My story: I was given the option to change my boss for the first time in 2006 or so. At this company, I'd already been promoted several times, ostensibly on merit, which involved a different boss each time. This event was different. The team was growing and we simply needed more people doing similar things. I decided my relationship with a (somewhat older) peer-turned-manager would be better off if I didn't report to him.

Had he been a bad boss? Not really, but he wasn't a good boss. The new boss wasn't any better or worse. Old boss and I both spent the next year slightly miserable, but I wouldn't have known how miserable he was until he suddenly left the company. And then he hired me away a few months later.

He also fired me a couple years later. Why? I was sick of the job, and I mostly deserved it; we were also at a smaller company now, where more egos were crammed into one room. I'd also literally been given a second job and a second title, complete with a second boss, who was also my boss's boss. (No pay increase, of course.)

Was it more work than I could handle? Not exactly. Was there a mismatch between my responsibility and my power? Absolutely. Did losing this job damage my career? Not in the long run, and I learned far more valuable lessons about the need to simply work differently with different people.

I think stories like this are close to the best possible outcome when you have a bad boss. And I think the moral here, is that a Voltron Manager is something everyone should have regardless of how good their current manager may be.

If you cannot leave, understand why (e.g., does your resume feature COBOL as a top skill?) and try to fix this quickly. Having a mindset "I like working here, but I can find another job quickly if I have to" helps greatly in any job, e.g. by letting you take calculated risks at your job (and sleep well at night), which on success can give you great benefits. My 2c.

edit: My story is about developing the opportunities to leave several different mediocre bosses, sometimes more than once! It really did work out for me, even when I made the decision to go back to the devil I knew.

All of these mediocre bosses were well-intentioned former engineers and I have no lingering ill will toward any of them. The part I left out of the story, is that behind the scenes in all of this, was the layer of management above and around them. I was incredibly fortunate that a Voltron had sort of built itself around me. Other engineers I barely got to know, noticed my work. The executive overseeing the departments at both companies paid attention to what his reports were doing. He didn't want to listen to me lament every possible bit I ever might have to twiddle, but he was a significant guiding force in my career for years before I even realized it.

It is possible to develop relationships like this, through good faith efforts. But I honestly don't know how I would pass along any advice about this, other than by being as honest as possible about what happened in my life. Essentially: Look Around.

I am sure they do, but this is likely due to a funky supply and demand state: low demand but even lower supply which leads to good compensation but fewer opportunities. To acquire a freedom to move to a new employer I would emphasize my high demand skills instead. Just an opinion

Basically: In some cases where you work and what you are working on trumps who you are working for and how much you are paid.

And with so many unemployed tech workers you don't think tech companies would face an equal level of difficulty in having so many empty positions?

If tech workers were more savvy and critical in terms of deciding where they work and what conditions they allow themselves to work under (e.g. crunch, bad management, etc.) the industry would be breaking its back to try to change things to hold onto and acquire talent.

You beat me to it.

Your job at your workplace is what you were hired for. Yes, that position's requirements and workload may change, but that is to be expected. What should not be expected is for you to do all that and do what your boss is failing to do in their own job.

If you'll have to work extra hard to do your boss' work as well... why aren't you getting paid more? Or why aren't you the boss? It's clearly a sign to look elsewhere for employment, if you're not already.

Unsupportive bosses are a sign of bad culture or that their bosses are likely equally unsupportive or clueless. Cut your losses.

Did you know Indeed will send you unlimited alerts on a daily basis! Great site :D

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/people-dont-leave-bad-jobs-bo...

No need to stick around for a bad boss.

What’s paradoxical is the advice for building a cohort of advisors is valid even when you have a supportive boss.

I hope for your sake that you aren't. If you are, you probably are already getting screwed and just don't know it yet. And it'll probably end with another disillusionment because the company sure as hell won't be loyal to you once the CEO can increase his exit-bonus by firing you.

Europe has a much better workplace culture in general , and there is some loyalty between the worker and the workplace.

Some have decided to quit just before the firing rounds, because we all could see it coming. That is "disloyal", but they are now employed again. That may have been the better decision for them.

All of this was in a European Company.

I believe it can worth being loyal to co-workers and your immediate boss if they deserve it, since they're actual human beings and can be loyal to you, but a company is not a human.

Your boss isn't doing their job, so "fire" them (get a new one).

Not everyone here works in a tech-hub or even in a large company.