Why It Might Be OK To Have a Bad Boss In a Good Company
It’s a meme or blog post topic I’ve seen a lot of in the past few months or so and these days with increasing frequency: “It’s better to have a good boss in a bad company than a bad boss in a good company”. To be fair, the original advice is geared towards people choosing their first job:
But I’ve seen it interpreted way more generally than that, in dozens of posts titled something similar to “A Good Boss is Better Than a Good Company”:
Now there’s no doubt that having a good manager can be massively beneficial for your career; I would not be where I am today were it not for a few good managers. But to suggest that a manager is the top reason you should stay at a bad company is poor advice (and it’s probably questionable advice for first-time job-seekers, too).
What Is A “Bad Company”?
I feel like we should start here. Here are some of the things that could define a company as “bad” for employees:
A toxic environment.
Whether it’s a culture of discrimination, harrassment, or a philosophy of working employees to the bone, these workplaces are cesspits of malice, exploitation, and negativity. If you ask me, this is one scenario you should never, ever put up with because you “have a great boss”. Get the hell out.
Poor employee development and nurturing
A company that doesn’t train its employees adequately or offer them suitable mentoring is eventually going to find itself at the bottom of the heap. Incidentally, here’s a more accurate meme than the good boss one:
Poor hiring philosophy
I’ve worked in companies where it felt as if everyone there was waiting for retirement. A good company not only has to find the right people for roles and understand how to uitilize them, but also ensure a healthy mix of experience and youthful exuberance.
Poor communication
When there’s no clear communication from upper management downwards, or between departments, no one will ever really be aligned with a unified vision.
Bad decision-making and lack of vision
If your strategic decision-makers don’t seem to understand the big picture and continuously make inexplicable decisions, it might be a warning sign that your future is not in the best hands.
Now of course, these are only some ways a company may be bad. There are a lot of variables at play, including your own goals, so it does become a little subjective. But those are the factors that are most important.
Choosing a Good Boss in a Bad Company
Now to the part of the advice that I have a problem with: to specifically choose to stay with a bad company because you have a great boss. According to this advice, despite all the warning signs, despite all the problems, you should just stay right where you are because your boss is inspirational, a good mentor, or lets you come in late on Mondays.
Guess what: bosses aren’t permanent. If you stick around at a bad company for a good manager, eventually there’ll be a restructuring, or your boss will move on (if they’re that good, they eventually will), and you’ll find yourself under another manager. And now you’re just at a bad company. Here’s hoping your new boss is great, right?
Another thing about bad companies is that they are probably making bad decisions that will limit the company in the future. And, in the worst case scenario, if the company went bankrupt, you and your favorite boss would both be scouring the online job portals.
Every Situation is Unique
It might seem like I’m dumping unfairly on well-intentioned advice, but that’s only because the advice has gone so viral in recent months. And it’s always framed as such a simple tenet.
The reality of life is that things are never so cut-and-dried. You may work in a company that is mostly fun but has some serious downsides. Or your manager might be nice enough but not support you when it comes to confrontations. In my experience, it’s very rare that a company is either completely “good” or “bad”, and the same goes for the managers I’ve had (barring one or two, of course). And let’s not forget: one person’s idea of a terrible company might be another person’s dream job.
It all comes down to weighing everything up, and making the decision that fits your goals and the circumstances. A good company can potentially do much more for your career in the long-run than a bad company, so it may just be worth sticking it out a bit longer despite having a boss you don’t like. Alternatively, if your boss is making your life a misery, then you need to take action.
So the real advice is perhaps not so meme-worthy: Weigh up your goals, your company, your situation, and your manager, and then make a call on what’s best for your future.
Originally posted on LinkedIn, and later at perennial-xennial.com on March 17, 2019.
