You don’t have to like them to Wrk with them
I have worked for a boss that really didn't like me and it really is an unpleasant situation. They didn't like my education, my background, my dress. In fact there really was very little that they liked about me at all, although had little to do with the hiring process which was handled by a personnel office without including him in the framework of the interviewing process.
LOOKING AT WHY
I hated the job. I was good at it though dreaded going to work in the mornings, but was determined to make a go of it and it really didn't take me long to decide that what I needed to know was what it was that the guy didn't like about me and why. Talking in a general way with other employees, I found I was not the only one that the guy disliked, though I thought it served no purpose to talk about him specifically behind his back. It's not my nature to do that, and I was seeking to make the situation better, not worse.
What I found out was that recently the company had been taken over by another firm, and that whilst in the past, he had always chosen his own staff, the new company take-over had taken this away from him, and that the special personnel unit that had employed me consisted of people with university qualifications rather than practical skills.
The boss had been in the job for years, was exceptionally good at what he did, although his attitude towards workers had changed since the introduction of graduate employees rather than experienced ones. His qualifications were taken in his youth, and in the days when he was employed, what was more important than paper qualifications was the persons ability to work, and to be flexible in a practical situation.
Many of the employees he had had since the new personnel block appeared had been unsatisfactory in their work, and the reason was twofold. One reason was that their book learning hadn't prepared them for the working stresses of the company day to day business, or the efficiency levels required of them, and the other because the boss resented those members of staff that were employed without consulting him.
FINDING ANSWERS
Once I understood what the problems were and could see very clearly the pattern that was emerging, it was easy to create a plan. People were coming and going, and no-one was staying. I am a pretty stubborn sort, and if confronted with a situation that is wrong, tend to take the harder path, and try and resolve it. Talking to Personnel was encouraged in the company, and little by little I explained my findings and the reasons why the department I worked for had such a huge turnover of staff, and inefficiency levels that were no longer acceptable to the company.
It wasn't the boss that was making the company fail. It was the combination of taking away incentives from him, not asking his opinion about the kind of people that were employed, and in fact leaving him out of the loop completely in the hiring process.
Personnel spoke to other members within the department, and I had already primed them with the idea that life in the office would be better if the boss was involved in the hiring procedure, and eventually we managed to persuade Personnel to involve him.
MOVING FORWARD
Fast forwarding two years, what happened was that the boss who was nasty to me and that really didn't make me feel comfortable in my work began to feel valued again. He didn't know that the Personnel department had been scrutinizing the department. He didn't know who initiated that investigation that lead to him being involved, and little by little the resentment towards me changed.
By showing him that I was able to work with him in his way, that I had the skills he was looking for and could put up with his grumpy attitude and in fact give as good back on occasions, we formed a love hate relationship that worked exceedingly well, increasing productivity, and morale amongst the staff.
THE MORAL OF THE STORY
If someone is nasty to a person they know very little about, there is usually a reason. People are not born naturally nasty, and half the battle is finding that reason and doing something about it. It may be jealousy, it may be that they hate change, though if you look deep enough what you find is that the hate you feel is directed at you is because of some underlying reason. Finding the reason and being able to do something about it, what you learn is that the hate is a battle that the boss has in their own head, and that it isn't always you that he hates.
