The Law Student

I have submitted a letter of resignation to my boss and direct
supervisor, putting them on notice that I will be moving to the west
coast for law school in one month. My boss congratulated me and
expressed his regret that I will be leaving. However, my direct
supervisor, despite my repeatedly telling her I will not be here in a
month, continues to have meetings with me to discuss long-term
projects and new responsibilities she wants me to take on.

Sounds Like A Victory For The Boss

I used to work for a adjusting firm prior to this. I had this really
nasty CEO who would scold you like he is scolding his two year son
but with added profanities. He is also obsessed in increasing the
revenue of the company whereas the term “you eat more than you can
chew” becomes suitable for the situation. Staff were overworked and
underpaid.

So one day, the CEO calls an urgent meeting. Since, I was handling
one of the segments of the Insurance claims and doing quite well, he
asked me to take over another portfolio. I would have jumped to the
opportunity but alas, the department which I was heading was still at
its intial stage. The foundation was not solid and I had to be very
hands-on handling the department. Hence, my reply to him was a NO.
But before I could provide him with my justification, he started with
his profanities and sent me out of the room. I thought that was the
end. To my surprise, I was immediately demoted and a few months after
that, I was not given a bonus despite my outstanding performance prior
to that. Whilst, others who sucked up to the CEO were given a bonus. I
did what most people in my situation do, I let my emotions control my
actions and sent in my notice. It was one of the most beautiful day
in my life and a certain burden was lifted from my shoulders.

Don’t Make It Hard

I work for the State Government and I have been here since August
2008. I am the only receptionist, the other one quit. This is just a
small taste of the kind of person my boss is (I omitted the names):

I emailed her as per order in the written reprimand:

Me:
I am taking _____ a pack of order forms…be right back.

Boss:
If you are leaving the office and I need to answer the phones, you
need to tell me before you leave – not email me. I may not see the
email and let the phones ring…

Me:
I apologize, you had someone in your office and I did not want to
interrupt.

Boss:
You have made it very clear that you are not going to speak to me.
Whether you like me or not, until you do secure other employment, we
will have to communicate. Common sense is going to dictate in this
circumstance that you come to my door and let me know you are leaving
the office. Depending on what I was working on at the time, or who was
in my office, I may have asked that you wait and deliver the forms
later or ______ could have come up and gotten the forms. I may not
have been available to answer the phones. Do not just assume that I
am and leave the office unattended.

Me:
I’m not sure what to do now. I get a written reprimand stating that
I shouldn’t interrupt anyone when they have someone in the office or
are on the phone and stating that “Do not walk in my office, ___
office, or ____ office if you see someone else is in there. You have
a habit of interrupting conversations for non-emergency situations.
This must stop. Make yourself a note or send me an email asking them
to contact you when they are free.” So I email you instead this
time and now you’re saying I need to tell you?

Boss:
This is where common sense comes into play. As I stated, delivering
forms to ____ was not an emergency. It could have waited. If you saw
someone in my office and knew that your interruption was not
necessary, then simply go back to your desk and wait for me to be
alone. If you needed to go to the restroom and could not wait, come
to my door, knock, and let me know you need to leave the office.
It’s a judgment call. Was delivering the forms something that could
not wait? Could ____ not have come up here to get them? As I said,
depending on what I was working on, I may not have been able to
listen for the switchboard. This is not hard – don’t make it
hard…

I Forgot About That

My first job out of college was a nightmare. I thought I had died and
gone to hell.

I moved out of state for the job. I left behind all my friends and
family. I knew NO ONE there. The first day I got into town, he was
already requiring me to attend work functions. I hadn’t even unpacked
my stuff yet.

First day of work, I’m told to show up at 7 am. I get there at 7 am.
No one is there. The building is locked. I call him. He said, “Oh
yeah, we don’t open at 7 am anymore. I forgot about that.”

At this point I realize I should probably just turn around and leave. You
don’t even know what time you open your place of business? Red flag.

I had shown up in business-casual attire. He sees me and demands I go
home and change. I’m going to be getting dirty, doing heavy lifting,
etc.

Jerk is too nice of a word to describe this person. His method of
training was yelling and threatening. Trying to learn to a new
software program consisted of him standing over my shoulder yelling
at me and chewing me out. Eventually another employee suggested I be
sent to a community college to learn the software AT MY OWN EXPENSE!

After the first day on the job, the manager condescending said, “Well
maybe this just isn’t your cup of tea,” with a smirk.

So to avoid being yelled at or reprimanded for nonsense, I would
clean toilets, mop floors, do whatever I could do to stay OUT of his
way.

After a week, he called the office to start in, chewing me out. I
finally had enough. I let him have it, stood up for myself, and left
that place. Not only did he pull these shenanigans with me, he
wouldn’t pay another employee, owing him thousands of dollars in pay.

I now have a job where my manager treats us all with respect and the
company has a ZERO tolerance policy for this type of behavior! It’s
wonderful.