm,

Managing bad bosses, Part 3

(Editor's Note: This is the third instalment of a four-part article by Heera Singh, called Managing Bad Bosses.)

Three effective ways to handle bad bosses

Do a reality check on yourself
The first solution in handling a bad boss is an honest analysis of your actions and behavior. Are you a good subordinate? Have you been handling yourself and your job well? If you aren’t’ then perhaps it is not your boss who is the problem but you. Please also remember that all bosses have their own ways to do work and like it or not, it is the subordinates who will have to adapt to their ways. They will be quite reluctant to adapt to yours.

Formal Communication
Regardless of what type of boss you have, an important option you have is to communicate formally with them. Sometimes they may not be aware of their behavior and the aim of the communication process is to let him see your side of the work equation. In the formal meeting, make sure that you talk of the specific behavior in question and tell him how it makes you feel. Leave your emotions at the door, but be prepared for your boss to have an emotional reaction.

Do not make generalized statements like, “you are always nasty” or “everyone in the office does not like the way you manage”. Soften your comments and avoid defensiveness by allowing your boss to save face. Praise him if needed initially (obviously he must have his strengths too), so that his defenses may be lowered. When talking about the problem, use statements like "You may not be aware . . ." or "You may not realize . . .". It’s possible that your boss is unaware of his/her actions, and this meeting could be very positive for all involved. At the same time, you may realize that you might have made many assumptions about his style of management which may not necessarily be right.

Formal communication may not necessarily solve the problem, but at least you will be sure your boss has been informed of your views, feelings and frustrations. There is no guarantee of success, however, and you need to be aware that your Malaysian boss from a cultural perspective might misinterpret your ‘confrontation’ as pushy or aggressive behavior. This might lead to an escalation of your conflict with him.

Informal Communication
Most of the time, the recommended action with a bad boss is to take him or her to lunch or a drink after work to discuss the problem in a non-confrontational way. This type of informal encounter will serve to overcome the problem better as the non-work environment may lessen the tension and thus make it more amicable for a more fruitful discussion. Always thank him for taking the time to have the discussion and impress upon him that your only interest in this discussion is to have a more healthy working relationship.

To be continued....

Read Part 2 here

Read Part 1 here

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(This article is reproduced with permission from Heera Singh who is the Principal Consultant for his own firm, HEERA Training and Management Consultancy.)

Managing bad bosses, Part 2

(Editor's Note: This is the second instalment of a four-part article by Heera Singh, called Managing Bad Bosses.)

Types of bad bosses

The key to getting on with a boss is to manage him by understanding his underlying motivations, which may be different from what you think. I will take the liberty here to state some of the different types of ‘bad’ bosses that I have met. If you're a manager, look for yourself in some of these descriptions. Obviously, all the characteristics of bad managers cannot be covered. However I am most certain that many will be very familiar with the ones covered here.

The autocratic manager
This dinosaur type manager sadly still exists in current organizations. They have a belief that since they are the managers, they are the ones who are the intelligent ones, they are the only ones who can make decisions and they are the only ones who can ‘think’ in the organization. In that sense, they are like carpenters who only have a hammer in their tool box. Every problem is a nail and therefore the hammer has to be used all the time. They are not aware of other management tools and they don’t even bother trying to find out.

The clueless manager
Some managers simply don't have a clue as to what they're doing. This kind of boss may seem like a dream at first, but lack of substance will tell in the long run and you get frustrated as you are not given enough guidance in your job. You go to him with one problem to solve and you go out of his room with an additional two problems.

The weak manager
These are the types of managers who won't stand up for you. They just toe the party line. They avoid risks and give you vague instructions. When things go well, they take credit and when things go bad, they pounce on you for not adhering to instructions. The word flexibility does not exist in their vocabulary.

The micro-manager
These are the types of managers who do not trust you at all. They want to check and counter check everything that you do. No matter how much detail you give him/her, or how many times you do redo a piece of work, it's still not right. In the process they forget the big picture. They are more interested in the font and the style of presentation of a report rather than the substance of the report.

The hard task master
This is the type of manager who thinks that working late is the hall mark of a good manager. He doesn't have a life, and doesn't expect you to either. As he works late everyday, he expects you to do so too. He is more interested in the symbolic manifestations of work i.e. working late, bringing home work, having lots of meetings etc, rather than the ‘real’ work output. When you finish a piece of work, which you think you have done well, he tears it apart, so that ‘you will have some work to do’. Strangely, after modifying your work a few times, the one that emerges finally is an exact replica of the very first one that you submitted!!

To be continued....

Read Part 1 here

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(This article is reproduced with permission from Heera Singh who is the Principal Consultant for his own firm, HEERA Training and Management Consultancy.)

Managing bad bosses, Part 1

(Editor's Note: This is the first instalment of a four-part article by Heera Singh, called Managing Bad Bosses.)

Are you in a situation where you are stressed considerably because you can't stand your boss? Do you hate your job because of him/her? Have you been in a situation where you would just like to ‘tell your boss to go fly kites’ and walk out of your job? If all the above is true, then I suppose you are part of the many employees in Malaysia who work for this group of people who are called ‘bad bosses’ i.e. bosses who are strict, unappreciative, hot-tempered, rude and nasty. In the course of my work as a training consultant, this is definitely the number one problem that my participants bring up to me to try to get my advice.

Bad bosses have always been part of the work landscape. Today, however, we are seeing more of them as a result of the greater pressures and stress that come with any managerial position. Managers in general are over-extended in terms of work as a result of ‘leaner’ structures in organizations. They have to do more with less. As they are not able to cope, they take it out on their subordinates, consciously or unconsciously. And this makes the situation worse as subordinates who are subject to ‘unnecessary stress’ by their bosses are de-motivated and usually retaliate with lower quantity and quality of work, which serves to continue the vicious circle.

But what is a bad boss? Often, a bad boss is all in the eyes of the beholder. One person's boss from hell may be another person's boss from heaven. If you are the type of person who needs regular direction, for example, then you will love a boss who is a micro-manager. On the other hand, if you have strong needs for autonomy you will hate this same boss as you can’t work with somebody looking over your shoulder all the time.

To be continued....

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(This article is reproduced with permission from Heera Singh who is the Principal Consultant for his own firm, HEERA Training and Management Consultancy.)

Overcoming public speaking blues

Hey you! What do you know about public speaking? You know, getting up before a group of people to speak to them? It doesn't matter whether it's a group of 10 persons or an audience of 1,000 in a hall.

Do you enjoy public speaking? I've a confession. I would rather not do it. I'm VERY nervous when I have to get up on the stage. I feel uncomfortable when all eyes are on me. Is the fly undone? Unconsciously, I'll be moving my fingers onto my belt. A quick reassurance that the slider is there, just below the belt buckle. But sometimes, I have to speak in public because it's part of my job.

I've been reading that there is term to describe the fear of public speaking. It's called glossophobia, also known as stage fright, and it's believed to be the single most common phobia — affecting as much as 75 percent of the general population. Some say that the fear of speaking in public may even rank above the fear of dying. Mmm....

However, public speaking is one of the most importantly valued skills that you can possess. This skill can be used for almost anything. One of my colleagues in Indonesia says it's a key success factor in life, career, love and business! He's been trying to persuade job seekers over there to attend a public speaking training programme. If you are in Jakarta this July 18, perhaps you'd want to check this out.

As for me, before I ever even step into the hall for my presentation, I have to prepare myself thoroughly beforehand. For instance, here are some of the preliminary steps I take:

• Understand my audience. Who will I be speaking to?
• Practice! If you can practise in front of the mirror, do so. Watch your mannerisms.
• Dress appropriately because you have to show that visually, you are the star of the moment.
• Arrive early to familiarise yourself with the venue, audience and presentation aids.

Then, when it comes to my turn to speak, here are what I do:

• Calm my nerves. Take a few deep breaths before I start. (Touch my belt, naturally!)
• Get comfortable with my language. Avoid technical jargon. Use words that are natural to me and phrases that are understood by all.
• Get to the point so that I don't bore my audience with everything I know. I Just give them enough to let them know.
• Use simple anecdotes or practical examples that the audience can relate to. I try not to make it complicated for them.
• Constantly remind myself not to speak in a monotone. Vary the pitch of my voice or else I risk putting my audience to sleep.
• Try not to mumble or swallow my words. Speak slowly and clearly.
• Ask the organiser for a microphone if I feel that I cannot project my voice across the room.
• Check my body language: how I carry myself on the stage, how I gesture with my arms, my dressing. All very important to me.
• Look at my audience in the eyes. That's maintaining eye contact. Talk to them as if one-to-one.
• If I need a speech aid, I'd Jot down my key points or memory joggers on a small card that I hold inconspicuously in my palm.
• Visual aid. Very important. A power point presentation to help me convey my message across. But I've still got to remember not to overdo the information overkill part.

So that's that. My little tips on overcoming the fear of public speaking. They have helped me; I hope they'll help you too.

Using YouTube to promote your jobs and company brand

For those who are innovative in recruitment - you can now post your job advertisement on JobStreet.com with your YouTube video embedded.
It's simple - just look out for the YouTube box when creating your advertisement, and paste the URL of your YouTube video.

For those who are new to this concept - YouTube is a good opportunity for employers if used correctly.  You can provide a video preview of the work environment or what present employees think of the company.  Use it to emphasize your call for action and attract applications.

We'll be posting more about how to publish your company and recruitment videos on YouTube so keep an eye on this blog.

Confirming your interview appointment by SMS

Hey, there, JobStreet members! I know that all of you are busy, some even busier than others. Being busy is fine but it can also lead to forgetting important dates in our lives. Such as attending job interviews. Interviews can sometimes be an ordeal but it is important for your career success.

So what can you do to remember the important interview dates? Here at JobStreet.com, there's an interesting new feature that can help you make this particular forgetfulness a thing of the past. How does it work?

I'm sure you will already know that when you apply to a job in JobStreet.com and you are short-listed for an interview, you'll receive an invitation from the company. Of course, it's up to you whether you want to accept or decline the interview but whatever your decision is, we've made it easy for you. Just click on the links in the email and it's done!

If you accept the invitation, JobStreet will now go a step further by reminding you about your interview by SMS a day before the appointment just in case you have forgotten about it because of your busy schedule. In this message, we'll include the contact information of the employer so that you can always keep it handy with you in your mobile phone.

Plus, this message will also let you send a confirmation note to inform the employer whether or not you can make it to the interview. Just reply to the SMS and we'll pass your note along to the employer.

In fact, I will encourage you to do this because employers like to be updated and assured that they are really going to meet up with responsible job seekers.  With our SMS feature, you can even prove to your future employer that you can be a responsible employee too. I know that I'd want my employer to think of me as a responsible person. You would want to be known as one too, don't you?

Maybe you'd also like to know that for people who don't show up for confirmed interviews, it's possible for employers to mark your MyJobStreet accounts with a "No Show" record which can be shared with other employers. It's not ideal to be labelled as a "No show" job seeker and I don't want this to happen to you. So, it's good practise that if you cannot attend an interview, just SMS back to the employer. It won't hurt you and it won't hurt the employer either.

Blade runner's dreaming of Beijing Olympics

I don't suppose you will have heard of Oscar Pistorius before but this 21-year-old South African athlete is what heros are made of and job seekers like us can certainly take inspiration from his determination and perseverence against the odds until he succeeded.

Pistorius is no ordinary athlete. He is a double amputee. As a 17-month-old toddler, his parents took the heart-breaking decision to amputate both his deformed legs beneath his knees. Then, throughout his growing years, he battled against discrimination and bullies.

In 2004, he decided to try out for the Paralympic Games and he began to win medals after medals, setting one record after another. Soon, he began competing against able-bodied athletes and came to the notice of the IAAF. Somehow, the IAAF decided to ban Pistorius from running against able-bodies athletes because their tests suggested that the carbon-fibre prosthetic legs he was using could be considered technical aids.

Pistorius persevered by appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and was told last Friday that he could after all try for a place in the South African athletics contingent to the Beijing Olympics.

"From the time I first held Oscar in my arms when he was born and I cut the umbilical cord I could see there was something different about his feet. But I never considered it a defect and feel the same way now as I did in those first few split seconds. His special circumstances are an opportunity."
                                          - Henke Pistorius (Oscar's father)

Last year, JobStreet.com featured a story about a disabled man who entered the boxing ring with some considerable success. We are now equally heartened to hear of this man's determination to achieve his dream on the track. Now, just imagine if we can emulate Pistorius' perseverence towards securing our dreams in the job market.

JobStreet.com Establishes Online Community for BPO Employees

JobStreet.com recently launched BPO Avenue Forum, a new online discussion board for people currently employed or seeking employment in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry. The BPO Avenue Forum, the latest feature on JobStreet.com’s BPO Avenue portal, provides its members with the latest news and information on events and also serves as a venue for exchange of ideas, comments, feedback, and insider information in BPO employment.

“As the BPO industry provides its workers with a different work scope and environment, its workers are also subject to a different set of anxieties and uncertainties.” says Grace Colet, Country Manager of JobStreet.com Philippines. “BPO Avenue Forum enables BPO workers to get timely advice from sources they could trust – the people who went through the same set of experiences as they did.”

Current JobStreet.com users may register to the BPO Avenue Forum (http://bpoforum.jobstreet.com) using their JobStreet.com ID and password. Non-users can easily signup at www.jobstreet.com and register to the BPO Avenue Forum immediately. Once registered, BPO Avenue Forum users may start to post, read, and reply to any topic and even send private messages to other members.

The BPO Avenue Forum features topics that help BPO workers cope with the unique circumstances of their work such as Work, Career and Stress which provides tips to banish pressures on the job, Fashion at Work which gives tips on how to develop a style suited to the workplace, and Safety Warnings which gives advice to BPO employees on security since most of them go to work late at night. Members can also benefit from the best call center practices shared by their peers such as staff motivation techniques and management tips.

Since its launch, the forum has received positive feedback from its community members. “I see the BPO Forum as an avenue for us BPO and Call Center employees to be heard. Great job on this JobStreet!” posts member Cubey, while member 86ing shares “I'm sure this would be a great forum. I'm up for this.”
Member Jennakish says that the BPO Forum is “a very good site wherein you can get many information about our life at the BPO industry.” Another member, --KRiS--, enthuses, “I love this! Great minds meet and are having fun!” After a stressful day at work, member Binchee chills out at the BPO Avenue Forum. He says, “Definitely a good venue to relax and look for the right job at the same time.”

BPO Avenue Forum is part of JobStreet.com’s continuing efforts to help both the prospective and current BPO employees to understand the BPO industry better. It is one of the fastest growing sectors in recent years and is among the biggest employers in the country. Employing just about 2,400 people in 2001, the industry has grown to about 120 companies with 200,000 people in 2006. By 2010, Philippine BPO companies are forecasted to earn US$11 billion and employ 900,000 people.

Searching for jobs by Job Title

We've just introduced a little enhancement to our jobseeker services and you may want to try it out and see how it works.

Job seekers normally use keywords to search for jobs in our JobStreet.com website. Previously, when a search is made, this process will look through the entire job advertisement (requirement, skills, company name, etc) and return the results you want. But we've also found that many searches are made with specific job titles in the jobseeker's mind: job titles that cater to their specific needs.

So in this enhancement, whenever you make a search with keywords, you now have two options:

1) Continue searching within the entire job advertisement; or

2) This is the new part: search for the job title only.

Note: This is only a graphic (To try it out for yourself and see how it actually works, please click on the links below).

For users in Malaysia, click here
For users in Singapore, click here
For users in the Philippines, click here
For users in India, click here
For users in Indonesia, click here
For users in Bangladesh, click here

We hope you will find this neat improvement useful to help you find your desired jobs faster and easier!