Sort out your dodgy boss: workplace tips

You all know what a dodgy boss looks like – the type of person who smokes cigars indoors, wears a wife-beater vest to work and cackles with extra dollops of spittle as they watch someone trip over a loose wire or work slavish levels of overtime.

Alright, they might not be quite so caricatured. But a bad boss can be just as villainous in their own subtle way. Whether they swan around making casually sexist remarks, bully you into extra work hours or intimidate you into a pay decrease, bosses can make your job a living hell – but they can be stopped.
With the right legal advice and workplace safeguards, you can turn that bellicose boss from angry to civil in one fell swoop. Here are a few ways how.

Know your rights

While you don’t have to be a legal hotshot like Ally McBeal, Kavanagh QC or Saul Goodman, having a basic grasp of employment law can help you decide if you’re being fleeced by your employer.
The easiest way to do this is to contact the professionals. If you’re being kicked off the job, get in touch with unfair dismissal lawyers to guide you through the legal recourses you can take.

But you can contact lawyers about anything untoward. You could also give the ACAS website a look for an easy-to-read site outlining all employment law in a lucid way.

Get co-workers in on the act

Trade unions used to be powerful entities, campaigning for their respective workforce and helping fight the imbalance that many employers foster. But in the 80s, prime minister Margaret Thatcher diluted the powers of the unions, leaving them largely toothless in the bite back against bad bosses.

However, that doesn’t mean you can’t form your own group to discuss your rights in your workplace. Whether it’s defined as a union or not, talk with your co-workers about issues and see if they’re willing to help you out.
One lone voice is easy to dismiss, but an entire group of people can pressure your employer to up their game and make your workplace a safer and friendlier environment.

Find common ground

Your boss might be a cigar chewing, cackling bulk of a person, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a good side. Despite your differences, forging a solid working relationship with your employer can be vital to avoiding litigation woes and legal tussles.

This doesn’t mean taking your boss out for drinks and schmoozing with them like the biggest brownnoser in Brown Nose City. All you have to do is maintain a solid working relationship that allows you both to bring up touchy subjects in a lucid and constructive way.

So, if you’re feeling bullied or discriminated against, you’ll know that you can simply chat to your boss and sort things out before a situation snowballs.