The Wrath of Boss

College managers will not be surprised to learn that there are plenty of workplace problems in FE colleges. So many in fact that more than a fifth of our entire membership contact us every year for help.

Last week, for example a member phoned to say they had been suspended. They had given out false information and now they were being investigated pending disciplinary action. Understandable, until you realise that the false information was given out on the instruction of the boss. It seems our member is now the scapegoat for the boss’s ego; and we are left to salvage the remains of the member’s career.

And then on Friday a member calls having been sent to a meeting at a hotel to “catch up” on some issues with a consultant. But it turns out that the consultant had been hired by the college to tell our member that they have no confidence in him. He was suspended on the spot and told to hand over his mobile phone and laptop.

Sadly these aren’t isolated examples. What’s more, treating valuable staff in such a way hardly enhances the reputation of our sector. But the sad fact is some bosses are arrogant and some are nothing but bullies.

Thankfully, “bully boss” doesn’t run that many colleges, but he (and he often is male) is out there; and he throws his weight around when the going gets tough. Sure, he keeps trade union officers in jobs, but it must be so soul-destroying for all those hard-working managers and teachers who face his wrath.

Of course another source of problems in colleges is poor human relations management. Whether it’s bad recruitment, a lack of training, poor policies or simply an inexperienced HR department, we have a recipe for trouble. Add into the mix an HR function without authority to take decisions and you understand why a few colleges have become very large blips on the ACM radar.

When resolving an individual problem at work, we always look for the win-win outcome. So imagine our frustration when we are repeatedly told “no” because the boss is either being belligerent, or simply doesn’t understand what we are proposing. Yet if there were more qualified HR managers with a good understanding of employment law, and in particular the delegated power to make decisions, we would resolve many issues without any fuss. Also, colleges would save money as their knowledgeable HR staff wouldn’t need to run every ACM counter-proposal past the college’s solicitors.

Sadly in some colleges the chances of change for the better look slim, but we can’t give up. If we keep recruiting more members, if we continue to highlight and fight their disgraceful behaviour, and if we keep repeating our message, perhaps “bully boss” will be replaced by “best practice boss”; and then we can all get along better.