Can You Enjoy Your Electrical Engineering Job If You Don’t Like Your Boss?
Are you an electrical engineer who doesn’t get along with your boss? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. The Conference Board reports that 53% of Americans are currently unhappy at work, with many citing their boss as the reason.
If you have a bad relationship with your manager, it doesn’t have to affect every aspect of your job. Here are some things electrical engineers can do to try and improve their relationship with their boss.
Reasons You May Not Be Getting on With Your Boss
First, let’s look at the reasons you might not like your boss.
· Workplace Culture
Money may be a key motivator for you in your job, but for many electrical engineers, it isn’t everything. In fact, according to a recent survey, 52% of engineers would take less money to work with an exciting brand and in good company culture.
If you are not sold on the company mission or excited about the product or service you are providing, you will probably find you start to dislike your place of work and your managers.
You need to work in a company culture that aligns with your values to find like-minded colleagues and bosses who you are sure to get along with.
Identify the things that you think would make a workplace great – such as inclusion, communication, innovation – and find a new electrical engineering job in an organization that promotes these values.
· Discrimination
Discrimination is a real problem in the tech industry. Age discrimination, gender discrimination, and race discrimination are all present in the industry. You may be experiencing them first-hand from your boss.
Even if you are not experiencing them yourself, but are viewing discrimination against your colleagues, it is likely to lead to a worsening relationship between you and your boss. You’ll start to feel uncomfortable and unhappy at work.
Love Your Electrical Engineering Job but Hate Your Boss? Here Is What to Do
If you are in a position where you love your electrical engineering job, but your boss is making you dread coming into work, there are a few things you can do to try and improve the situation. For example:
· Take a Step Back and Review the Situation
Take a step back and review yourself, the workplace, and your boss. Most likely there is not solely one party to blame. If you are not getting on with your boss, you may be able to identify where you may be contributing to the problem. There may be external factors, too, such as technology or other issues in the workplace that are making work difficult and causing friction with your boss.
· Offer a Chance to Change
If you can identify where yourself or something in the workplace is causing a problem in the relationship with your boss, take the opportunity to make a change.
Talk to your boss. Start an open line of communication, explain to them your issue and what you are going to do to try and improve it. Often, this type of open communication will be well received. If you show that you are self-aware and know you are part of the problem and willing to make a change, your boss may also concede that they are contributing to the problem and offer to make changes on their side.
· Alert HR
If you have opened lines of communication, reviewed your own behavior, and made changes but nothing has improved, it’s time to notify HR. There may also be other electrical engineers on your team that are having the same grievances with your boss, in which case you can arrange a grievance meeting together.
For this option, you need to present a substantial case. You cannot simply say you dislike your boss. You need to present why their management is poor and how it is affecting the business and productivity within the team. You’ll need examples to demonstrate this poor management and its effects.
· Search for a New Electrical Engineer Job
If none of the above has worked, it’s time for you to start searching for a new job. If you cannot tolerate your boss anymore – and there are no signs that things are going to change – you need to find a role that you will enjoy.
Being dissatisfied at work can lead to mental and physical health issues. It can affect your personal life. You deserve to have a job you love.
To Sum Up
Working for a boss you don’t get along with can make you dread going into work, but you don’t need to sit back and accept the situation. Try to open lines of communication with your boss. Explain your grievances and work out a solution together. If that does not work, it may be time to look for a new electrical engineer job, in which you will be happier and more motivated to reach your potential.
For help finding your next electrical engineer job, contact Loyal Source.