Horrible Boss :(

[Ginny Malfoy]

It's taken some nerve for me to come in here, so go easy on me. I work for a living and this is my first-ever professional job. While I knew going into it that the first plunge into the world of work is challenging, I don't think I expected it to be this grueling.

Basically, I interned with someone else in the company before I was hired for this job. My current boss greatly dislikes this person, and I feel, when I was hired, she took a lot of that out on me. She never really gave me a fair chance, even though she pretended at times to. Anything she could find wrong with me she did from how I did as a first-time supervisor (I have an assistant, a new thing for me, and she's twice my age!) to how I stacked up against another new employee who is roughly my age.

Now, I'm not saying, as a new person, you don't have to earn your place, but from the beginning, she's been unreasonably hard on me. She seems to really play favorites, and in my case, I rarely get a smile out of her. And yet, I work VERY hard. I get results. With the exception of learning how to do all the paperwork and the bureaucracy stuff, I am great at what I do--the meat of my job.

I am feeling very stressed, as she got on my case again and made me feel like a total clod, and since I know our evaluations are coming up (as a probationary employee, you get evaluated at 6 months after being hired to see if they'll keep you!), and I fear she won't be at all fair. I don't think she can get rid of me, as too many people of her standing and above like me, but that doesn't mean she can't make me feel as horrible as possible. It's not as simple as quitting...I NEED this job, but the unfairness and agony (at times) of it all really gets to me.

Can anyone out there relate to having a bad boss and/or being a first-time professional? Any suggestions on how to survive and how to keep your job from taking over your life and thoughts OUTSIDE of work? I could really use some feedback! Thank you!!!

[Won Wheezy]

It's really hard to please someone that doesn't want to like you.
I suggest that you have an honest talk to her. Tell her that you feel like she doesn't regard your work very highly, although you try to make a good job. Maybe you could try to make her feel important, like: "I know, I'm not as experienced as you are , but I try real hard and I think I'm doing a good job so far,...blabla.....
Sometimes a quiet talk without accusations can work wonders.

But if she is a totally unreasonable character I would suggest to look for a new job, because something like that can really make your life unpleasant.
I don't know if that helps, but I wish you good luck anyway.
Big hug!

[Gower]

I'm only 16 so i have never worked, so I can't exactly know what your feeling, but if it was me I would try to block it out. If you have many friends just have a good time with them.. alternatively you try to talk to one of those ppl above her that like you, that you mentioned.. see if they could help.

[jarvan49]

Ginny,

I can relate to everything that you are saying. I have a terrible boss. But I think it just comes with the work. I'm not sure about you but i work in a office where all we do is write reports. Its very boring to me because this is my first job after college. I've been here for 1.5 years now and i've gotten used to it. You just have to ride it out. I recommend finding friends at work that also hate the same person as you, so at lunch time you can sit there and complain. I've found out the complaining helps a lot. I also do a lot of web surfing, that keeps me calm. Hope this helps.

[Nobby]

Ginny, i have a muppet of a boss 2! Since he started 4 months ago bout 10 people have left already. Its best to go over your boss's head and sort out the problem that way. Thats what my work mates and i are doin and its workin wonders. Don't just ignore it, it'll just get worse

[Mint]

I didnt have a boss like that personnaly, but one of my coworkers did. Her boss was like a chamelion (sp?) - he would be extremely nice to people from other departments and his bosses - but he would be very mean to everyone who worked under him.

That coworker just ignored her boss and didnt complain to anyone. So noone knew, so she had to suffer for a year, and left for another job.

Just dont let ur boss do whatever she wants. U can wait for ur 6 month review and then, if u dont agree with it, go to the higher ups and tell them that u r being treated unfair. Also, try to show people that are above ur boss how hardworking and nice u r. Dont try to be nice to her - if she hates u, u wont be able to change that nomatter how hard u try.

Do ur job and make sure that she has nothing that she can present to her bosses and say "oh but she didnt do this that and that -she is slacking off" type of thing." And try to notice her mistakes and write them down, so u will have evidence against her.

Also, if u want an easier way out of the problem - try to look for a job in another department, or just another job in general. Noone has to know, and u r not loosing anything. If u get an intervew somewhere else - just take a personal day(or sick day). They can't ask u for references from ur current job (cause u r still working there) - so u should be ok.

[Nobby]

Yeah watch out for 2=faced bosses! that might be why someone above him might not have noticed how horrible he is

[Aberforth]

Unfortuantely, people don't consider how their actions and words affect other people, so it may be possible that your boss is unaware of the issue (obviously you will know better than I).

My wife is in her first posting as a teacher and has to have a year basically on probation. If she fails her probation she cannot teach ever again, and her Head has the control on whether she passes or fails. My wife hates the people at her work and how she is treated by her boss, but she feels that she has to accept it, at least until her probation is over.

I will pass my advice I gave to her onto you. Some things you will have to let go until your position is secure (ie probation passed), but there are certain things that can be approached with the right attitude. You could ask her for a quiet chat in her office and ask for an appraisal on your performance so far. This gives her the opportunity to tell you where she thinks you need to improve (ie what you need to do to make her think better of you), and shows that you are not above asking for advice etc.

If your boss still mistreats you then you can either leave (which takes a surprising amount of time where I live to find a similar job) or you can keep your head down during your probationary period and then approach the subject then. After your probation is up, try speaking to her again, but outlining your issues and letting her know that you will not tolerate certain things, or you can try move to another department within the same company. This may be easier than finding the same job elsewhere.

[Alice I]

My boss is such a jerk!
I was on call this past Sunday when my daughter was seriously injured. I am an X-ray tech and I called my boss to explain that she would need to make arrangements for any calls coming in because I would be at the hospital with Emily.
Not only didn't she do this she actually did nothing at all and eight hours later when we were on our way home with our daughter in a cast that goes from her toes to her hip I get a call stating that one of our accounts is furious because they called for STAT X-ray's several hours ago and no one came.
Once I got Emily settled at home I had to go out to this account and get the X-rays done but not before I was chewed out by the nursing supervisor for the terrible response time.

I explained the situation and she said that what really angered her was the fact that if someone had just contacted her she would have sent the patients out to the hospital for the X-rays.
Now I get a call from my boss and she wants me to see if I can find someone to come and watch my daughter so that I can work during the day because two of her day techs are out sick for extended periods.

I told her that this was an unreasonable request and that I couldn't possibly find someone and she suggested that I ask either my parents or my husbands parents!
I hung up on her. Grrr.
I really hate this woman and I can not understand how someone like her can be allowed to continue in a position of authority.

[han lin]

Alice I , i'm not surprised you hung up on her , i wouldnt have done
urrgghh i cant STAND peo-le like that they really get to me. having no consideration whatso ever for anyone.

rrrRRRr


i'm quite lucky in my job at the moment my boss is lovely. we had a huge water fight the other day and i totally soaked her but she didnt mind

good luck with your bosses guys

[Barry Trotter]

i have a volatile relationship with my current boss. He is someone you deffinately dont want to cross and when he has a bee in his bonnet he is like something scary from a story. i'm currently trying to get a temporary transfer and he isnt too happy about it ahhhh
but anyway things arent too bad with this job.

at my old job, i was an office boy in a huge office. i just did filing and running about and fixing my bosses were totally awful. they were sexist, racist, homophobic and bullys i'm white, straight guy but they still bullied me, ( i have a stammer) i had to go on a team building thing with them all.i wasnt looking fowar dto it but i had to go. anyways. one night i walked to the toilet and i walked in on the two worst of my bosses in a somewhat compromising position with oneanother on the floor of the bathroom.

after that they really didnt want me working there but were to afraid of me to fire me or bullly me. eventually they called me into an office and offered me a big payoff if i left with glowing references and never told anyone.

so i did. and now i'm a fireman again.

dont know why i decided to tell that story but there is always hope

[Mint]

omg!!!!!!!!!!! XD

Thanks barry for sharing, this is the most interesting boss story I ever heared. That was one outcome i totally never expected!!

I presume the two bosses were guys? may be thats why they bullied everyone about it, cause they were so scared that someone might figure them out. ^^

[Asphodel]

Put yourself in the shoes of your boss. Maybe your wrong, maybe your doing something wrong, and she's right here in St. Mungo's with the subject: Horrible Employee

[selene]

sometimes you do nothing wrong

my boss doesn't like me, i think because of who i am and my religion
but we try to act like civil people, we are polite (most of the time)

[Asphodel]

Sometimes insecure bosses press their power. They want to feel big, so they boss other people around.