I work for a large company. Loved my first boss, "C". When he left the company to go on his own, I was asked to go to another office to help out "G" in underwriting. Since I didn't have any experience in that area I was excited that I was to be trained. I could have been laid off.
The day I arrived, "G" said there would be a change of plans; I would do administrative work for "M" since her assistant was "out on leave". This would be temporary. They wre in the process of looking for a replacement for "C". My title is administrative assistant, so I figured that would be fine. I would do a good job. Normally I didn't like working for women. My experience has been that they are a pain in the ass with their high expectations and mood swings. I tried to give this person the benefit of the doubt, but I was right. She never took the time to get to know me even on the first day. Also I was never given information about the department, I had to find out on my own and I did. She would communicate with me via e-mail and never would there be a thank you. If I would go into her office to ask a question, I was given the impression that I was "bothering her". I learned to just e-mail back with my questions and reminders to keep her on track. She never asked me about my weekend, nor when I e-mailed her to ask for a day off to take my husband into surgery, she approved it, but never said something like, hope everything works out. She just returned the e-mail with the work approved and please mark her calendar. Hey lady, how about a little kindness please.
Things were going along well until I happened to transpose 2 packages that were to be sent out. She brought the packages back to my desk and said I had to retype the labels, that post office wouldn't mail them because they each had the wrong zip code. I found that odd as the post office is pretty efficient and would be able to correct it. So I apologize and retyped the labels, all the while she was going on and on about how accuracy is so important in this job. blah blah blah. She never commented on the good things I did, like saving the company $500.00 on some stupid seminar she wanted to go on, making sure she had appropriate documentation before she went to meetings, or if any of her staff called, that I would e-mail her with the message so she would see it. She seemed to spend so much time at her computer, I figured that would be the most efficient way, since her desk was usually a mess.
One morning there is a nasty e-mail that was sent to me on a Sunday night (uh, get a life) about how my work has been less than acceptable, how my errors are making more work for her; she mentioned again the packages with the wrong zip code, how I was unable to transfer callers into voice mail (hello, no one showed me how and how was I to know, especially since none of them called back to tell me. These were our own department people in another location who I was always friendly to). She eneded the e-mail saying she expected improvement. I immediately wanted to send a reply to her e-mail, but thought not. I figured she was just PMSing.
2 months later she terminated her assistant and I thought I would be offered the job. (of course I wouldn't accept it). I later learned her assistant went out on "stress leave" for making lots of mistakes. Prior to this person working for "M" she had worked at the company in another location for a number of years with good performance. I'm sure "M" drove her crazy just like she did me. Anyway, I began looking for other positions within the company and due to company policy I informed her of my intention to do so. I figured she wouldn't care since she clearly didn't like me. She was even colder to me than before. Unfortunately I didn't get any of the jobs I applied to.
She sent me an e-mail to have me ask the HR person how she would go about posting for a new assistant. I asked her in person what does this mean for me? Am I terminated? She replied that I belonged to "G" and of course I could apply for the job. (Right I thought. You wouldn't hire me. If you were going to, you would have the decency to inform me in person not by an e-mail.)
Shortly after that I'm called into an office. "G" is there with a HR person and they are presenting me with termination papers and saying that my performance appraisal is not acceptable and I am terminated as of today and to gather my things immediately. I was shocked. "G" had said that he tried to place me somewhere else, but no luck. And since my performance appraisal is less than steller, I am unable to be rehired at this company! All during this time "M"'s door is shut; (coward) and I'm cleaning out my desk, totally embarrassed, shocked and pissed off! My thought was if I was so incompetent why did "G" tried to place me somewhere else? And this woman had only known of my performance for 2 months. My previous boss should have given the other 10 months of information. I don't think he was even contacted and they based my whole performance appraisal on this woman's comments, which were clearly personal and biased.
Looking back I had wished that they had just laid me off when "C" quit. I could have reapplied shortly after. None of this would have happened. Did I mention also that she would come in, put down her stuff and ask me to go get her oatmeal and a glass of ice water a couple times a week and sometimes her lunch. Like I was her waitress! Not once did she ever say; "get your self a sandwhich also." It would make it a bit better. I got revenge by spitting in her oatmeal and her water while I had a bad cold.
Just goes to show you when you help someone out and they have no more use for you, they throw you away. We are all disposable! Hence my handle corporate doormat.
POST A COMMENTthe cynic(05/03/2006)
Don't you hate that? You make ONE mistake despite your hard work, and the person holds a grudge for 1 zillion years, bringing it up over, and over, and over, and over. I've had bosses do that, and also say things like, "You have a habit of typing labels wrong" when it happened ONCE. I do find women to be more finicky like that, although there are plenty of male a-holes too.
just me(05/03/2006)
I LOVE that you spit in her oatmeal!!!!!!!
the cynic(05/03/2006)
*makes a note to be nice to Corp. Doormat and guards my oatmeal* :-)
C - -(05/03/2006)
I wish I had done that.(spit in their food, coffee, etc):)~~ My experience with women bosses was exactly like that. Except that some were feigning empathy, then used the information against me to justify their position.
Walk the Planks(05/03/2006)
One of my bosses was going to have a baby, and I gave her a new baby card. I signed it "love," and then my name. Do you know what the witch did? She commented to another lawyer in passing, I thought you said that she was professional. She signed the card "love."
C - -(05/03/2006)
She is undeserving of Love. What a cold B. The only one that cold did not have a live birth. How is her baby doing?
Walk the Planks(05/04/2006)
Fine, I guess. I haven't seen her in years. The kid's probably as cold as mom, though.
you're over(05/04/2006)
ohhhh that sounds way too familiar. glad her banana nut (ptooey) oatmeal tasted "different" that day!
Realist(05/12/2006)
If she had been a man, I think that your attitude towards her would have been quite different. Sometimes people in the workplace think they don't have to work as hard for a woman as a man. Maybe she should have wrote your mistakes off as PMS?
Corporate Doormat(05/16/2006)
I worked very hard. That's why I'm so furious about being let go. She is just a psycho "B". I will never ever work for a woman boss again!!!
C - -(05/17/2006)
Them's fighting words. Hope you find a better job or at least better treatment. Unfortunately we cannot always pick and choose. When everything is just about perfect a boss is transferred. Nice people are forced out faster than nasty ones. It looks as if higher placed bossses like a certain number of employee complaints and encourage an unfriendly work environment.
Dharmadee(05/17/2006)
I saw on "MSN" today that apparently it is well know fact that women turn on each other in the workplace, and men USE that to keep support staff, who are mostly women, subservient. There is a book called "I Can't Believe She Did That to Me" that gives case studies. This is very sad.
Dharmadee(05/17/2006)
By the way, "Realist", maybe you should read it. Things are not equal or fair, whether you think that is reality or not.
Corporate Doormat(06/18/2006)
Does anybody out there think I have a case for wrongful termination? I know California is an "at will" state, but the company is classifying me as someone who was a criminal and gave me such a poor performance rating, which disqualified me for rehire.
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