Got a Bad Boss? You Could Be in Luck

by Mike Hall, Jul 9, 2008

There are some pretty bad, downright nasty bosses out there and if you work for, or once worked for, the worst of the worst, Working America’s third annual My Bad Boss Contest wants to hear from you.

The contest kicks off today and runs through Aug. 19.

Not only does it give you a chance to vent, but you could also win: First prize–A week’s free stay at a condo in one of more than 50 countries and $1,000 toward airfare and other travel/trip expenses. Second prize–A week’s free stay at a condo in one of more than 50 countries and $500 toward airfare or other travel/trip expenses.

Last year, an employee of an Illinois tyrant had the top Bad Boss. He callously threw away his employee’s paid leave paperwork, leaving him without paid leave or disability benefits for those days. The father of three small children was battling a rare form of cancer and needed paid leave to help pay his family’s bills.

In 2006, the worst of the bad bosses was the millionaire dentist who, because so many patients canceled appointments on Sept. 11, 2001, took the money he would have made that day out of his employees’ paychecks.

There have been other bosses that got votes for the “Bad Boss” hall of fame, including:

• The boss who forced an employee to stay in a burning building for 45 minutes to shut down office computers and lights.

• The boss who knowingly hired his employee’s stalker—and laughed about it.

• There was even a boss who told an ailing employee, “This is not a good time for the company for you to be having cancer.”

Later this week, Working America, the AFL-CIO’s 2-million member community affiliate, will release a new report that shows some 15 million U.S. workers are suffering in silence under a bad boss. We’ll bring you more on that when it’s released.

Click here for more on the contest, including rules.

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