Plan for handling bad bosses: Treat them like toddlers

— -- Think you have a bad boss? Join the club: Nearly one in two employees say they have a bad boss, according to administrative staffing firm OfficeTeam. Do an Internet search for "My boss is killing me" and it turns up more than 20 million results.

People waste way too much time stressing about bad bosses — and it doesn't end at the front door of the workplace. On average, employees spend about 19.2 hours a week worrying about "what a boss says or does" - including a whopping 13 hours during the workweek and 6.2 of their weekend hours - according to a survey by Lynn Taylor, a workplace expert and author of Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant (TOT).

What's more, the worries cost companies real money: 77% of employees experience physical symptoms from stress, such as heart problems, according to a study from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Stressed employees cost employers nearly twice as much in health-care costs - roughly $600 more per person per year, on average.

"Bad bosses aren't necessarily bad people, but they certainly can make work challenging for those who report to them," said Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam. "Often, individuals are promoted because they excel in a given job, but that doesn't mean they have the skills to be an effective leader."

"Friction between supervisors and employees can stem from differing work styles," Hosking said. "It's not possible to control your boss's actions, but you can change how you respond to them."

There are five types of bad bosses, OfficeTeam found:

•The Bully. Sure, you need to be a bit of a jerk sometimes as a boss, but the bully takes it to a toxic level, publicly or privately threatening and humiliating employees.

•The Micromanager. Sometimes you need to do the job yourself to make sure it's done right, but the micromanager keeps a tight leash, helicoptering over employees' shoulders to manage every little detail.

•The Poor Communicator. It's important to give employees space and not micromanage, but it's crucial to give them enough direction to get the job done. The poor communicator provides little direction, which often results in the tasks having to be completed — or even redone — at the last minute.

•The Saboteur. Oh, this one is a piece of work! He or she undermines the efforts of others. He or she doesn't give credit for a job well done — or worse, takes the credit himself. Then, the blame gets laid on thick when things go wrong.

•The Fickle Boss. This boss may be nice and all, but if he or she lacks clarity and decisiveness, it can leave employees confused and unproductive. Fickle bosses can also have unpredictable mood swings — confiding in someone one day and turning on them the next.

"A lot of times, there are issues going on with the boss that employees don't see — they think it's about them, the employee — and they take it personally," Taylor said. "Then they don't communicate with their boss and wind up acting inappropriately."

Particularly in this tough economy, your boss may be grappling with trying to keep his or her job, defending his turf in an office land grab, making budget cuts or figuring out who to lay off — and even dealing with a bad boss of his own. So, it's your job to remember there are other things going on and devise a strategy for dealing with your boss.