Have you ever worked for a boss who feels threatened by you? What a nightmare situation that can be! My boss, a woman, who got her job by lying about qualifications, and the fact that the company was desperate to hire someone, is hell on wheels.
I am a secretary in her department, and I enjoy the type of work I perform. The only problem is her! I am not a "career" type person, and will be retiring in 4 years. I just want my paycheck and that is it! However, my blonde bimbo boss doesn't see it that way, she is convinced I'm out after her job (talk about paranoid!). She would happy if I quit today, and she does everything in her power to try stress me out to the point of quitting.
For example, routinely she will bring me a project and claim it is not priority and to work on it when I am able. Then she will email me 10 minutes before quitting time and tell me to ensure the "letter", or whatever it is, gets out in the day's FedEx! Or she will give me an assignment with instructions, wait until the project is 90% and then change the instructions so that the task must be completely redone.
She will call me into her office and "claim" that people are complaining about my anti-social attitude. When I ask who complained, I am told she does not have to give me that information. Yet, I receive compliments on a daily basis from my co-workers about my optimistic attitude.
She will ask me how long it will take to complete a task, and if I over-estimate by even 1 hour, she will write me up for being negative.
Working for this psycho is a no-win situation.
Yes, I have searched for other employment. However, I have been with the company long enough to be earning at least $5 more an hour than other companies are paying for secretaries. I will not take such a huge paycut because my boss is a nut case.
She is 20 years younger than I, but has the emotional maturity of a 12 year old. Her boss is an "ostrich" boss who does not want to be bothered, his goal in life is to do as little as possible and collect his enormous paycheck every other week.
So, how do I survive? She is small potatoes compared to some I've worked for, and all I have to do is wait out the next 4 years. I can do that.
POST A COMMENTRedStapler(10/04/2005)
Sounds like your company has FEMA symptons. Hiring people who lied about qualifications.
yesfan(11/26/2005)
I also have had that harassment thing at two companies. At both, it wasn't just me. It may have been all the women in our division, or everyone over 35. I think it is about replacing "highly paid" ($27,500) employees with cheaper ones right out of school. Going to HR or the higher-ups won't help if the directive to cut budgets is coming from them, and they condone this way of doing it. I agree that getting emotional doesn't help. I am a journalist, and when a boss said he heard that I had a problem with accuracy, I asked for evidence. There was none. I pointed out that spreading damaging and false rumors, that could affect my earning ability, without evidence could be slanderous (in other words, I could sue and win). The HR woman then said, "If we do research, it might not be in your favor." Which I interpreted as a threat that she would create false evidence. These people don't believe they have to follow the laws on age or race or gender discrimination or anything else, much less courtesy or professionalism. If I were you, I would document minutely every instance of her unreasonable behavior (write it down with the date and time), and use a digital or tape recorder to document her words with you. Whether you let her know you are documenting is up to you. This evidence could help you get unemployment benefits if you are "fired for cause," if you can prove the "cause" was a false set-up. I believe this is the reason so many companies harass people into quitting -- to avoid paying unemployment benefits. In Hell, they will all be selling pencils on a street corner.
Crocodile Dundee(03/11/2006)
My boss is about the same way, except he insulates himself by using immediate supervisors as drones. I guess chimpanzees can't tolerate humans. Bosses like this are the inspiration behind the cases in the news with suicide gunmen in workplaces. I'd love to find out what food this boss finds impossible to resist, then make it with as many damn calories as possible. He is already obese, so making him fatter would be the proverbial piece of cake once you find that irresistible food item. Then, a heart attack does the deed.
SouthernProgrammer (10/04/2005)
Carolyn, It is IMO that you are being "played". Your boss is trying to remind you that she is the only one standing between you and the street. What you do in this circumstance is to respond with logic instead of emotions, this will show her you are THINKING and it will scare her as this type of boss does not want someone to THINK. Here is an example of what you are to do, imagine you are called into your office. Boss: I have been told you have an anti-social attitude. Carolyn (calmly): Really? Do you mind telling me who? Boss: No I can't divulge that? Carolyn: I see, (pause), do you have any complaints about my work? Have I not finished a project on time? Boss: Well no...but Carolyn: (Leaning back, putting hands together with fingers in a temple) - I see, (pause), have I been arriving late or leaving early? Boss: Uh..no, but I have complaints about your attitude. Carolyn: (Staring ahead calmly) - So you do not have complaints about my work and I arrive on time and leave on time but you have these "complaints" from "someone" that I have an anti-social attitude. Boss: (head spinning) - Uhm...yes. Carolyn: (LONG pause) - Ok, should we get HR involved now so I can see if there is any training material on this so I can fix this? (more than likely the boss will NOT want this brought up to HR because you already have her admitting your work is good) Boss: Oh No no! That's ok! Carolyn: (Longer pause), OK then I'll just make a note of this conversation to help me in the future. Thanks! (Leave)
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