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Admit it – as politically incorrect as our favorite fictional boss is, you know you secretly wish Michael Scott of NBC’s The Office was your boss, right? Well, maybe only sometimes, but one thing’s for sure: you’d never have a dull workday with a guy like this around. In the real world, though, says A. Harrison Barnes, career coach and EmploymentCrossing.com  founder, this guy would be up the proverbial creek with his various comments and escapades. He’d never last a week in the real work force.

So what happens when you do find yourself in front of a badly behaved boss? “Ideally”, says A. Harrison Barnes, “you’d be able to speak directly with him”. Sometimes, however, that’s just not possible – or at least, it’s not possible without complicating your own life. In that case, it’s time to recruit another co-worker who can provide a bit of sanity to the situation. Here are some true Michael Scott-esque behaviors and how to handle them:

# Inappropriate sexual comments – Sometimes, the comments that roll off his tongue leave you and the entire office speechless.
# Inappropriate language – He’s the guy who doesn’t believe a joke is funny without it being peppered with obscenities.
# Not taking a project seriously – You know your career’s on the line as much as his is, yet he just can’t seem to settle down and focus on the task at hand.
# Office clown antics – Yeah, yeah…he’s funny and a great distraction, but not when a deadline’s looming and you’re sweating bullets.
# Not taking the 9 a.m. meeting seriously – He’s either late for the weekly staff meeting or won’t turn his cell off or even bails before the meeting’s over.
# Playing favorites – Like a mother who makes no effort of hiding her feelings for the favored child, this boss is proud of his “fair haired” employee.

All these behaviors make you wonder if he slept through the company’s mandatory sexual harassment training course, or for that matter, the whole time in his life when he should have been learning proper etiquette. If your boss clearly missed the bus, and if you can do so without jeopardizing your own position, take him aside for a long-overdue talk. Depending on the working relationship you have with the manager, you should be able to determine the tone that will best suit your needs. It may be that you can start the conversation with something along the lines of, “C’mon…you’re killing me here!” or some other lighthearted approach that will ensure you’re being heard but won’t put him on the defense in the process. Explain to him that you’re on his side, but that he’s pushing the envelope.

If it’s a boss you can’t be frank with, you’ll want to take a more professional approach. Regardless of which approach you take, it’s important to remember he is still your manager and a level of respect is due. Failing to handle this the right way can lead to problems for you and your career. Finally, says Barnes, sometimes all the rational conversations in the world won’t help someone who’s determined to annihilate his own career.

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