The Boss Red Flag That Actually Looks Like A Green Flag — ‘Too Many People Defend This Behavior’
Not showing up is a bad sign.
YURII MASLAK / Shutterstock There are many indicators that reveal whether your workplace is the right fit for you, from getting along with your co-workers to feeling fulfilled and valued on the job.
Signs that your job isn’t so great are more subtle and often take a little extra attention to notice.
There’s one boss behavior that looks like a green flag but is actually a red flag.
Amber Lord offers “career millennial hot takes” that guide people through the more challenging aspects of the corporate world.
She recently shared her perspective on bad bosses, explaining that there’s a commonly-held misconception around one specific trait.
Lord noted the difference between an actively involved boss who “leaves you alone most of the time and just lets you do your job,” versus one who “leaves you alone entirely" — the latter of which is a red flag.
She explained that “So many people defend this argument by saying, ‘No, their boss just trusts them, their boss just thinks that they’re really strong in their role, they don’t need to sit down and have one-on-ones, they don’t need a boss to check in and look over their shoulder and micromanage them.’”
Lord outlined the main reason why a boss’s hands-off attitude is such a big problem, noting, “We are not holding our bosses accountable when our boss is not around on a regular basis.”
“No one has to be looking over your shoulder, nitpicking the things that you’re doing or tearing down whatever it is that you’re working on constantly in order to be a good boss,” she said. “A good boss is just someone that you know is there when you need them.”
Strong managers know when to step in and when not to, but if you never hear from your boss at all, it could be a sign that something is off.
Lord shared her personal experience with M.I.A. bosses and how they affected her performance, saying, “I’ve had plenty of bosses where they were out of sight, out of mind constantly, but I also could not get a hold of them for really important things, like deadlines or new policy changes — stuff that could get me in trouble or my work would be late, which makes me look bad but it’s because of my boss.”
The best way to handle a boss who ignores you is to schedule a meeting and make a paper trail.
“The quickest fix to this is if you have a boss that’s completely absent all the time, they don’t show up to meetings, they don’t do one-on-ones, go on their calendar and book a one-on-one with them,” she advised. “If they reschedule it, fine, just keep rescheduling them until they actually hold a sit down with you.”
“Make sure you bring important notes to the meeting; ask if there’s anything you’re missing,” she said.
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“Always make sure that you are getting the information that you need on policy changes, anything legal, and anything about your performance because they absolutely will surprise you on your annual review if they haven’t seen you all year,” she said, before revealing why this is so important.
“They’ll tell you that you have been doing something wrong because they never gave you a chance to fix it, and then they don’t have to give you a raise,” she said.
In a separate post on the same topic, Lord dove deeper into bosses who are no contact, explaining that their lack of communication “Does not necessarily mean that they trust you.”
“Sometimes, it just means your boss is not a great boss, not good at leadership, and doesn’t have their priorities straight,” she declared.
She noted how tricky this situation can be for employees, saying, “It might feel like independence and autonomy and being trusted, but it’s a really big red flag that your boss is probably just bad at organizing their time and really not good at self-accountability.”
“No news is good news,” as the adage goes, but it misses the mark when it comes to work. While you don’t want a boss who breathes down your neck all day, you also don’t want a boss who can’t be bothered to communicate with you.
As Lord said, the best way to protect yourself is to make yourself visible by showing up and reaching for some form of communication and accountability.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers social issues, pop culture and all things to do with the entertainment industry.