Real Leaders Don’t Lead with Fear

Being a manager or a supervisor can be a stressful job, but it must be carried out in a respectful, professional manner. Some managers or supervisors use yelling, passive aggression or threats to establish authority over their subordinates, but this creates a hostile, toxic work environment.

Ruling with Fear

Part of being a good manager is being a good communicator, but some managers use fear to control employees. There are levels to this, and each one comes with its own complications.

“… some managers actually use the threat of violence or actual violence to invoke fear.”

Some managers call their subordinates “dumb” or even raise their voice at them. In some companies, this is the normal tone of the environment. From the top down, there is poor management, and employees of managers with the largest departments within a company often get treated the worst.

Although it is rare, some managers actually use the threat of violence or actual violence to invoke fear. They sometimes challenge their subordinates to fights if those subordinates do not perform to their liking. These are poorly educated supervisors or managers who have little to no respect or understanding of social responsibility in positions of authority. They rule as mini dictators within their respective departments.

Dealing with Bad Managers

If you are working with a manager who yells at you or otherwise mistreats you, it is best to get it on record. You can do this by filing a formal complaint with HR. However, gathering more evidence before making a formal complaint might be best, unless you are under immediate threat. In that case, if there is security within your company, start there.

“For some workplace incidents, you might be able to find relief from an outside governmental agency…”

Keep your communications between you and your manager or supervisor in writing, be it email or text message. Writing is permanent, and you can print out physical copies. Bad managers tend to cross the line even in writing. They are often careless in their responses, and their reactions will support your claims.

Sometimes, HR isn’t helpful because of nepotism or simply because you don’t trust them. For some workplace incidents, you might be able to find relief from an outside governmental agency bound by OFR (the Office of Federal Operations), depending on the nature of your claim.

“You don’t have to deal with a bully for a manager.”

Also, you might be thinking you could secretly record a bad manager, but this is not a great idea. Different states and cities have different laws concerning secretly recording others. In some states, doing so is legal. In others, it could be a felony punishable by jail time. I’d suggest not recording others without their knowledge and consent.

The Takeway

Bad managers or supervisors think yelling at their subordinates is the best way to establish authority. Those who behave this way have little respect for employees. Even if this seems normal, it is not. There are departments within your company you can turn to. If you have no faith in the organization at all, you might find relief from a governmental agency outside of the company you work for. You don’t have to deal with a bully for a manager. There’s always someone to reach out to.