Horrible bosses can drain you. They can stifle enthusiasm. And they’re bad for the economy.
On the flip side, if you’re currently working with a bad boss — or have ever had one — you’re significantly less likely to become one yourself. But knowing that still doesn’t make it easier to work for a difficult person.
What may help, however, is a little humor. And being reminded that you’re not the only one in this situation. So here are some of the most egregious (and sometimes most entertaining) tweets from and about horrible bosses.
The Boss Who Doesn’t Respect the Weekend
Saturday is for sleeping and relaxing, not working.
The Accidental Boss
It’s hard to be a good leader or manager if you’re not even sure if you’re the boss.
The Boss With No Boundaries
Maybe you have a good relationship with your employees. But this is a little too close for most people’s comfort.
The Boss Who Blurs Lines
It’s never a good idea to get too close to your boss. Or they may become your ex...boss.
The Boss With No Compassion
This boss certainly sounds pretty callous to fire someone who is already going through so much.
The Humorless Boss
Puns aren’t always welcome in the workplace, even if they’re as brilliant as this one.
The Boss Who Doesn’t Walk the Walk
It’s hard to respect someone if they’re busy telling you what to do but they don’t do the basics themselves.
The Brutally Honest Boss
Some bosses don’t waste any time sugarcoating what they mean.
The Boss Who Dishes It But Can’t Take It
When talking to your boss, there’s always a fine line between “the truth” and “what they want to believe is the truth.”
The Boss Who Doesn’t Know What They’re Talking About
Easily one of the most infuriating things about bad bosses is the fact that they often don’t know what they’re talking about (and you theoretically could call them out on it, but you really can’t).
The Boss Who Doesn’t Share Information
If you don’t set up an environment for your workers to thrive and be productive while you’re gone, you can’t ever leave and that’s not their fault.
The Boss Who Makes You Question Your Sanity
The only thing more frustrating than being given more work is when you’re condescendingly told you’ve already been told to do something (and you know you weren’t).
The Passive-Aggressive Boss
You know you may not be your boss’s favorite when they tell you that you should feel lucky to work even minimal hours.
The Farty Boss
Even if they’re a nice person, it’s hard to work with a gross boss.
The Boss Who Tries Too Hard to Be a Fun Boss
It’s always both way too early and way too late to do the Macarena in the office.
The Boss Who Screws You Over
Some bosses can’t be trusted to look out for anything other than the company (and their own) interests.
The Boss With Double Standards
Be careful what you wish for, boss, because you just might get it.
The Callous Boss
Not everyone wants to share personal life details with their boss, especially if their boss may use that knowledge to get you to do more work.
The Worst Boss
We can not only be our own worst enemies, we can also be our own worst bosses. Sometimes another person motivating you can make all the difference in your productivity.
The Old-Fashioned Boss
Some bosses don’t understand that you need medicine and/or rest to get better from a cold. You do not need an old-timey shot of hard alcohol like they did back in the Wild West.
The Cryptic Boss
It’s bad enough if your boss says something you don’t understand, but making you figure it out off the clock seems like an extra dose of rude.
The Unrealistic Boss
It can be frustrating when your boss expects you to go above and beyond to get to work no matter the weather conditions.
The Aloof Boss
Is it so hard to simply say, “Good job”?
The Cursing Boss
The only f-word that’s welcome in an office setting is “Friday.”
The Judgmental Boss
Even if someone is having an “off” day looks-wise, you don’t need to point it out. Ever.
The Taunting Boss
Some bosses will call your bluff when you threaten to quit. And, in doing so, they’ll usually win the fight.
The Smelly Boss
One man’s roses are another man’s corpse.
The Serious Boss
Getting fired is tough. But finding out you’ve been fired via text message? That’s extra rough.
The Disappearing Boss
It doesn’t exactly inspire a great deal of faith in your boss when they stand you up for a meeting because they’re in another country and failed to mention it.
The Hierarchical Boss
A boss that goes out of their way to not be approachable usually isn’t a great leader.
The Chatty Boss
What’s even worse than a boss who won’t stop talking to you is a boss who knows they’re interrupting you and can’t help themselves.
The Revenge Boss
Every once in a while you get to see a former horrible boss be brought to justice in one way or another.
The Repetitive Boss
If you already said it several times, people probably wouldn’t need to ask again.
The 'I’m Not Your Friend' Boss
They may laugh along with you for a while...until they remind you they’re your boss.
The Loud Boss
It’s bad enough you have to endure the loud sounds of your co-workers. It’s even worse when your boss gets involved.
The Boss That Takes You up on Your Offer
Sometimes you just want to seem like a good employee, not actually be one.
The Note-Loving Boss
If there’s something that pertains to the whole company, saying it in person is way nicer than leaving a passive aggressive note out for everyone.
The Hypothetically Uncaring Boss
It’s sad when you think your boss cares so little about you that they wouldn’t even blink an eye if you were gone.
The Beet Boss
You know what they say, if you can’t beet ‘em, make your employees eat ‘em...or something like that.
The Travesty of a Boss
The worst part of this tweet is that every boss who has ever done this to poor Travis probably thinks they’re the first one to come up with it and the cleverest person in the world.
The Boss Who Delegates Meetings
There’s no better way to waste your afternoon (and ruin your mood) than sitting in a bunch of meetings you’re forced to be at.
The Bragging Boss
Maybe someone should tell this boss that this particular website isn’t something to be bragging about.
The Lackadaisical Boss
It’s hard to care about your work when your boss doesn’t care about their work.
The Boss Who Doesn’t Even Notice
If you know you’re being overlooked, you might as well have fun with it.
The Boss You’re Better Off Without
The best part about some horrible bosses is when they’re a distant memory.
The Night Owl Boss
Nighttime is for sleeping and relaxing, not work “madness.”
The Tough Love Boss
When you’re not feeling great, your boss may be nice enough to let you go home. But not without first making you feel a little worse about yourself.
The Procrastinating Boss
It’s like this boss wanted to be nice but then realized that they can just be nice another time instead.
The Boss Who Knows Too Much About You
In order to keep a professional relationship healthy, it’s best if you keep some space and distance between your boss and your (sometimes embarrassing) personal life.
The Self Aware But Grateful Bad Boss
Hey, not all bosses are perfect. They’re a lot more manageable when they know there’s room for improvement on their end and are grateful to the employees who stick with them.
The Neverending Bad Boss Cycle
There’s nothing worse than being relieved to be free from a one horrible boss only to be in a situation with a new — and still horrible — boss.