#badboss

Cannon by Lee Lai. Drawn & Quarterly, 2025. 9781770468023. 304pp.

Cannon is everyone's rock. She works in a kitchen that's insane (her boss is truly the worst), and she's taking care of her ailing Gung Gung, whose caregiver just resigned. Her mom, of course, won't return her calls. Her best friend, Trish, never really listens to her, and even uses their friendship as fodder for her writing. (Trish is struggling with her own crap, plus she's having an affair with a straight boy.)  

The only thing that gets Cannon through it is running while listening to tapes about breathing and mindfulness. Her co-worker Benji's support helps, too.

Lee Lai's follow-up to Stone Fruit (2022) is just as amazing. Cannon's characters navigate love, friendship, and family in ways that are both heartbreaking and uplifting. I've already read it twice.

"If You Check 3 or More, Your Employees Probably Have a Group Chat About How Much They Hate You."

☑️ Do You Override or Embarrass Employees in Front of Others to ‘Show You’re the Boss’?

Nothing says “power trip” like correcting someone who’s been at the job longer than you, just to flex. Bonus points if you’ve done this in front of clients, making them cringe so hard they reconsider doing business with your team.

☑️ Do You Scrutinize Hours Like a Hall Monitor on Steroids?

"Didn’t you leave 5 minutes early last Tuesday? Fix that."

"I noticed you spent an extra 5 minutes in the bathroom last week. Is everything okay down there?"

"Why did you come in 20 minutes late today? Never mind that I was here 15 minutes early just to keep tabs on you."

If you’re tracking every minute like a parole officer, don’t be shocked when your employees start daydreaming about keying your car.

☑️ Do You Refuse to Empower Employees While Making Them Chase Your Signature Like a Headless Chicken?

You’ve got people who’ve been doing the same job for years—probably better than you ever could—but no, they can’t sign their own forms because you need to feel important.

Extra hate points if you disappear for days without notifying anyone, leaving them to hunt you down like you’re Bigfoot.

☑️ Do You Waste Everyone’s Time on Pointless Power Moves?

Standing in the doorway chatting about absolutely nothing while your employee is clearly on a deadline.

Making them wait for five minutes because you’re typing some pointless email to another equally useless boss.

Walking in like “we’re friends” for a dumb conversation, then leaving like “you’re wasting my time.”

Nothing screams bad leadership like being a living contradiction.

☑️ Do You Gossip About Your Employees Like a Petty Parrot?

You think badmouthing your team to peers or upper management makes you look good. Guess what? It doesn’t.

Extra shame points if the employee overheard you and is now doing Indeed applications mid-shift because they’ve mentally checked out.

☑️ Do You Ignore Your Team’s Timeline but Blame Them for Not Meeting It?

The organization sets a hard deadline, but you’re too busy micromanaging, holding them up at every turn. Then you act surprised when things are behind schedule. Hint: It’s you. You’re the problem.

☑️ Do You Ask ‘Are You OK?’ When It’s Obvious YOU Are the Problem?

They don’t want to talk to you, and their fake smile is practically screaming “Please leave me alone, you’re ruining my life.” But there you are, oblivious, thinking you’re being “caring.”

☑️ Do You Overload Remaining Employees When Someone Quits?

Instead of hiring a replacement, you slap the workload onto the already-burnt-out team because “we’ll figure it out.”

And of course, you’re too clueless to even understand the scope of work your exiting employee handled, leaving the team in chaos while you pretend it’s all under control.

☑️ Do You Disappear When the Team Actually Needs You?

Oh, you’re on a “few days’ vacation” or “sick” (again) while they’re drowning in work. Bonus hate points if the team functions better without you there.

☑️ Do You Make Employees Pretend to Care About Your Problems?

No one’s actually concerned about your hemorrhoid surgery. They’re secretly hoping you never come back because the workplace is significantly less painful without your presence.

☑️ Do You Even Realize They’re Applying to Other Jobs During Work Hours?

They’re spending more time on Indeed than on actual tasks, just waiting for the moment they can leave your sorry ass in the dust—keys on the desk, no notice, goodbye forever.

☑️ Do You Think Fear = Respect?

Employees fake-smile at you out of fear, not respect. And that’s on you.

Results:

0-2 Checks: You’re annoying, but manageable.

3-5 Checks: You’re officially the reason your employees dread Mondays.

6-8 Checks: HR knows about you, dummy, and they’re watching closely.

9+ Checks: Congrats! Your employees probably have a countdown to the day you get “restructured” out of the company.