Please pay attention to all the manipulation tactics this boss uses, because they’re pulling out every trick in the book.
- “I’m not your boss, I’m your friend”
- “Other people will be hurt by this and it’s your fault and I’m going to tell them all that”
- Mocking language
- Jobs are important too
- “Be a team player”
- “We’re your family too”
- Talking as if this is a thing you must do
- “We all make sacrifices”
- Undermining your authority
- “You caused all of this, really”
- Accusing you of being “unprofessional”
- “Look at the money you cost us”
- “Just laugh it off and come back to work”
This is like a 101 course in how employers use guilt trips to coerce you into putting up with their bullshit. This is precisely why you should never trust those employers who insist that they’re “like a family.” They are not. It’s just a ruse so that your boss can neg you into putting your job ahead of your actual life.