Economy & LaborMAY 31, 2025

Woman Reports Boss For Taking Away Chairs Among Other Things, Watches Him Sweat

Ilona Baliūnaitė, Austeja Zokaitė and Rugilė Žemaitytė

Workplace misconduct often goes unresolved because employees feel uncomfortable or stressed by the thought of starting a dispute with their boss.

However, this employee had no problem speaking out and reporting her manager to the labor department for taking away their chairs, among other things, which yielded surprisingly positive results.

Scroll down to find the full story and a conversation with Erika Migliaccio, managing founder at Upstream HR Strategies, who kindly agreed to share her insights on poor management and how to deal with it.

Many employees feel uncomfortable speaking up about problems in the workplace

Image credits: luismanuelm/Envato (not the actual photo)

But not this worker, who didn't hesitate to report her boss when he crossed the line too many times

Image credits: Pressmaster/Envato (not the actual photo)

Image credits: proud_basic_bi*ch

71% of workers admit to being unhappy with their manager

Image credits: Getty Images/Unsplash (not the actual photo)

Unfortunately, just like the woman in this story, many employees were 'blessed' with a boss with poor management skills at least once in their careers. In fact, 71% of workers admit to being unhappy with their manager. Unclear communication, micromanagement, and insufficient recognition of efforts are just a few reasons why workers report feeling frustrated with their team lead.

This can have a negative effect on employee mental health, job satisfaction, and performance at work, with 82% of American workers saying they would consider quitting their job because of a bad manager.

So if an employee feels like their needs are unmet in their workplace, they should communicate them, says Erika Migliaccio, managing founder at Upstream HR Strategies.

"Anyone sitting in a manager role should believe that their purpose is to support and guide their team members to success and act accordingly. If an employee does not feel that level of support, they absolutely should communicate their unmet needs. That said, I would always encourage an employee to have a conversation directly with their boss first, before involving other parties."

In addition, she suggests that valid reasons to speak up about a boss's poor management are these missing factors:

Transparent communication
Clear goals
Helpful feedback and coaching
Skill development and career guidance
Concern for their well-being and balance
A genuine, trusting relationship
Appreciation for their contributions
A voice or role in decision-making

"I would always recommend that an employee articulate their unmet needs with a manager first"

Image credits: Vitaly Gariev/Unsplash (not the actual photo)

If any of these employees' needs are unmet, Migliaccio reiterates that it's important to communicate about them with their manager first and gives some recommendations on how to do it.

"I would always recommend that an employee articulate their unmet needs, prepare a few examples, and communicate directly with a manager first—this will build trust. Be specific in what you want your manager to do more of or less of. Explain how that change in behavior will benefit you, your performance, and your ability to contribute to the organization," she explains.

"Then, give your manager some time to respond and adjust to your requests. If, after some time, you do not see any change in behavior, then have the conversation again. And if you still don’t see any progress, then share your concerns with an HR manager or one-over-one manager."

In case the employee takes their concerns about a bad manager to HR, Migliaccio says they should expect to share the specifics and not to “just” complain.

"Always be prepared to articulate your needs, how your manager’s lack of support has impacted you and your ability to deliver and develop, and share what you’ve done to try to address these concerns on your own. A strong HR manager will never draw a conclusion based on your single viewpoint and will want to collect feedback from others on your team," she notes.

"If, after collecting additional feedback, an HR manager surfaces a theme or pattern, they may decide to give that manager feedback, coaching, and/or training to help them improve. If, after receiving support, the manager has not made progress, then a decision will need to be made about whether or not that person is suited for a leadership role, or might be more successful as an individual contributor," Migliaccio concluded.