Is having a boss this rude normal?

Question

I am currently working at my first "real" job. Everyone is nice, except my boss. When I am talking to him, he will often visibly roll his eyes at me. He also puts me down in front of my coworkers, especially in front of young women (he is in his 60s and I'm in my 20s).

I am not a "normal person". By which I mean I tend to be a bit of a pushover and lack confidence. Would a normal person put up with someone like my boss, or would they have quit by now or spoken up?

Today he did something (put me down in front of my coworkers when I did nothing wrong -- he told them that I didn't know what I was talking about and that they shouldn't come to me when they have problems), and it's hurt me quite a lot. I'm starting to think I shouldn't be putting up with this.

The salt in the wound is that I have a crush on the coworker he put me down in front of. Not sure if he knows that.

Answer 1

From the comments:

I 'embarrassed him' -- corrected him -- in an email that many people were CCed on

That really wasn't a smart thing to do. Your boss is retaliating, letting you know how it feels to be publicly humiliated.

I see several choices

1. Find another job
2. Confront your boss and demand respect or escalate the situation
3. Accept that this behaviour is wrong (for either of you), put up with and ignore the insults
4. Accept that this behaviour is wrong and try to fix the problem
5. Other - haven't thought of yet

1 is always an option, but its fairly extreme.

2 Will fail. Respect is earned, not demanded and escalation is stupid; you'd be picking a fight you can't win

3 is accepting that you're always going to be the victim. Your professional life won't improve

4 is what I would probably try. Ask for a 1-1 and apologise for the email, explaining that you now realise it was wrong and go on to say that you'll improve your professional behaviour in future - but would he please stop the public put downs. Explain what effect they're having on you. This will be hard for you if you lack confidence; you may need to use a well written email initially, then apologise in person in the 1-1.

It'll either work... or you'll know where you stand.

Answer 2

This isn't normal as such, but unfortunately something a lot of people put up with, so the behavior goes unnoticed.

It is up to you to decide if you will put up with this, but keep in mind fighting back could lose you your job, which is why many people just put up with it.

Answer 3

Edit:

I have been working at the job for 2 years now

You're not new any longer. You're an established member of the team. The way you're being treated is not acceptable if it has been ongoing. I really encourage you to engage your co-workers and reach out to another leader of the organization to discuss what you're experiencing.

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The existing answers are good, but I want to add some real options you have and a perspective from a manager.

First - the behavior you describe is not okay. Visible and vocal shows of disapproval or disrespect are major inhibitors of happiness and productivity in any workplace. There is no reason that you should not feel valued and respected at work.

Second, what are some real things -- in addition to what has already been offered -- that you could do?

1. Do nothing - You're new and it's not your job to manage the behavior of others on your team, including your boss. It's absolutely okay to tough it out, see if it gets better, and start searching for a new department or a new company if it doesn't.

2. Ask your coworkers for support and guidance - Share your observations and your feelings (about being put down) with your colleagues and see if they have made similar observations. They may have had similar or different interpretations of what happened. Ask your colleagues to back you up when you do have a valuable contribution, even if the boss is not acknowledging you.

3. Confront your boss - Ask for a private conversation with your boss. Offer your observations and feelings about your interactions so far. Offering objective observations ("You told me ...") and your own feelings ("... which made me feel ...") is important for keeping the conversation objective and avoiding implicit accusations. Be ready to hear your boss' perspective as well, and potentially criticism of your own behavior. Avoid getting defensive. Say "thank you for sharing that feedback" and move on from those criticisms -- they are for you to consider later.

4. Ask for help - Reach out to your recruiter, an HR team member, another supervisor or manager you're acquainted with, or just make a cold call to another experienced member of the company and ask for guidance and help. This isn't "going over your boss' head." Reaching out is about you getting guidance and support to help you feel confident and welcomed in your position.

I really encourage you to consider having a conversation with your boss or another senior member of the organization. As a manager myself, the feedback I receive from both tenured and new team members has been a huge part of my personal development. Many of the points of feedback have been very hard to hear and I didn't always handle the conversation as well as I could -- but I put in effort to change my behavior where it hurt my colleagues. I expect your manager may do the same.

Best of luck. New roles are always challenging. You've got this!

Answer 4

Often bosses can be nonsensitive and seeing as though you are new to the working world, it is likely that he told your co-workers not to approach you as you lack experience and knowledge.

It is clear that your boss is rude (which isn't nice) but it's quite common that bosses feel they have more right than others as they are of a higher position.

It all depends on the context, your boss could have a very good point. Or he could be being rude and ignorant. We don't know you as a person or your working habits/ability. In general I would say that you should just look for another job whilst sticking it out at your current job if you are really bothered by your boss. Nobody should be made to feel uncomfortable regardless of the situation.