Have you ever actually considered hiring a hitman to take out your boss?
@Rhiannon_Knight (37)
United States
June 4, 2008 8:06pm CST
Ok, I admit that the headline of this discussion was written in half-jest, but I am absolutely livid right now. My boss and I got into a "raised voice" debate today. To give you a bit of background, I am the same age as her daughters and she tends to treat me like a child most of the time. She knows absolutely nothing about what I do, nor does she have any interest in learning. Also, keep in mind that I am the only person in my company that carries a whole department on her shoulders! Anyway, this afternoon, my boss calls me and informs me about a report that is due in about 15 hours (keep in mind that we are not talking about "business hours" but real time--a side note: it really sucks to have to keep up with all the time zones in the US, not just the one you're sitting in). If I had nothing to do, generating this report would not be an issue; however, as of right now I am behind in my deliverables from last month (thanks to my boss dropping two unscheduled projects in my lap and telling me to put everything on the back burner), and I have six things due by Friday. So immediately I am a bit stressed, but then she keeps contradicting herself in terms of what the actual report needs to contain. I kept trying to tell her that it couldn't be automatically generated out of our system and was trying to explain the reason why, but she wouldn't listen. Also keep in mind that this is probably the first time in my three years with the company that I have raised my voice to a supervisor--I've put up with a lot of junk up until now. I also mentioned the fact that this is an unrealistic deadline given everything else I am supposed to get done by the end of this week. Eventually it gets to the point where both our voices are raised and she tells me that she is not going to talk to me until I calm down, and I tell her that I am hanging up to take a walk outside (I recently quit smoking almost two months ago and it was a struggle to not run across the street and buy a pack of cigs).
After hanging up, I broke down sobbing for all the corporate office to see/hear (my boss works remotely on the East coast). After multiple tissues and a few of my closest work buddies calming me down, I decided that the best thing to do would be to write an e-mail explaining the points I was trying to get across in our unproductive conversation, so I would have written documentation. I spent 20 minutes crafting the e-mail and had two co-workers read it over before sending it to make sure that I was not out of line with what I was sending. An hour goes by and my boss e-mails me back stating that she didn't understand why I was so upset and that she would be happy to discuss the issue with me but not while I was being "so nasty." She then ended the e-mail with "So there!" I started crying yet again and made the decision that this needed to be brought to HR's attention.
I no longer feel comfortable speaking with her on the phone, or even working under her for that matter. I am supposed to have a meeting with HR tomorrow regarding this but I am sweating bullets. First of all, she has been with the company for 13 years, I have only been there for almost 3. Second, HR will need to talk to her and I can only imagine the discomfort that is going to take place after she finds out I took this issue to them. Third, we get bonuses every quarter if we meet a set of specified objectives....second quarter is closing at the end of this month and I think I've kissed my bonus goodbye (despite that right now I have met all of them). One co-worker thinks that because no one else knows how to do what I do, that I can use that to my advantage to perhaps request to report to a different manager. I am not so sure and am really anxious about this meeting tomorrow.
Did I over-react? I felt that the e-mail I sent was not nasty by any means, merely professional and a little more brisk than the e-mails I normally send to her, and I felt that her reply with the "So there!" at the end was incredibly childish and disrespectful. I would love to hear any advice that you have or hear about a similiar situation that you experienced and how you handled it.
1 person likes this
1 response
@Pixelus (151)
• Philippines
5 Jun 08
haha this is funny yet scary. i know how you feel being an employee. it is really hard sometimes if you meet a boss like that.
when i had my first job, it went okay, my boss is very nice. the only problem is the salary, way too low. so i decided to resign and get another job. luckily i got one immediately, but from here i met a not-so-nice boss. maybe, i was young back then, my only option before was "resigning" after being scolded bad. Yes its really childish if you do this kind of act. yet it is bad in the business if you work in one company with ENEMY (thats what i call my boss or co-employee after being scolded).
i accept if i've been scolded if its my fault. but beyond that, ah-ah. to make the story short, i realize my mistake when i have my family already. hehe
amm, sorry about my story, i havent notice its long now. anyway, for your problem, have you ever think of speaking to you boss regarding the treatment shes acting to you? or resigning?
saying "yes" to your topic will just make life more miserable. its better to do it in diplomatic way but since not all people has a wide understaning. then resign and look for a better job. but if employment is pretty hard in you place, then all we can do is be patience for quite sometime while looking for a job. i hope i did somehow helped you or boosted your morale or whatsoever. have a nice day
1 person likes this
@Rhiannon_Knight (37)
• United States
5 Jun 08
Thanks for your comment. I actually considered resigning after the phone conversation. I was talked out of it though and encouraged to take the issue to HR and see what they had to say. I am worried about unemployment, I do have some $$$$ saved up but that will only carry me for so long. Also, I have been applying for jobs for the past four months with no response, it seems like the competition is really fierce right now. I guess I will just see what happens tomorrow, I do want to say that I really appreciate the fact that you took the time to read my long-winded post and respond, Thanks!