Do You Quit When Your Boss Doesn't Fit?

If you answered yes, don’t feel bad. In fact, an overwhelming 75% of people voluntarily leaving jobs don’t quit their jobs; they quit their bosses. (Employee Engagement Statistics, August 2011)

No matter where or how much you work, everyone has an interesting story about a “boss gone bad.” Since many people spend more time with their bosses than they do their friends and family, it’s understandable that bosses have a direct impact on overall employee satisfaction.

There are three types of bad bosses:

1. A boss that doesn’t know he’s bad. (Time for an intervention.)
2. A boss that knows he’s bad but wants to improve. (There’s hope!)
3. And a boss that doesn’t care either way. (You’re screwed.)

Bosses Gone Bad.. Real Bad

So, what is it that bosses do that can drive their employees mad? Here are some real life examples:

1. Giving the first employee recognition award… to himself
2. Rewarding an employee with an iPod… except the employee is deaf
3. Call attention to himself during meetings… by intentionally farting
4. Suffers from business bipolar disorder… disgustingly happy in the morning, tyrannical by the afternoon
5. Eats in front of  you .. and then proceeds to pick the food out of his / her teeth
6. Schedules meetings with no agenda… only to not show up or leave everyone twiddling their thumbs
7. Her feet are constantly cold… and uses your butt to warm them up
8. Chooses who to hire and promote… by using astrological cycles
9. Giving jewelry to employees as holiday gifts… except they were counterfeit
10. Checks into a hotel while on a business trip… and asks the hotel desk clerk where he can “get some.”
11. Encourages medical staff to order a surplus of drugs… for personal use.

Finding theFit

When you’re fresh out of college, your primary focus is often the amount of money you will be paid. But as your professional career matures, many people realize that compensation no longer a primary motivator. Rather, the people you work for and with become significant factors in how long you remain engaged and how long you ultimately stay with a company — it’s essential to find that perfect “fit.”

When someone doesn’t fit at work, it’s painful for everyone. But it happens all the time because job descriptions and resumes reveal nothing about how someone will fit with a company’s culture. Bullhorn, a web-based software and services provider, launched a new site called theFIT which asks the “awkward” questions of current employees regarding their company’s culture. If you’ve ever asked someone, “So tell me… What’s your company really like?” then this site is for you. The objective is twofold: 1) provide insight into how a company’s culture stacks up to work life elsewhere (for current employees) and 2) help job seekers find companies that match their personal style, values and career goals, using social connections to get a foot in the door.

Using information gathered from employees about key aspects of company culture, theFit created this infographic to show the impact your boss can have on your job satisfaction.