Ranking bad bosses is a game no one wants to win. Yet for those of us whose working careers began (gulp) in the last century, we can recall a time when toxic work environments and bullying bosses were considered entirely normal.
In my case, I was warned. It was the mid-1980s. Before I took an editorial contract position in the public affairs office of a health and science institution, my future boss insisted that I interview her employees to get a fix on her management style.
“Some of them will tell you I’m an evil bitch,” she laughed, running her hand through coarse, wavy hair.
None of her employees savaged her outright. They were careful to balance “demanding” with “knowledgeable” and “tough” with “knows her stuff.”
I left thinking I could stand it for a time. Plus, in order to move back to California from the East Coast, I needed a job.
As I left the office and began walking down the sidewalk to my rental car, I felt a tug on my sleeve. I turned to find a young, dark-haired woman with whom I’d spoken only briefly, crying.
“You seem like a nice person,” she said between sobs. “That’s why I need to tell you something.”
I was startled but curious.
