What should you do about a bad boss?
As a job search strategist, Amy Lindgren hears a lot of workplaces woes.
One of the most common complaints? People feel unappreciated or unsupported by their bosses.
"You give your boss 100 percent, but he or she treats you like part of the furniture," Lindgren wrote. "Even more frustrating: When shiny new people show up at your company, your boss lavishes higher pay and attention on them."
But what should an employee do? Lindgren, the president and founder of Prototype Career Services, joined MPR News host Kerri Miller to talk about strategies for handling neglectful or toxic bosses.
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Highlights
Don't let your age make you stay
Lindgren sees many people in their 40s and 50s who feel like "they're far enough in with a company or a boss ... that the idea of extracting and having to find something else at that point in their career feels overwhelming," she said. Don't give into that.
Post recession, ask to re-align your work responsibilities
Many employees watched as their companies shrunk during the recession. They may have taken on the work of two or three other employees who were laid off. Now that the economy's improving and companies are hiring again, the "old faithful" who hung in there should speak up, Lindgren said.
Ask a boss "to recognize it and then to fix it: You were never hired to do all these icky things, thank you very much, let's spread them out again."
Tell your boss what you're looking for
If you're unsatisfied in your position, and you feel you have a boss who will be understanding, tell them "I'm thinking that I need something more, and I'd like to get it from this job, but if that's not possible, probably in 3 to 6 months, I'm going to start casting my eye elsewhere because it's time for me to grow in this way," Lindgren said.
That said, if you don't think your boss will be receptive to that, look for other opportunities and only give as much notice as you feel you need to before moving on.
For the full discussion with Amy Lindgren, use the audio player above.