I know we all miss Pamie.......maybe it would help if we tried to cheer this place up a little.

I want to know.....does anyone at your work just bugs the hell out of you? Who takes advantage of you? Who does you wrong?

I would like to hear some work stories.

-- Anonymous, February 17, 2000

Answers

I am irritated.......so I will go first.

There is this woman in my office who puts all of her piddly shit off on me, and than takes credit for it!!!!!

I never realized she was doing it until last week. I had worked on a database for her (4000 entries, y'all), and when I was finished I emailed it to her. I walked in to her office the next day, and I saw an email from our boss telling her good job on the database! Turns out he had given it to her to do.

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!

How do you deal with someone like that? Seriously. I am not all about the glory. But I definately don't like this situation.

She will also call me, to have me call someone, to have them call her. She is not in a position of power over me, but she totally takes advantage of the fact that I am a nice person who is willing to help someone out.

-- Anonymous, February 17, 2000

My boss gives every project to at least three people, and tells them that each one of them is solely responsible for getting the project done. Then we all work like crazy, and end up stepping all over each other, and really it's just a waste of my effort.

Sigh. Can I quit now?

-- Anonymous, February 17, 2000

I have never contributed anything to the group though I have been reading Squishy for about a year now.

With that said--I don't have anyone necessarily at work that irritates me--work just irritates me in general. When I first started this job I was taking over for someone on maternity leave and she had everything behing like two years or something. I couldn't wait for her to go on leave so I could clean out all of the files and get everything up to date. Well, it took about a month maybe to get it all up to date and I was working my ass off everyday. I would get to work and then look at the clock again and it would be 5 pm. I loved that. You don't even know the time is going by. Anyway, all of the work is done now so instead of seeing 5 on the clock I think I look at it like 9000 times a day and it never moves!!!! I have rearranged the files as many times as possible!!!

Oh well, at least I have time to catch up on Squishy.

-- Anonymous, February 17, 2000

I am horribly micro-managed.

Here's the gist. I was hired a month before my co-worker J. I did J.'s job and mine. Her job pays more, FWIW, but I got a taste of who her boss woudl be and said to myself Self, it's *not* worth it. So she was hired. I have 6 people I support. She had (until last week) 2, both of whom came to me as often as they came to her.

She decided she wanted to supervise me. She asked her boss and since he didn't want to bother, he said 'sure'. So she is my supervisor. Which I don't care about, except...she's a control freak. And hypocritical. And hyper-critical. Now, mind you, she's a nice woman and I don't hate her as a human being but I DO hate her management style.

A LOT.

We get an hour and a half for lunch and breaks and etc., all to be taken at our discretion. I was coming down with flu and my roommates at the time were dodging their responsibilities *and* one decided he wanted to break the lease so his girlfriend with megadivorcebucks (the one he'd dissed as too old, complained about, etc.) could sugar- momma him...and that would leave me paying $900 I didn't have. (There's more to it than that, but that's the main bone of contention.) I wrote friends an e-mail about it. We're allowed, after all, to write the occasional e-mail. J. interrupted me in mid-rant stream to fuss at me for sniffling (again, was sick AND upset) and then to ask me a dozen questions she should have known the answers to. The point was to interrupt me from typing, because she felt overwhelmed and felt I was goofing off. Again, she works and I don't-- that's the 'tude. I do everything I'm asked to do, I do it quickly, and reward myself with an e-mail, then do something else. Well, I used to. Since I don't complain about being overloaded, I just do whatever I get handed to me, she feels that since she is complaining and pissed off about her load that she 'wins'. Note that I frequently ask[ed] if I can help her. Anyway, she came around, ignored my 'on break' sign and blessed me out for e-mailing.

Since then--and it was almost a year ago--every time I type anything (and 90% of my job involves typing), she interrupts me by calling over the wall and asking what I'm working on *right now*. She interrupts me while I'm on the phone getting v-mail. She comes over and plops papers down on top of the papers I'm working on. She asks me to keep a runnign log of every activity I do in a day and to send it to her at night, and I've shared these logs with others and they say damn, you're a busy person, but she thinks I don't do enough.

My reviews were all glowing and extra-positive. I got higher marks than average, actually. I got a raise. She left me alone for a week, then started in again.

She dumps all her shit-work on me, including word-for-word transcriptions of phone messages that her boss is too lazy to write down himself. Every minute of taped call takes about 10-20 minutes to type in. (Depends on how fast the caller speaks and how clear they are.) I do hours of that shit a week. She dumps financial reports and forms on me when I wasn't hired to do mathematical or financial work. She downplays what I WAS hired to do and claims it shouldn't take me so long to do it. It is extremely annoying, needless to say.

The real eye-opener came recently. In one week, we each had a rush proposal to get out.

My turn: I create a PowerPoint presentation and make graphics and charts and type in reams of information. My house was burglarized the day before and I am fielding calls from the realtor and police about it while at work. The presentation was a last-minute rush job and the consultant wants to leave before lunch. After seh interrupts me several times, I finish it and our color printers are malfunctioning. So I go out in the cold and walk to Kinko's and get the damn thing done, bound, etc. I pass her as I return. She is taking a lunch break with a friend. (It lasts two hours.)

Obviously, when it is my problem, it stays my problem and I do it all by myself.

Her turn: She's had two days to finish a presentation. She gets me to create half of it and whines that I'm slow (I'm not). She loses the recent version and says it is my fault for not changing the name of the file for her when I e-mailed it. The printers are maxxed out, and she rounds up everyone to help her print and then collate her document. I am asked to put new printers on my machien, which I do, then the output is deemed unacceptable. She has ten people running around like bunnies for her, and me helping her, and is still stressed out over it.

Oh. Wasn't thanked for setting aside my own work to help her. It's expected, she's my *supervisor*. 'Nuff said.

Obviously, when it is her problem, it becomes my problem and everyone else's.

She rides me about every little thing, and there's a pattern emerging. She is given work she doesn't want to do. I get a new task to do. I.e., she has to type up a letter, so I must now open all the mail for her people in addition to fetching it for her (which I did out of kindness in the beginnign and now it's expected of me). She has to make a plane reservation, I get to learn how to do the billing instructions and invoice for the new consultant (she now has three and I still have six, one of hers is never here).

She is given shit work, I get to do the shit work. She has a problem at home, I have a bad day as a result.

She's controlling and moody and sees nothign wrong with yelling at me for sending an e-mail during my break time while she spends hours on the phone to her family and boyfriend and etc. I generally eat at my desk and work while eating, but she insists I take a 30 minute deduction off my time even if I'm not actually doing anything non- work-related for that time.

She tries to take credit for my ideas, but I generally anticipate that by talking to my people first and asking their opinion of what I've done. I've done this often enough that when she says 'we', she feels like she's going to get corrected if it isn't actually 'our' effort. And I give her credit where it isn't due, often. I revamped our entire client file system and it was 'our' idea, at least until I told the people I work for what I had done and asked their opinions of my idea for re-vamping it. that, and they saw me working on it all the time and not her.

Still, I'm a creative left-brainer and she's a controlling right- brainer and I have to admit that her 'type' is better suited for office-type work. My strengths are writing, editing, graphics, organization, brainstorming, multi-tasking and interpersonal. I am saved from being a total flake by being anal-retentive and detail- oriented and capable of retaining multiple tasks on my mental list until they are done (while at work).

Anyway, I keep thinking about another job, but the bennies here are unreal. They just rock. We get flex (though she bitches if I come in after her). We get comp time. We get holidays and vacations and unlimited sick days. They have quarterly parties. They give us free drinks (lots) and, often, free food. We have nice work spaces and decent equipment to work with. I get paid a decent wage and decent OT. My 6 bosses are cool. It's only 20-25 minutes away from my house during rush hour, which, in the city where I live, is unheard-of. My prior job had me on the road up to 5 hours a day (back and forth)...it took 2 1/2 hours to drive there most of the time (and on weekends, minus traffic? 15 minutes, exit to exit.)

I like most of th epeople I work with, and the building I work in and the relaxed dress code, etc.

But I hate being micromanaged. She needs to get a grip. Maybe I can make a lateral move within the company...hmm.

M

Maybe this is the norm, but the jobs I've had before REALLY sucked. I'd hate to move on.

-- Anonymous, February 17, 2000

Wow, makes my situation seem like a little slice of heaven. I like my bosses, what I do and most of my co-workers (though some can be a little too sacchariny sweet to hang out with). There are a few thorns in my side, however. In fact, right now I'm having a rather taxing "conversation" with the blonde doorstop that sits in the cubicle across from me. She's all pissed that the folks here are attempting to liven up our nights (we're 3rd shift) with different activities on different nights. Granted, it's unnecessary since we pretty much occupy ourselves with our own movie nights, games, potluck stuff, etc... but at least they're trying to be nice. What she's angry about is that she isn't able to sleep. Now we all nap occasionally, it's unavoidable, but *expecting* to catch up on z's at work is a little out of line. Anyway, the bitch best check herself.

See, everyone else is scared of her because she's so evil- not me. I've told her to her face that she is "the most evil being I've ever met," and when she was complaining about other people's perfect relationships and why they have to have pictures of their significant others on their desks, my response was, "If your cold, black heart wasn't so full of bile you might understand."

Now she's complaining about something else. GOD! The funny thing is, she fancies herself an actress, but she hasn't done anything (besides second-rate supporting actors in independant films) in years, and I'm not talking paying gigs, I mean anything. She volunteers at film festivals and schmoozes and kisses ass and does everything she can to worm her way into the industry except acting. It's like she embraces the underbelly of the business that everyone with a shred of integrity loathes. Then the ho tries to give me advice. Of course, I pretend to take it since she part-times with a casting agent in town and I need every in I can get, but still. I think my emotions of her would best be summed up in the lyrics of a song by the Murmurs: "She's asexual " actually, I'm not sure about that part and I don't want to find out, but it rhymes with what comes next- "far from intellectual, sucker-upper, star-fucker"- I forget the rest.

I gotta go anyway, we're about to do some sort of fun activities. Plus I just realized I was channeling Stee for a while there. Word.

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2000

former bad boss stories:

My last boss had absolutely no tact. Among other things, she told me my lipstick made me look "dead," called my husband "a pipsqueak," and told a co-worker, "I once had this dreadful perm that made my hair look just like yours."

I also once had to drive another boss to her boyfriend's house (on work hours) because he was threatening to kill himself (with a shotgun). He didn't go through with it, but he really did have the gun.

Then yet another boss fired a woman from our office because the employee requested a flexible schedule (7-4 instead of 8-5) so she could have CHEMO for her breast cancer. Apparently, leaving at 4:00 set a bad example for the rest of us....

Man, I'm glad to be where I am now...

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2000

Wow.... I can't really say I've ever been in a really bad work situation like what I've read here. Makes this place seem nearly perfect! ;) Actually, I can't post here because I know of someone else from the same company who reads the boards, therefore ALL IS FINE AND DANDY!

Seriously, I don't think I'd put up with a fraction of what mis and Milla do, because crap like that has never been an issue for me. Perhaps I've just been really lucky.

mis- I *strongly* suggest you harden your heart and the next time that woman comes around, be too busy to do her crap. And continue to be too busy each time. If you do end up doing something, find out who the project needs to go to when it's done, then turn it in yourself or discuss with others the work you've done on it, so she can't claim credit.

Milla- If I were you, I'd have a SERIOUS talk with your "sup's" boss. That type of treatment is absolutely unbelievable. It's really a tough call as to whether or not all your benefits are worth putting up with shit like that. If her boss doesn't respond, try one of yours. Go above him. 'Cause if the situation's so bad you have to go over his head, it's not going to look good for either of them. (Possibly not for you either, but you'll draw attention to the situation.) Maybe, when you start talking to bosses, ask them to go over your job description again. In detail. If any of the crap that's being dumped on yo by what's-her-face doesn't fall into your description, bring it up.

Anyway, I hope all of you can get things worked out properly. And though it may seem a pain, there usually are other jobs out there.

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2000

i like my boss. i like my immediate - everyday co-workers...but there are a few, shall we call them WACK-O's that roam the halls of my office building.

one, in particular, uses a hand-towel to open the door when leaving the bathroom - fine - but only after she just runs her hands under water. hey lady! ever hear of SOAP to ward off germs???

i could go on and on about the hr department, germ lady resides in that department...and they're ALL wack-o's. something about the air ducts.......

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2000

My boss isn't a 'what have you done for me lately?' kinda guy... he's more the 'what are you doing for me as I'm talking to you?' type...

I work in what is supposed to be a funky, coool, urban iNet firm -- we're in a huge renovated warehouse, with a pool table, beer fridge, fouton, big screen tv, showers, lockers.. blah, blah, blah.... and the boss/owner wears jeans (oh my god, he must be soooo cooool). It's the biggest lie (liar, liar, jeans on fire). It's all for show. The whole place was purposely designed to look like what a funky, young, cutting edge Internet shop 'should' look like. -- the office is more corporate than any head office i've ever worked for. Total letdown...

-- Anonymous, February 19, 2000