In the article "Why Your Boss May Start Sweating The Small Stuff" TIME
writer Julie Rawe examined how more companies are training managers to be more
sensitive to their employees' feelings. Here is a selection of what readers
cited as their biggest pet peeves about their boss or workplace.
From a food
sales representative:
Beyond the checking of the
BlackBerry—how about my boss writing emails during my annual review! I stopped
talking and he looked up at me like I was dumb for not continuing. He starts
waving his hand, gesturing, while telling me urgently to "Go on."
What is that about? Not to mention his phone-answering. During a meeting he was
sitting in on, with one of my biggest customers, he picked up the phone and
made a call!
But the last, and just most
annoying, of all, he will walk into my tiny cubicle, not paying attention to
what I am doing—oftentimes when I am on the phone, mid-sentence with a
customer—and whack me on the arm to get my attention!
From a
supervisor at a sports venue:
One of the employees that I
supervise was reprimanded by me, then later again by our boss. Since I had
already handled the situation, I asked our boss how she learned of his misdeed.
She said not to worry about it. This happened a few more times. One day, I
passed by her office to find her listening on an intercom. She had bugged our
offices. Morale plummeted immediately and took another hit when our union did
nothing.
From an
industrial-products entrepreneur:
Your article struck a
painful chord. I worked with two partners for over 30 years. They had started
the company together—but with my help—before I was able to join them on a
full-time basis 3 years later. Together, we built a struggling business into a
$33 million success.
On the day we finally sold
the company and were walking out the door, the two of them stopped, turned to
one another, and hugged. These were guys I'd worked, sweated, planned, laughed
and cried with for over three decades. They were good guys. And on every other
occasion, they acted as if I were a full partner. But in that precise moment, I
knew where I had always stood.
Lonely? Three years later,
the feeling still hasn't left. The power of small signals? You'd better believe
it.
From a
corporate communications director:
To approach my boss with
even a simple question is to be subjected to incredible rudeness, unmistakable
signals that what I need to discuss just doesn't matter—at all. During such
encounters, he sighs, loudly and often; gets a slack-jawed, glaze-eyed
expression just 15 to 20 seconds into the conversation; makes sounds like
"ughh, ughh" to seem engaged; and asks no questions, but inevitably
lets you know the "meeting" is over by either picking up documents to
read or turning completely around to read e-mails on his PC ... Ironic how such
"micro" inequities have such a HUGE demoralizing effect on employee morale.
I always trudge away from his desk totally disgusted.
From a software
course developer:
When my boss is here,
there's a tension that permeates everything. Your breath catches in your chest
and just sticks there for the entire day—no heartburn or reflux medicine can
remove the feeling! The man never recognizes anyone for a job well done, yet he
never yells at anyone for screwing up. He rarely ever cracks a smile or laughs,
but he doesn't yell. It's almost like he's a robot, an automaton that lives to
sit in his office and go over minute details of things people will never see or
read. He's not married, doesn't have any children, and he has no interest in
knowing the names of anyone's spouses or children. I'm not sure if there's
anything called "positive personality-in-a-can" but if there was, he
would be the first person I would recommend use it!
Got your own office horror story and want to share it? Please send
it down to info@insitefulsolutionsconsult.com and it will be published
anonymously. We’ll also share free advice and tips on how to deal with the
situation.
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