The world's worst bosses (real and imagined)

Tony Hayward, CEO of BP

If you work for this guy, you have to be leery of his cost-savings initiatives. He also wins the prize for worst corporate spin/lingo ever by his renaming the boats of all the fishermen cheated out of their livelihoods–Vessels of Opportunity.

Photo credit: BP

SpongeBob SquarePants' Eugene Krabs

Cheap, greedy, and proud of it. Eugene Krab’s favorite thing to say is, “I like money!”

Photo credit: Nickelodeon

Adolf Hitler

Despite the ridiculous mustache, he was able to rally a multitude of followers behind his u201cpurity of bloodu201d initiative, which resulted in the Holocaust.

Gordon Ramsay

The host of TV’s Hell’s Kitchen is cruelly blunt and negative. He’s known as u201cThe Screaming Chef.u201d

J. Edgar Hoover

He kept FBI agents on call 24 hours a day to do random tasks around his house — like repairing his lawnmower. And if he didn’t like you, he could fire you AND keep an FBI dossier on you.

Martha Stewart

I imagine the work environment surrounding her to be a cross between Arts and Crafts time and Glengarry Glen Ross.

Photo credit: CNET News.com

Kenneth Lay, CEO of Enron

When Enron filed bankruptcy (the largest in U.S. history), 4,000 employees lost their jobs. Around 15,000 employees held 62% of their savings in Enron stock, purchased at $83.13 in early 2001 (the stock later plummeted to below a dollar).

Charles Manson

When the company uniform involves a swastika carved into your forehead, it’s maybe not a good career move.

Leona Helmsley, Queen of Mean

If you could get past the hostility and arrogance, you’d still have to deal with the unmitigated greed.

George Pullman

Pullman was a 19th century industrialist who created his own city for his employees to live in. And then charged sky-high rent.

Osama bin Laden

When your job duties include suicide, you know you have a bad boss.