It’s almost inevitable that, at some point in your career, you’re going to cross paths with a toxic boss. These malicious managers can make every day at work a nightmare with their outlandish demands and narcissistic tendencies.
For one guy, things got uncomfortable after his boss threatened him with losing his job if he didn’t install pirated software on company machines. He complied but kept a paper trail to protect himself should anything come up, which it did when the company was audited.
More info: Reddit
RELATED: Bad bosses can make office life a virtual warzone, but this employee’s boss actually ordered him to commit a crime
Image credits: Freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The boss told him to install pirated software on company machines, but the employee strongly advised against it
Image credits: yanalya / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Not bothered by the employee’s concerns, the boss threatened him with losing his job if he didn’t comply
Image credits: Freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The employee did what he was told to, but kept a paper trail to protect himself should anything come up in the future
Image credits: ZombieFeynman11211
When a company audit revealed the piracy, the boss tried to throw the employee under the bus, but he triumphantly pulled out proof that he was just following the boss’s orders
OP begins his story by telling the community that the company where this all went down doesn’t exist anymore, so he doesn’t feel bad about sharing. He adds that, in the mid-90s, he worked as a system administrator for a small tech company.
The company was involved in all manner of work, but one of its most profitable areas was technical education—think room after room filled with PCs for classes and training.
He goes on to say that his immediate manager was always looking for ways to cut corners in the budget to look good in his superior’s eyes. OP then explains that, at that time, a new version of an operating system (OS) had been released, and there was a high demand for training on it.
OP’s boss wanted to gear up to teach the new OS, so OP emailed him the cost of acquiring 30+ copies. His boss immediately emailed him back instructing him to use just one copy for all of the systems and to pick up the CD-ROM from his office.
OP told his boss that that would be a violation of the license agreement for the OS and the company could be penalized if found out. That didn’t stop his boss, who told him to just follow his orders.
When OP went to collect the software, his boss handed over a hand-burned copy of the OS, along with the license code written out on his own stationery.
When OP got back to his desk, he again emailed his boss his concerns, but his boss told him to do it or he could stand to lose his job. That’s when OP decided to archive the email correspondence and print out hard copies for safekeeping.
As luck would have it, the company was audited months afterward and the software piracy came to light. OP says all hell broke loose. He was hauled in front of the higher-ups and raked over the coals for putting the company in legal jeopardy.
But when OP brought out the evidence that he was just following his boss’s orders against his will, his boss accused him of forging the emails and denied any responsibility. That’s when OP pulled out the CD-ROM and license code and asked his boss if he wanted them back. This damning evidence was enough to clear OP’s name.
OP goes on to say that the company was hit with massive fines and went bankrupt the following year. He concludes his story by adding that his ex-boss now works at Best Buy selling PCs, not anything to be ashamed of, but definitely a significant drop in salary.
Image credits: Freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
OP was lucky enough to dodge a bullet, but most of us have probably had a run-in with a toxic boss at some point in our careers.
As Roy Lubit writes in his post for Ivey Business Journal, “Some managers are toxic most of the time; most managers are toxic some of the time.”
But what are the signs of a toxic boss? And what are the best ways to deal with them? We went looking for answers.
In her article for The Muse, Claudia Guthrie writes that, while some supervisors may be distant, disorganized, or even a bit annoying, that doesn’t make them toxic.
Guthrie puts forth 8 signs that indicate your boss may be truly toxic. For starters, they don’t listen, they micromanage, they don’t foster growth, and they act differently around their managers. In addition, they make you feel insecure, have unreasonable expectations, and give negative feedback in public.
In her article for Forbes, Caroline Castrillon writes that, according to a recent Harris poll of a nationally representative sample of 1,233 employed U.S. adults, 71% of workers have experienced a toxic manager, with about 31% currently working under one.
Castrillon suggests 5 ways to cope with a toxic boss without quitting your job. These include taking a step back to try to understand your boss, providing direct feedback, finding internal allies, setting and enforcing boundaries, and practicing self-care.
Based on all of this, OP’s boss was most definitely a toxic menace. It’s a good thing he had the foresight to protect himself.
Is a bad boss driving you up the wall? Have you ever quit your job to escape one? Share your story in the comments!
In the comments, readers celebrated the employee’s foresight and shared their own stories of horrible bosses with questionable agendas
