Toxic boss alert: watch out for these traits

The work environment can either foster long-term commitment from employees or prompt them to leave as soon as possible. The influence of bosses on the workplace atmosphere can significantly shape your professional experience, making it either enjoyable or unbearable.

A survey released in 2022 by GoodHire found that 82% of American employees said they would quit their job over a horrible boss.

CEO of the Chicago-based employment agency LaSalle Network Tom Gimbel shared a guide to help tell the difference between a good and a bad boss in an article on CNBC Make It. Gimbel told the media outlet, “There’s an expression: ’People join companies, but they quit bosses.” Click on to find out if you have a toxic boss.

No, the ghost boss isn't spooky or speaking to otherwordly spirits....the ghost boss is "just never around," according to Gimbel. It is hard to be a good leader if you don't know what is going on at the workplace!

Gimbel says the ghost boss usually doesn't keep up with their team's work and is hard to get ahold of when employees need them. Therefore, employees are left without guidance, making it difficult for them to navigate their work.

In addition, employees lose out on having a mentor, which can significantly slow down their career growth.

The narcissist boss doesn't really care about their employees. Their main concern is their own worries and feelings, according to Gimbel.

If you have a narcissist boss, everything will always be all about them. When the narcissist boss makes decisions for the company, they always think about what would be the most beneficial for them.

The needs of their employees are a complete afterthought, which causes their team to feel like their boss does not care about them as human beings. To make matters even more frustrating for the team under their leadership, the narcissist boss loves flattery and "will take credit for good ideas or other measures of success," says Gimbel.

A boss who wants to be your BFF sounds like a pretty great boss...right? Well, it actually isn't great at all.

Even though it is good to socialize with co-workers, Tom Gimbel said that the BFF boss will prioritize making friends over proper leadership and accountability.

In addition, they tend to distract their employees from their work which can slow down the progress of the whole team because this kind of boss so badly wants to be liked.

Everyone wants a hard-working leader; working hard is a good thing, right? Well, the grinder boss seems to never stop working and may make you feel like you ought to be doing the same.

According to Gimbel, they can make their employees feel like they are "subpar performers" if they are not constantly working overtime like their boss.

To make matters worse, a grinder boss is never satisfied with their employees' work, causing employees to work extra hours yet never meet their boss' ridiculously high standards.

A boss should be motivating, without a doubt! Gimbel characterizes the motivator boss as one who: "encourages you when you're struggling, pats you on the back when you accomplish something, and always offers you support when you need it."

Gimbel says they tend to be very optimistic and want their employees to "look on the bright side." It sounds like a pretty nice boss to have, doesn't it? Well, constant optimism does have drawbacks.

Gimbel says that it can "get a little bit old sometimes." The other problem of the motivator boss is that they tend to brush off bad news and fail to acknowledge issues due to their positivity.

According to Gimbel, the volcano boss and the ghost boss are rather similar because they don't offer much guidance, and "they aren't really into the work you're doing."

However, the volcano boss is arguably much more stressful to deal with because they will eventually just "erupt, just blow up" when a task isn't done to their satisfaction.

Of course, a volcano boss doesn't tend to do much self-reflection because if they did, Gimbel says they would most likely realize that the errors in their employees' work are largely their own fault due to lack of involvement and guidance. Fortunately, the volcano boss is pretty rare, and the chances you are a volcano boss or encounter one are pretty low.

In the CNBC Make It article, Gimbel said an accountable but caring boss is the best boss to have. Gimbel said, "They give you honest feedback about your work, whether it's good or bad, and challenge you to perform to the best of your ability."

The accountable but caring boss actually sees their employees as human beings and will thus accommodate things and be understanding if there are personal issues, etc. 

According to Gimbe, they aren't a lot of caring bosses who will still hold you accountable and help you grow. However, if you happen to stumble upon the "unicorn boss" make sure to do everything you can to get the most out of the experience and enjoy the mentorship. If you have a good boss, you are very lucky!