That's Just Bad Management: Examples of Bad Management

Over the course of my work experience, I have had the pleasure (or displeasure) of working under many different managers. Each one had their own style, from the laid back to the micro-manager. I have witnessed tactics that have both shocked and appalled me. I have seen management do things that I would have thought it was common sense not to do. So here I have compiled a collection of the worst tactics that I have observed in management. Perhaps I am biased, but even in this dog-eat-dog world of ruthless business strategy some of these examples I simply cannot justify. While some I just account to stupidity and ignorance.

One of the first jobs I had was working as a waitress in a small Mongolian BBQ restaurant located in a strip mall. It consisted of only about 15 tables, but it was crowded every day for lunchtime. The owner was also a high school teacher who opened the restaurant during summer vacation and ran it in his spare time. He was a nice, sociable, community kind of guy. At first, I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, but as time progressed and he began to trust me more, my views of him changed. It all began simply enough.

He discovered I was good with the office end of things so he began to assign me some paperwork and things to do that kept me in the office. One afternoon he walks in with two beers in his hand and offered one to me. Now mind you, he was well aware that I was not yet 21 at the time. I simply refused and returned to my work while he sat there and drank. When I finished and got up to leave he said he was going to take a nap and to just tell everybody he was not there. Even though this was a small place with an informal atmosphere, I can't help but feel that this behavior crossed the line into inappropriate.

Some time after that I found myself working at a Curves fitness center. It was actually a great place to work. Everyone was friendly and supportive. Sometimes all it takes is one small incident to lose that sense of trust. One day about an hour before we were to close a lady came in and set some money down by the radio and asked me to watch it for her. I told her I could not be responsible for it because I would be back and forth throughout the building so I would not be able to keep a close eye on it. She just shrugged her shoulders, left the money there anyway, and went to work out. Well, I went on about my work and checked on the money when I could. I was in the back of the building when the girl left. I even smiled and waved.

When I returned to the front I noticed the money was gone. I just assumed she had taken it when she left. After I closed up and returned home, I got a call from the owner. Apparently the girl had come back saying that she had forgotten the money, and now they could not find it. I told her what happened and that I did not know anything more. The conversation ended with that. The next day I learned that my manager had given her some free merchandise for the 'stolen' money, even though we had a sign posted that explicitly states we are not responsible for the loss or theft of personal property. I felt betrayed by this, as if my manager was acknowledging to the customer that I was guilty. After this incident that customer began to treat me very rudely and with sincere disrespect. As a result I lost that sense of trust in my manager.

Some time later I found myself working at a clothing store in the local mall. It was not altogether a bad job and the store was a very popular one. I had fun with my coworkers and the security guards had to remind us on a regular basis to keep the music down. Then came one fateful staff meeting. For some unknown reason, the manager thought it would be a good idea to go around and criticize each employee in front of the entire group. When I objected, she simply asked if I was embarrassed, and went on with it anyway. Though I was the only one who spoke up, I later learned that I was not the only one who felt uncomfortable with the situation. Then about a week later, another incident occurred. I had just come into work and immediately got started ringing up a customer's purchases. In the middle of the transaction my manager walks up to me and begins to tell me of a customer's complaint about me.

I try to brush it off and her her I'll be done in just a minute, smiling apologetically at the customer. She proceeds to go into detail about the complaint. When she realizes that I am actually ignoring her she again asks me if I am embarrassed. I finish up with the customer, smile, and say thank you. Then I turn to my manager and say that I am more embarrassed for the customer than myself. She becomes enraged, screaming that she doesn't have to put up with this s***. Now, it might be my opinion, but that to me is just tactless. I would think it is common sense to discuss employee performance one on one. It is inappropriate and demeaning to discuss it in front of coworkers. And it is certainly not to be discussed in front of customers.

The last job that I had provides the largest base of examples for bad management skills. I worked for an airline at an outstation for a little over two years. The pay was decent, but I never felt that it was enough for what we were required to do. About halfway through my employment there we got a new general manager. She immediately came in and started making changes left and right. She even brought in two new supervisors. On the second day that one of her supervisors was there I was able to work with him side by side. After witnessing an unpleasant exchange with a customer (I was unable to change her ticket as she wanted due to the fare restrictions), he felt the need to turn to me and inform me that I had a 'reputation' for dealing with the passengers harshly. The tone and way in which he said it was so hurtful that I ran off in tears. He had run-ins with several of my coworkers after they saw me in tears so he decided he wanted to talk and work things out.

To make a long story short, the discussion consisted of me trying to be honest and open and him getting defensive and accusing me of telling him how to do his job. A few weeks later there was another incident with the same supervisor. I was talking with a coworker while he was helping a passenger. He turned to me and said Shhh! with his finger. I simply looked at him and said, "That is disrespectful. If you want me to be quiet, just ask." Well, that got him fuming. I admit I probably should have waited until he was finished with the customer, but he really went off the deep end in his reaction. Not too long after that I was called into my general manager's office where I found her and her new supervisors waiting for me.

She explained to me that she was concerned about how angry I'd been acting. This seemed a bit strange as I rarely raise my voice. She informed me that she had contacted human resources and they wanted her notes on the meeting. She also gave me the number of a therapist she thought I should meet with. This conversation went on for an hour and a half. With all of them there I felt attacked. The whole thing was insulting and degrading, not to mention manipulative on her part. For weeks leading up to this, she had been asking me whose side I was on and telling me that I needed to earn a place in her circle. Forgive my naivete, but I thought that we were supposed to be a team.

Keep in mind that this is just a sampling of the bad management techniques that I have experienced over the years. Also, my opinion could be biased here since I was involved in all of these situations. However, compiling these experiences has helped me to understand a little better why I am unable to motivate myself to find a 'real job.'