1. Bad Boss or Poor Management

“Never waste a good opportunity to learn from a bad boss.”

If you or someone you know has recently quit his or her job, it is highly likely the boss may have been the reason. Employees have consistently stated that their boss was one of the top reasons they chose to leave an organization. “I quit my boss, not my job” is a statement I have heard more than a few times. The relationship between boss and employee can make or break a career as well as the success of the organization. I can think of managers in my career who have made a world of difference and one or two managers I wish I had never met. Managers who are successful have an ability to lead, inspire, and motivate their teams. On the other hand, ineffective managers can have a devastating effect both personally and professionally on the people they manage. A study conducted at the Hogan Institute asked employees to describe the top bad behaviors of their boss. I was fascinated by what they found. It's possible you have experienced a few of these behaviors firsthand.

The top bad behaviors of bosses include being:

1. Arrogant
2. Manipulative
3. Emotionally unstable and volatile
4. Micro-managing
5. Passive aggressive
6. Distrustful of others

Yet, as destructive as bad bosses can be, great bosses can make your work life fulfilling and enjoyable. They can turn a mediocre job into a fantastic career and make the culture of any organization a place you want to work. A great boss has a significant impact on your daily work life and how your career progresses. One of my own great bosses taught me a lesson I will never forget on how to treat the people with whom I work.

In my late twenties, our home caught fire while I was at work. My wife desperately tried to get a hold of me (this was before there were cell phones!). But I didn't arrive home until most of our house was a near-total loss. With a two-year-old and a newborn baby, the whole experience was almost more than my wife and I could handle. Having lost everything (yes, we only had the clothes on our backs) and now displaced from our home and living in an apartment, every day seemed like another mountain to climb. I had to continue working while handling endless phone calls with the insurance company and the contractors who were rebuilding our home; it was a nightmare. It was a dark time for our little family and one that still haunts me

Within a few days of the fire, my boss, Darryl, visited and delivered hundreds of dollars of donated baby supplies and another few hundred dollars in gift cards that he had collected for us. It was one of the most tender moments in my life to have another individual see the desperate situation we were in and do everything he could to make it better. It was a deeply touching time, and I knew by his actions he was a kind and good man who made a big difference at a vital time in my life. I have never forgotten what he did for us, and it has served as a reminder how I should always treat my employees. Darryl was known for demanding excellence at work, but he was also fair. Let's just say that I won him a sales award that year and produced more sales than anyone in that position before me. I did it because of the type of person he was, and he inspired me to do and be better by how he treated me. If you have a good boss, be sure to thank him or her tomorrow! If, on the other hand, you are dealing with a boss who might better be described as a demon than a human, keep reading for help!

2. Internal Politics

“I never repeat gossip, so listen carefully.” —Old Joke

Internal politics are a part of life that everyone has to deal with. Different from organization to organization, the culture and leadership determine the types of internal politics that can occur. I can promise one thing: every company, whether large or small, is going to deal with the issue of office politics, and it isn't going away anytime soon.

You already know why you hate internal politics. Jack got the promotion over you because he golfs with your boss even though you are better qualified. You had better numbers last year, you worked harder, you took on more projects, you were more of a team player, you dressed better, and you don't have bad breath like Jack does. No matter the hundreds of reasons you feel you should have gotten the promotion, internal politics proved differently.

If you consistently experience office politics, you are more likely to dislike and disengage from your job, especially if you have ended up on the wrong end of the politics, like Susan did.

Susan was having a fantastic sales year. Her territory was looking to pass 150 percent of quota. Jan, a counterpart to Susan, was not having a great sales year and was hoping to skid by at 100 percent. Jan announced to her boss that after working with a new client for over six months, she had sold a large deal. Contracts were being signed in the next few days, and customer orders would be coming in soon. Jan was going to exceed her quota, and everyone was thrilled! Since Jan was now making her quota, the team was in contention to win an award trip, and life couldn't be better. Everyone was on cloud nine about the good news, until the first order was placed and Susan and Jan's manager realized the customer was not in Jan's territory, but Susan's. The customer sits on the border between the two territories, but after some investigation, the customer clearly belonged to Susan.

The politics begin as the decision has to be made who owns that customer. Should it be Jan, who has worked with them for six months and built a relationship, or should it be Susan, who really owns the customer because the company resides in her territory? What about the team award? How will that be affected? Let the demoralization, stress, and fighting begin! With office politics, there is always someone who feels he or she comes out on the losing side. This is bad for business, work engagement, and employee morale.

We hate politics in our business life because we want the work environment to be fair and equitable. We don't want to believe or perceive that important decisions that affect us are made on the basis of incorrect information and motives. If you consistently experience office politics, you are more likely to dislike and disengage from your job, especially if you have ended up on the losing side of a political battle.

3. You Are Overworked, Overwhelmed, and Undervalued

“When work feels overwhelming, just remember … it will end when you die.”

You may dislike your job if you are overworked and overwhelmed. This is perhaps one of the most difficult reasons for many of my clients to come to terms with, because they, themselves, usually are partly to blame.

“But Dr. Bray, if I don't do it, no one will.”

“My counterparts are so lazy, I have to make up for their incompetence.”

“I'm working myself to death every day while Mr. Lazy is busy on Facebook doing the minimum and making the same salary that I am. It drives me crazy.”

Sound familiar? While it may be easy to place blame on the company for the overwhelming amount of work you have to complete, you may have to share the blame. Outstanding, hardworking, and dedicated individuals like you can have a difficult time saying, “No!” An extra project needs to be done, “Sure, I will do it.” That new employee needs to be trained, “I can help out!” you respond. We volunteer, say yes, or agree to things that we may not have the time (or the energy) to complete and then we go on to blame the organization when we are overworked and overwhelmed. Many of my clients have had to learn how to say, “No” to combat and fix the overworked and overwhelmed problem. Take a few days and evaluate your work to see if you may not be your own worst enemy when it comes to being overworked.

Feeling valued and important as an employee is critical to your success. If high-performing individuals are not valued, they may slip to become mediocre players. Remember, it is easier to keep high-performing employees at that level than to have their performance drop and have to spend time and energy coaching them back to excellence.

4. You Work with Not So Smart, Not So Hard-Working, and (can I say it?) … Idiots

“Sometimes I sit quietly and wonder why I am not in a mental asylum. Then I look around at work and realize I may already be in one.”

The importance of working with people you like cannot be overstated! Friendships at work can make up for and sometimes even prevent negative work issues. On the other hand, working with crazy people can cause stress, misery, and workdays that seem to last forever. You may dislike your job if the people you work with are unkind, mean, backstabbing, rude, gossipy, lazy, not funny, or loud breathers, and… Should I stop there or continue?

Brett, a good friend of mine, found this to be true. He took a sales manager position that he felt was a good stepping-stone for his career. He had heard that the company was a good one, but also heard that some of the individuals he would be working with were difficult and sometimes downright mean. He decided he could handle the potential problems and took the position.

Brett quickly realized he had made a poor decision. It was a bad environment that soon began to take a toll on his health, his marriage, and his self-esteem. I encouraged him to quit and get out, but he felt stuck (see Chapter 8), as other positions were very limited in his small state. The focus of the leadership team soon turned on Brett, and he was demoted from his management position into a sales position.

As I watched Brett go through this experience, I saw firsthand the effect of working in a toxic environment and why employees will disengage from work if they are surrounded by idiotic people.

5. Your Salary

You can name your own salary here… We just get to decide where the decimal point goes ($1,000,000 or $100,0000?).

You may hate your job (yes, notice I saved that word for pay-scale issues) if you feel like your pay does not match your work, effort, and time. The Gallup poll (2013) found that salary is one of the top measurements for why employees may not be engaged at work. Most of us feel that we should be paid more, regardless of our current salary. However, most companies are paying the industry average in compensating their employees. The question becomes who is right in the compensation battle. No matter who is right, the truth remains that employees will go the extra mile, be loyal, and do the right thing more often if they feel they are being fairly compensated.

Costco is a great example of this. They pay their workers 65 percent more than what Wal-Mart pays, which owns Costco's biggest competitor, Sam's Club. They also offer health benefits to part-time workers. These added financial perks have proven to be a benefit not only to Costco's employees, but also to Costco the company. Ready for this? Costco's employees generate nearly twice the sales and work of Sam's Club's employees. They also have a much lower turnover rate. The reduced cost of recruiting and training employees has saved Costco millions of dollars each year. Both employer and employee have won.

Now is your chance to consider how many of the top five reasons you are currently dealing with. Take a few minutes to think and write down the top reasons you may be disengaged from your job. You will need this information as you progress through the next chapters.

Top Reasons Why I Am Disengaged from My Job