What is queen bee syndrome? 5 signs your boss has it

Have you ever felt that your boss woman is more rigorous female workers? Are they more likely to be friends with male professionals than with women? Are there undue burdens placed on women in the workplace? Well, if you nodded yes to each of these questions, chances are your boss did queen bee syndrome.

In short, queen bee syndrome is a term coined for female bosses who treat their subordinates in a worse manner compared to their male subordinates. There are many reasons that can explain why women bosses resort to this behavior.

A. Some women bosses do not want any other woman in the workplace to challenge their dominance or approach their position in any way. This explains why they always treat them inferiorly to affect their self-confidence.

B. Such bosses also view female employees as competition. They don’t want them to climb the corporate ladder so quickly, so they always avoid appreciating the work of their employees.

C. Sometimes bosses are more strict with female employees because they want to impose authority and appear strict and tough.

D. Some bosses with queen bee syndrome can heal male employees better than women simply because they consider the former more competent and reliable.

It means your boss has queen bee syndrome

If he notices any shortcomings in the employee’s work

If the boss always tries to blame the employee, if she deliberately finds loopholes to criticize her, it is a sign that she has the queen bee syndrome. This may suggest that her goal is to make the employee second guess her skills and caliber.

If she is very strict with her employees

If she is very strict towards female employees compared to male employees, that is also a glaring sign. From expecting employees to be punctual, to not extending the deadline for submitting tasks, to giving them leave too easily – if your boss does all this and more, she may be suffering from the queen bee syndrome.

If he does not give way to female employees

Professionals can make mistakes. However, if the boss does not give up on women’s work and is more understanding towards male employees, it is a warning sign that she suffers from queen bee syndrome.

If he addresses female employees in a patronizing manner

If a female boss always speaks to female employees in a direct and condescending manner and is friendlier towards male employees, it means that she suffers from this syndrome. He does this to make women feel uncomfortable around them and in the workplace.

If he deliberately gives negative feedback about the work of employees

If a boss never motivates a woman for the effort she puts in, it’s a bad sign. From giving them bad feedback on evaluation forms, not acknowledging the good work they do, to never saying encouraging words to them – all these point to the fact that the boss is not willing to support the women subordinates on her team.