NationStates Jolt Archive

I've just started a new job, and after having heard some stories about bad bosses, and having had a few experiences of my own, I have a feeling that this will work out quite nicely. I have a strange feeling that your first real work experience is supposed to suck. Mine did, and my boss then seems to be the antithesis of my new boss: This guy seems to be able to comunicate and seems ready, willing and able to listen.

That, to me, seems like some of the most important characteristics of a leader. Actually being listened to is motivating, regardless of whether or not your advice is heeded, and a boss that is able to communicate clearly is also a leader who can preempt conflicts and efficiently deal with them should they arise. The opposite is quite demoralizing, and someone that only deals with problems after the pot has boiled over is not someone I ever want to work with or for again.

And I also find it to be true that the best kind of boss is the person that can be an ethical example to you. The more shady character doesn't in any way bring out the best in me either.

So my question is: Do you have a boss? If so, do you like working for him or her? And what do you consider good leadership abilities, what do you look for in a leader?
Also, do you have any stories about a particularly good or bad boss you dare to share?


Poll coming online in 5, 4...

I have a pretty great boss. He just gave me a raise, he's out of the office 3 days a week, he brings us prezzies when he comes back from vacation. He does listen to us when we have suggestions to increase our efficiency, and he owns up when he makes a mistake, instead of blaming it on others (as some of my previous bosses have done).

So all in all, I'm pretty pleased. :D

Considering that I'm 99% sure that I got my job based on the fact that my interview consisted of me and my boss talking about cars (and that I later found out that out of 5 candidates I was the only one with no experience), it's fair to say that him and I get on well.

When it's quiet (and he's actually in; he goes home at about 2pm every day and takes one or two days off a week) he come out and just sits and talks with whichever three of the four of us (staff) are on that day. He gave me £150 for Christmas, and £50 for my birthday (despite me being a part-time worker), and pays me cash in hand so I don't have to pay tax.

On the other hand, he can have his bad days, but so does everybody.

I have two bosses, plus a Team Lead, so I'm quite well-managed. My bosses are okay. The one I like less is a thousand miles away (we're a little distributed), so that works pretty well. My Team Lead and the boss who's here are very nice guys. Oh, and the the third one, who actually controls my HR stuff and all, he's a thousand miles away, too, so that works.

I've had pretty reasonable bosses, mostly, though there was one, back in the 20th century ... well, when she inadvertently fired herself, we all sang, "Ding dong, the witch is dead!"

A long story short, but last year the business I worked for at the time had trouble because another company blocked the enterance to a warehouse were a lot of goods and material was stored. They did so on purpose and unjustly. When I asked the boss what the company should do about it, call the police or file a lawsuit or something, he just looked at me, winked, and said "It's better for you if you don't know what we're going to do." Then he left.

I returned to my office and typed up my resignation. (But didn't deliver it before sometime later because of various circumstances.)

I've had pretty reasonable bosses, mostly, though there was one, back in the 20th century ... well, when she inadvertently fired herself, we all sang, "Ding dong, the witch is dead!"
Oh my... :eek:

...how does one fire oneself? :confused:

A long story short, but last year the business I worked for at the time had trouble because another company blocked the enterance to a warehouse were a lot of goods and material was stored. They did so on purpose and unjustly. When I asked the boss what the company should do about it, call the police or file a lawsuit or something, he just looked at me, winked, and said "It's better for you if you don't know what we're going to do." Then he left.

I returned to my office and typed up my resignation. (But didn't deliver it before sometime later because of various circumstances.)


Oh my... :eek:

...how does one fire oneself? :confused:

Well, first you piss off the people working for you, then you show disdain for the fact that you pissed them off, then you try to get one of them fired because he was short on sleep due having just become a new father, and then, when your boss tells you to lay off the guy, you say it's either him or me. Ta-dah! You've fired yourself!

My boss is batshit crazy.

When she's not being batshit cazy, she's pretty nice.

Go figure.

The cool thing about freelancing is that I only have a boss for a short period of time, then I have a new boss.

For the most part they're cool.

To all the people who hate their bosses, try having a director!

To all the people who hate their bosses, try having a director!

We wouldn't be so bad if people could take some direction...

So my question is: Do you have a boss? If so, do you like working for him or her? And what do you consider good leadership abilities, what do you look for in a leader?
Also, do you have any stories about a particularly good or bad boss you dare to share?

I have 4 different bosses. The general manager, two duty managers, and a department manager (not counting supervisors here).

The former and latter are fine, but the two duty managers are cunts to me and don't even know my name.

The worst time dealing with them was when all of the warehouse staff left early and I was made to stay back and unload a semi trailer by myself. I'd never unloaded a truck before (i'm a checkout "chick" - it isn't even part of my job description) and the guy went off his head when I was taking too long - I had to figure out how to use the pallet jack machine - but they have to pay the driver for every minute he is past his schedule or something, so I got a formal complaint written about me and I didn't get paid for the time I stayed back. And they also randomly file reports on me for things like having long hair and leaving doors open. The latest was getting in trouble for having my wallet on me (new rule is i'm not allowed personal cash or debit cards on me while working, which kinda makes it hard to bring along my bus fare or get lunch - I can leave my wallet in my locker, but I share that with about 4 other people, so I think i'll go hungry instead.). The worst part is they're fine with treating me like shit but they're patronisingly nice to all of the 16 year old girls I work with. Ugh. Kinda shit, but I don't have any other options here as it seems no other workplaces'll take me on.

Well, first you piss off the people working for you, then you show disdain for the fact that you pissed them off, then you try to get one of them fired because he was short on sleep due having just become a new father, and then, when your boss tells you to lay off the guy, you say it's either him or me. Ta-dah! You've fired yourself!
Ah. I see. Well, she had it coming it seems :)
My boss is batshit crazy.

When she's not being batshit cazy, she's pretty nice.

Go figure.
So how often does she turn into a loon? Every full moon?
*Snip madness*

And they also randomly file reports on me for things like having long hair and leaving doors open.

*Snipe more crazyness*
:eek:

My word, you really, seriously, need a new job! How can you even make it to work??

I am my boss. I tend to annoy the crap out of myself, and I work myself too hard for too little pay.......one day I am going to quit and go on vacation or something, but then I will tag along and piss myself off the whole time anyway, so it's pretty pointless.

You want to hear about the boss from hell?

I don't have one of those, but I do have a nice LONG story about the Assistant Manager from hell... This is a little tale of mine from my short time at Tim Hortens.

Not only was she not the most diplomatic person I ever met, but, I often got the feeling that she had no qualms singling out those she didn't like and accusing them very randomly.

If something went wrong, even if you were on break, if she didn't like you, I'm sure it is why you were blamed.

I remember being blamed because there were coffee grounds that had landed outside of the garbage bin. I had been on break, and when I got back, she was sweeping up and pointed it out to me. I hadn't been the only person using that trash can, but, she singled me out anyway and had me cleaning it up instead of actually helping with the customers (and then accuses me of being "slow"...) uh-huh...

Or... the customers have stopped coming for about one minute and you want to take a breather? HAH! Forget it, she was on my case about how I needed to make sure my stocks were full. While it's ok to point out this, there is such a thing as being overzealous.

Then there's the deli... not such a bad thing until you encounter peanut butter and sweaty hands. Yes, after you apply peanut butter to a bagel, you've got to remove your gloves because there is always someone who's hyper-allergic to peanuts. So, it's busy and you've got to work solo - damn hard if youi've got to change gloves and you get no sympathy because no one gives a damn that you need help.

Of course, she doesn't help matters. Her method of helping is to demean you and make you feel like you've done nothing, even though you've tried to ask for help, explaining that your hands are sweaty and the gloves won't go on...

The little things she picks on; it must make her feel like a big woman. After all, she's going nowhere in life. As is the fate with most people in managerial positions in the service industry.

She has no concept of how to treat people fairly.

It really showed through when a nice co-worker of mine found a cigarette butt that had wound up in the fridge. My co-worker didn't name anyone because she didn't think that anyone had actually put it there. She just happened to be working in the baking area the day the assistant manager was there.

The assistant manager called me into the back, and accused me without even asking me anything before hand. She came out and accused me of smoking during work hours and then allowing for the offending cigarette to wind up inside the fridge.

My co-worker seemed surprised.

I tried to defend myself. I don't smoke and this was a serious allegation, especially given the way the company deals with people who actually DO smoke on their breaks. I heard one story where a young man was fired and was arrested... it seems extreme, but, it really did happen.

I tried to explain to the assistant manager that I don't smoke, and that the only way it could've got into the fridge was for the butt to have been on the bottom of a container.

I then added that the previous shift I had been baking and I had been refilling the fridge with the supervisor and I was bringing the containers back and forth between the fridge and the freezer OUTSIDE. I explained that it must've got stuck on the bottom after I dropped a container on the ground.

She didn't like my story and never followed up on it with the supervisor (of course she wouldn't, damn air-tight alibi, since there was someone of autority with me at the time). She then had mused out loud that it must've been another worker. She decided to accuse some young kid of sixteen, who seemed too dazed to do his job, let alone light a lighter.

I don't know what happened there, but, I imagine she got the lynch mob and went after him.

She said said she wouldn't tell the manager...

I had explained to my supervisor what she had said and he was outraged. He had been with me and knew that I didn't do anything wrong. He thought she had been very unreasonable. So did other co-workers. They found it outrageous.

She has a miserable disposition, which showed crystal clear the day I was dismissed. Before the manager had dismissed me, the assistant manager had said to me that, "no one likes you, and no one wants to work with you."

What I find the strangest of all this? When the manager was dismissing, she was not happy about it. She had told me that she tried to fight so I could stay on board. From the way she spoke, I got the impression that she had been given orders from the general manager. The GM could've influenced by the assistant manager, since the manager didn't seem like she want to dismiss me...

Moral? Assistant managers are bigger assholes than managers.

My boss is an alcholic ex motorhead groupie. She's awesome and never nags us aslong as the work is done by the end of the night shes fine.

My boss is pretty likeable, unless it's Saturday, and there's a delivery. Then you must hide.

That's all in the future, I'm still young and free! *Drives to Florida* Would have been my answer, but I hate Florida.

Meh. Maybe I'll be my own boss!

That's all in the future, I'm still young and free! *Drives to Florida* Would have been my answer, but I hate Florida.

Meh. Maybe I'll be my own boss!

You could always drive someplace else... Like Tijuana?

Or Monaco?

Store Manager = Twat. No one likes him. Always believs he is above everyone else and he is just a person you don't want to be around. Real example:

I'm busy cleaning up my counter as we're behind and we had only 30 minutes left to close it up. This is the convo that followed:

Boss: "I need someone to put out this roller of juice on that shelf over there."

Me:"Sorry I can't. We're really behind on things."

Boss: "I'll repeat myself. I need someone to put this juice over there."

Me: "Fine but it'll be your fault if the counters are still open after they have to be shut."

3 Duty Managers:

1 - Legend. he really is the best guy there. We had to open new years day so obviously we weren't busy. He came along saw we had nothing to do and told us to have an hour long break. He also makes you want to work.

2 - Doesn't really bother us and lets people get on with what they need to.

3 - New guy. Don't know much about him but from what I've heard I'm not gonna like him.

Department Manager - She's alright. Helps us when we need it and gives advice when we need it.

You could always drive someplace else... Like Tijuana?

Or Monaco?

Monaco seems safer (for myself, not my wallet).

And I would fly, naturally.

That's all in the future, I'm still young and free! *Drives to Florida* Would have been my answer, but I hate Florida. :eek:
I hate Florida, too! Match made in heaven. :)

.. this innuendo isn't working.. is it?Not so much, no. :p

:eek:
I hate Florida, too! Match made in heaven. :)

We should work together!

Would you like to be my boss? .. or aren't you in to all of that pre-contract contact? .. this innuendo isn't working.. is it?

Not so much, no. :p

Fine. I'll just cut to the chase.

I want to corrupt you.

my boss is a decent guy. he keeps phoning and emailing me asking me to come into work though, 'spretty annoying :p

Fine. I'll just cut to the chase.

I want to corrupt you.
Baby, I got an easy 16 years on you. Somehow I doubt you could manage that. ;) And ZOMG yes I'm as shocked as you that I am actually almost TWICE AS OLD as you! *dies*

Baby, I got an easy 16 years on you. Somehow I doubt you could manage that. ;) And ZOMG yes I'm as shocked as you that I am actually almost TWICE AS OLD as you! *dies*

Haha.. oh no.. ahahahaha!!

Skimpy pic = Granny porn!

*can't stop laughing*

Haha.. oh no.. ahahahaha!!

Skimpy pic = Granny porn!

*can't stop laughing*
It could be worse, sweetie. (http://homepage.mac.com/akitzmil/iblog/C119883728/E396684729/Media/naked_bush.jpg):)

It could be worse, sweetie. (http://homepage.mac.com/akitzmil/iblog/C119883728/E396684729/Media/naked_bush.jpg):)

Well he is the boss..

My word, you really, seriously, need a new job! How can you even make it to work??

Well, it used to be easy, since i'd just catch the bus and not have to motivate myself to drive or anything. But now that i'm not allowed to bring money to work, I guess I can't do that anymore. ;)

My boss is pretty decent. He trusts my judgement & lets me act fairly autonomously. He's pretty busy & often forgets to follow up on some things, but overall I'd give him about 8/10.

My bosses are awesome.
They are so relaxed and cool.

My ex boss is superb, he sold his company to a big company, my new boss is a **** that knows jack and doesn't listen to a thing we say.

My journey to work was 40 miles round trip, it's now 280 miles a day with many hours sitting in traffic and on the train, not to mention the extra £6000 a year I have to find to fund it when most of my collegues are allowed to work from home. ****.

Now I'm looking for a new job, did I mention my boss is a ****?

Monaco seems safer (for myself, not my wallet).

And I would fly, naturally.
Naturally :p
Baby, I got an easy 16 years on you. Somehow I doubt you could manage that. ;) And ZOMG yes I'm as shocked as you that I am actually almost TWICE AS OLD as you! *dies*
What... you mean...:eek:

He's that young?? Still wet behind the ears, he is. Only just tasted tequila...

*Sigh* :gundge: