From the beginning of your career and until your retirement, you will probably change many workplaces and face managers that are bad, authoritarian, and aggressive. If you haven’t dealt with this type of person, you may consider yourself very lucky!

Here are some tips to deal with a toxic manager at work:

1. Patience: make sure to remain patient no matter what happens between you and your manager at work. Don’t be aggressive, because your manager might then see you as a competitor rather than a member of the team, which would create problems that can last for months.

    

2. Pay attention to the decisions you make: don’t make decisions that are illogic like hitting your manager or suddenly leaving your job, because such actions will affect the future of your career and it will be difficult for you to find a new job. 

    

3. Communication: ask for a private meeting with your manager and calmly discuss together the problems you are facing at work.

    

4. Set limits: inform your manager of things that you consider as red lines not to be crossed, so that you start your relationship on a clear note from the beginning.

    

5. Learn and adapt: sometimes you will have to sacrifice when dealing with toxic managers and accept some things that bother you, to learn and succeed in the future. This is why, just do your job, leave your ego aside and remember that this is temporary.

    

6. Don’t take everything personally: if your manager treats you in a bad or unfair way, this doesn’t mean they hate you or have anything particular against you. This might indicate their style of work, which they apply with everyone; so don’t take everything personally.

    

7. Document everything: when something bad or annoying happens at work, document it in writing or gather proofs around it, for you might need them in the future.

    

8. Ask for help: if you lack the confidence to face your manager, ask for help from the HR manager or your colleagues. They can then set a group meeting with your manager to discuss the matter that is bothering you because they usually are more understanding than your manager.

    

9. Take legal measures: if you feel that the problem is getting serious or dangerous, contact a lawyer or agent who works in problem and conflict management within workplaces.

    

10. Resign: if you don’t succeed to fix the problem following the above tips, simply resign and search for a new job, especially if your manager is negatively affecting your physical and psychological health, as well as your personal life, for these things should always remain your priority.

There is no doubt that dealing with a toxic manager isn’t the most pleasant thing to do, but always try not to allow it to affect your work and productivity and remain on good terms with your colleagues and other managers in the company. Procrastination at work, missing work with a pretext of being sick and other similar acts can be used by your manager against you in the future, turning them into the victim.

In conclusion, you should expect to meet throughout your career time, people from different types of characters, ages, backgrounds, and cultures. Not everyone will be like you wish them to be and not everyone thinks or acts as you do, which might cause many problems and it is normal. However, you have to accept the people around you and respect them, for communication and negotiation are the best ways to solve all kinds of problems at work and beyond.