Question of the Week?

mhaas28

This question was submitted by shaindler (thank you). Sorry it is late again...my mom had back surgery today and this is my first time to get to the computer! I will have to post and run so my answer will go up tomorrow!

Share your worst boss story! 

shaindelr

I suggested this one since we had the virginity question before, and this one seemed "un-sexy" ;-) I put it on Working Moms as a GTKY sort of thing. I'll just paste my answer from there:

My worst boss ever was my first boss after graduate school. He was a very successful businessman who "bought a school"--like a charter school, and I was one of the three directors of the school.

He treated all of us like idiots. He would micromanage and tell me things like to use "small pieces of tape" when we were supposed to tape fliers or motivational sayings on the walls for students.

He didn't want the directors to talk when we entered kids' diagnostic test scores in the computers because he thought we'd be more efficient if we were quiet.

And he would bring his little daughters through and tell them that he was leaving the place to them, so they would be our bosses someday. There is nothing more humiliating than having a graduate degree, being an educator, and hearing someone tell a 6-year-old that they are going to be your boss. Ugh!

Since he "bought us" from someone else, my paperwork for my salary had been lost, so he decided to pay me according to the offer I'd turned down.

And then I got fired for what he considered an "inappropriate relationship with a student." This girl's mother was in the hospital in a body cast from a car accident (no exaggeration) and couldn't take her prom dress shopping, so I offered to loan this high school girl a dress. He just knew I had made arrangements with a student that were non-school-related. Basically, when she could pick up a dress from me. He later begged me to come back, but there was NO WAY.

kje120

I worked in an Edward Jones office for a little less than a year when I moved back to Charleston.  Those are just two person offices - the Branch Admin (me) and the Financial Advisor. My boss happened to be a complete pig.  He was totally inappropriate and my sister even felt uncomfortable coming by the office to see me because he was so creepy.  

One time I had to go to a meeting with the other branch admins and he questioned me when I got back because he was afraid of what they might have told me about the girl I had replaced. He was always badmouthing her but I found out from the others that she had filed complaints against him and she had even called me to warn me about him.  He got all hostile towards me and wouldn't talk to me, which is really uncomfortable in a two person office.

Luckily I found a better job and was able to quit. A few months later I found out he had been fired for sexual harassment. I guess the poor girl who replaced me filed complaints about him, too, and the company had had enough.

  

LoCarb

I don't have any fabulous stories to share other than I have worked for some real @$$holes before. I think the worse was a female and ultimately after complaining to HR several times, I had enough and quit. Yup, I let her win and I moved on make 35% more at my next job so I think it's a win-win situation.

Twirple

When I was in college I worked part-time as a Nanny/Housekeeper.  The job itself wasn't horrible and the little girl was adorable, but their house was a disaster and the family had no idea how to keep it clean.  I would spend over an hour cleaning their kitchen, and as I would get one area clean, they would come in behind me and dirty it again.

I would take care of the little girl while the Mother would get some work done out of the home, but the mother clearly didn't trust me.  She would ask me to give her daughter a bath, then pop in three or four time (in five minutes) to check on us.

I was supposed to be getting paid once a week, but several time I only got a partial payment, or deferred until the next week.  Not easy when you're a college student and not making much.  Plus, I kind of got the impression that the other family members (her husband and two older sons) resented me being there.

There were two of us from my college that were both working for this family so that we could work around our school schedules and they would have someone when they needed it.  The family went on vacation for a week, about a month before the end of he school year.  The woman called us when they got back to schedule us to come back to work.  Neither of us returned her call.  Just not worth it.

LadyXaverian

I missed the virginity one, and I'm too paranoid to share a boss one.

SandiaPinaMama

When I did my student teaching, my cooperating teacher hated me because the kids actually liked him.  He refused to come observe or provide guidance.  By the time I left there, I was sure that I did not want to be a teacher, but I fortunately proved myself wrong.