Morning Brew - 😟 The big bad boss

Time-saving tools and products we’re really into rn.

• Feeling good requires practice. Happy Not Perfect is an iOS wellness app that deploys gentle affirmations and meditations to train your brain into a brighter outlook.
• Madeleine Dore’s newly released book challenges readers to change their relationship with productivity and embrace having an incomplete to-do list at the end of every day.
• ICYMI: The US government’s free at-home Covid test program has opened. Tests are limited to four per household and will start shipping in late January.

What’s top-of-mind at the watercooler.

I’ve had them, you’ve had them, Dolly Parton’s had them: We’re talking about bad bosses. You know, the type that’s never doing much but micromanaging and seems impossible to get rid of? Yep, that’s them. Besides being simply terrible to work with, bad bosses are also bad for business, especially when it comes to employee retention.

As a result of the Great Resignation, employees are now being selective about not just where they work but also who they work for, which means bad bosses are on notice, as Emma Goldberg explains in a recent article for the New York Times.

“Reporting to work has always meant accepting a variety of unpleasantries: commutes, pre-coffee chitchat, people who would like you to do what they tell you to do even if it’s not yet 10am,” wrote Goldberg. Thankfully, going remote has served as a buffer for some of the things we hated most about working (does anyone really miss their hourlong commute??). And while there are upsides to WFH, a bad boss in the office is likely still a bad boss through your computer screen—perhaps worse. And if the ongoing increase in resignations has taught us anything, it’s that good management matters…a lot.

While a bad boss could be the only bad apple, he or she can also point to systemic issues in the company. To avoid resignations and improve employee retention, Goldberg reports that some companies are hiring executive coaches to perform extensive personality screenings in order to find managers who best fit the company’s “team player” culture. And one company, Baird, a financial services firm, has a strict “no asshole rule” in place, which they have fired employees for violating.

It’s clear that over the next few months, employers will need to take more steps and precautions to sniff out potential bad behavior when hiring for management positions if they want to retain their star talent. As the job market continues to move in favor of employees, it may be time for companies struggling with resignations to look within.

Your punch list for when you punch out.

Read: A new year means new book releases, and this list of 15 books that dropped in January does not disappoint.

Watch: Celebrate the late and great Sidney Poitier’s lengthy filmography the right way, with a watch party of timeless classics like Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and A Raisin in the Sun.

Drink: A calming or energizing sparkling beverage that even I (formerly a sparkling drink adversary) enjoy. Choose from four unique flavor combinations or opt for the mixed pack instead.

Easy bet: Nothing’s more important than your pet. Fuzzy offers telehealth services that give pet parents 24/7 access to veterinary professionals, plus handpicked products and immediate online support. Start your seven-day free trial today.*

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Burning questions of our time.

Since the start of the pandemic and the push toward remote work, workdays have seemingly grown longer and longer. In the before times, ending your workday meant leaving the office and embarking on the long commute home. Now though, it’s not so easy to leave work behind, especially when our bedrooms, living rooms, and dining rooms have become stand-in offices. In an attempt to rectify this, some employees have opted to reclaim their time through Friday brunches, midday workout sessions, and long “rich mom” walks. Have you fought back against intense work hours by giving yourself some you-time during the workday, or have you opted to set stronger boundaries between work time and nonwork time? Share your thoughts in the inbox!