The Toxic Boss

Category: Uncategorized

  • “We Trust You to Manage Your Own Time” Means You’re Always On

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    Anon
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    “We trust you to manage your own time.” It sounds empowering.Modern.Adult. But in a lot of workplaces, it’s not trust. It’s removal of boundaries. Freedom Without Protection This phrase usually arrives alongside flexibility. Work from anywhere.Set your own hours.Take ownership. But what quietly disappears is the end of the workday. No clear start.No clear finish.Just…

  • “We Can’t Make Exceptions” Is How Inequality Is Preserved

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    Anon
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    “We can’t make exceptions.” It’s said firmly.Almost proudly. And it’s usually delivered right when fairness would be inconvenient. The Policy Shield This phrase appears when someone asks for something reasonable. A pay adjustment.A role correction.Flexibility that acknowledges reality. Instead of engaging with the request, leadership hides behind policy. Not because the policy is sacred.But because…

  • “We’re Doing More With Less” Is Not a Strategy

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    Anon
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    “We’re doing more with less.” It’s said like a badge of honour.As if endurance is innovation. But most of the time, it’s not strategy. It’s surrender. The Phrase That Normalises Burnout This line shows up after cuts. Headcount freezes.Budget reductions.Restructures that quietly remove support roles. And instead of rethinking scope, leadership reframes the loss as…

  • “We’re All Feeling the Pressure” Is Not Leadership

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    Anon
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    “We’re all feeling the pressure.” It’s usually said calmly.Almost sympathetically. And it’s meant to make the conversation stop. Shared Stress as a Shield The phrase appears when someone raises a concern. Too much work.Unclear priorities.Deadlines that keep tightening. Instead of addressing the issue, leadership widens it. If everyone is struggling, then no one is responsible.…

  • “It’s Not a Priority Right Now” Means It Never Will Be

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    Anon
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    “It’s not a priority right now.” It sounds temporary.Reasonable.Almost considerate. But in most workplaces, it’s a soft way of saying: this is not going to happen. The Ranking Game Everything is a priority — until it isn’t. Your workload grows.Expectations rise.Deadlines stay tight. But when you raise something that affects you — pay, progression, sustainability…

  • “We’ll Review It Next Quarter” Is a Decision to Do Nothing

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    Anon
    in

    “We’ll review it next quarter.” It sounds responsible.Measured.Strategic. But most of the time, it’s not a plan. It’s a postponement dressed up as prudence. The Illusion of Process This phrase usually appears when a decision feels inconvenient. A raise request.A role clarification.A structural problem that keeps slowing things down. Rather than saying no, leadership pushes…

  • “This Is Just How It Is Here” Is Not an Explanation

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    Anon
    in

    “This is just how it is here.” It’s usually said casually.Almost apologetically. And it’s meant to end the conversation. The Normalisation of Dysfunction You hear it when you question something that doesn’t make sense. Why deadlines are always impossible.Why decisions change without warning.Why the same problems keep resurfacing. “This is just how it is here.”…

  • “We Need You to Be More Flexible” Means You’re Carrying the Failure

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    Anon
    in

    “We need you to be more flexible.” It sounds reasonable.Team-oriented.Mature. But in most workplaces, it’s said when something has already gone wrong — and someone else doesn’t want to own it. Flexibility Only Flows One Way Notice when this phrase appears. A deadline was unrealistic.A scope wasn’t defined.A decision was rushed. And instead of fixing…

  • “Let’s Circle Back” Is How Problems Go to Die

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    Anon
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    “Let’s circle back.” It sounds collaborative.Non-confrontational.Reasonable. But in most workplaces, it means one thing: This is not getting fixed. The Soft Dismissal “Let’s circle back” usually appears when something uncomfortable is raised. A broken process.An unrealistic deadline.A decision that doesn’t make sense. No one argues with you.No one disagrees. They just delay. And delay is…

  • “You’re Doing Great” Is Not Feedback

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    Anon
    in

    “You’re doing great.” It sounds supportive.Encouraging, even. But in a lot of workplaces, it’s the most useless sentence you can hear. Because it usually appears when nothing is going to change. Praise Without Progress You hear it in one-to-ones.You hear it in performance reviews.You hear it right before a conversation ends. “You’re doing great. Keep…