When you have a good supervisor, it can make your work and your life so much easier.
Having a good boss means working for someone who has your back. They trust you to do your work right, to meet your deadlines, and they don’t micromanage you. They give you a task, and a deadline, and let you decide how to manage your time to meet it.
The best boss I ever had popped to mind immediately. I remember that he always backed our decisions when it came to working with other offices, and would stand up for us, our work processes, and our time.
He let me have maternity leave, and go on family vacations.
One day, I got in a car accident on the way into the office. I was late, freaked out, and rubbing my neck. He told me to go to the doctor. Turns out I had whiplash. I never would have gone to the doctor if he hadn’t told me to do it.
On the flip side, I have had some pretty terrible bosses too. One told me never to hire anyone fat, black or pregnant again. I quit the next day.
Most supervisors are in the middle. They aren’t the best, they aren’t the worst, they are just humans with their own foibles. You learn to work for them and meet their needs so that the office functions harmoniously.
The best bosses see you as people, and they know your life comes first. They give you a work-life balance. You can see it because they have that balance for themselves.
Mental Health Benefits
When you have a good boss, your health comes first. Being in an environment where work is based on trust will help you have better mental health.
According to Open Access Government,
Having a good manager can help employees to better cope with work-related stress or mental ill health and there are good training programmes available that can equip managers with the skills and confidence they need to support people showing signs of distress.
As someone with mental health issues, being able to feel safe and supported at work is key for me to function well within my job.
While working for my favorite boss, I had a panic attack at work only twice. Which was due to harassing phone calls and not the job itself. I felt safe at work. I knew that no matter what happened, my boss and co-workers were there for me.
My boss created a safe space in our office where there was trust and collaboration between staff and management.
After working with him, I transferred to a new office where I wasn’t so well supported. There was a toxic culture of overwork in that office, and my new boss played into it.
She would email at all hours of the night, skip lunch, and was fuzzy with deadlines. Also, she let staff in our office and other offices bully us.
In this kind of toxic environment where people and their time aren’t respected, I started to have panic attacks almost daily.
I was out of control of myself, my work, and my life. And my supervisor not only didn’t help, she expected us to be constantly on call. We weren’t allowed to prioritize our schedules or our deadlines. We weren’t allowed to set boundaries or tell people no. It was deflating.
When you feel out of control at work, it can contribute to poor mental health.
According to Open Access Government,
In Europe, the main psychosocial risks factors in the workplace include heavy or unmanageable workload, unrealistic expectations, role ambiguity, organisational changes, low job satisfaction and personal accomplishment, lack of recognition, poor work-life balance, interpersonal relations and support at work and workplace violence, including harassment and bullying. When one or many of these factors become part of our everyday lives they can lead to stress, anxiety, depression, burn-out, somatic health issues or even, in severe cases that go unaddressed, suicide.
Being unhappy at work can have huge consequences! When you work for a supervisor that isn’t worried about overwork and burnout, it can spiral out of control quickly, as I experienced.
What You Can Do
When you interview for a job, you aren’t there to learn about the company's vision and mission. Those things can only tell you so much.
In an interview, it is important to ask about workplace culture.
Prior to interviewing for a company, visualize what your perfect office would look like. For me, it is somewhere that fosters trust and collaboration, prioritizes deadlines, and provides work-life balance.
Think about what is important to you in the office, then think of some questions that you can ask your potential employer to get at those issues.
Interviewers always ask you what questions you have at the end of the interview. Make sure you ask those questions in an intentional way.
If You Are In a Toxic Workplace
Talk to your supervisor right away about any concerns about toxic workplace culture. Perhaps they are unaware of the issues and can do something to mitigate them.
If that doesn’t work, talk to your Human Resources office. It is their job to ensure that you are working under proper working conditions. You shouldn’t be under constant stress at work.
Also, make sure to take breaks away from your desk. Go get lunch or a coffee out of the office. Go for a walk at lunch, or go to the gym. The endorphins from exercise can help you feel calmer and happier throughout the day.
If you are not seeing results from these tactics, then you may be dealing with a toxic level of stress at work. Then, it is time to mentally disengage from the toxic elements of your workplace.
Start updating your resume and your LinkedIn page. Then, you can start looking for another job.
Sometimes, problems in an office aren’t fixable if there is toxic office culture. If this is the case, and you have made an effort to make a change, it is best to cut ties and move on as quickly as possible.
Make sure to always prioritize your mental health at work, especially if those in management aren’t. Your health and happiness are more important than any job.