Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on May 13, 2014 23:04:52 GMT -5
I don't have any advice. I applied for a job in my actual field once. It's too bad, because that's the only office type job I ever got in my field. I declined to take it because they couldn't accommodate the hours I needed to work, and I was only allowed to work my hours when someone was there to actually watch me type. Yes, the person who hired me told me that. We use a micro blogging tool at work to communicate with each other. It's even common practice for folks to post that they are running outside to mail a letter or get a coffee. Many of our staff have other meetings, and will post if they are going off the floor of our building somewhere. I used to be in my own office in a different building than the rest of my department. I was assimilated two or so years ago. I think I'm finally getting used to the change now. And, surprisingly, I like the microblogging tool a lot. It helps our communication immensely. It sounds like you need to check on other things away from your desl...can you start to give those definite times? Can you create some sort of predictable routine for your job in the mean time? Go to the lab a certain time each day or a specific number of days? I would also not couch it around lunch or when you arrive at the day. Sure, it mean you are less efficient. But, how you are spending your time will be more transparent. My coworkers know, one job responsibility I do on Tuesday and Thursdays, unless I'm out of the office. Then I switch it to M/W/F for the week and let folks know why. Yes, I will certainly place being visible and "checking the boxes" above actually doing my job in a time efficient manner in the future. Time management is obviously not a priority of the new boss.
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Knee Deep in Water Chloe
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Post by Knee Deep in Water Chloe on May 13, 2014 23:10:33 GMT -5
In regard to what Lilly said, The issue is though, Phoenix, she's given you a directive. Wouldn't be her ass on the line should you be following her directive and another portion of your job be neglected because of what she told you to do?
I have given tedious/ridiculous directives before because I have to do what the state tells me. When someone doesn't get me something when I've asked for it, I look like an idiot. I don't like to look like an idiot.
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Knee Deep in Water Chloe
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Post by Knee Deep in Water Chloe on May 13, 2014 23:13:54 GMT -5
I don't know why she was promoted. She is a of Hispanic descent, which may have played a role. But that in and of itself doesn't bother me. I was not promoted because the job is for a "Industrial Hygiene and Radiation Safety" manager, where I have no experience in Industrial Hygiene.She was in the military before, in the Air Force. I don't think she was an officer though, but did comment she has been a supervisor before, but not in the civilian world.
There are only two other people who work for her, both Industrial Hygenists, they are both out of state and we don't talk much. I don't know if they're having any issues, but she isn't in their offices standing over them making damn sure they sign use the white board so....
I'm not aware of any previous issues with other staff members.
Well, the military thing certainly explains a lot. She may be trying to emulate military management. So, the two other people whom she supervisors are not actually onsite? She's micromanaging you through proximity, right? Do you know if she's micromanaging them? Can you ask them? Is anyone else on this whiteboard or is it just the two of you?
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drivingaround
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Post by drivingaround on May 13, 2014 23:32:35 GMT -5
So if my boss asks me to do something and gives a deadline, it becomes my highest priority, even if I have to deal with a NRC violation and I'm required to do things by federal law within a certain timeframe?
Did you communicate with her on why you didn't move on Friday (assuming above is the reason) or other reasons you didn't get the admin tasks done by the deadline? On any given day I could only tell you what my staff spends 20% of their time doing. Other 80% beats me. I know their overall responsibilities and tasks but not day to day to-do lists or even individual due dates. If I ask them to do something and provide a deadline I 100% expect it will be done by that deadline UNLESS they explained they couldn't for reason X. It is then up to me as the department manager to determine who's request takes priority. Your manager really might not know what you do on a day in day out basis and unless you provided a reason why X wasn't done she could combine that with your lackluster attitude and call it insubordination. Do you use Outlook? Building on Gira's idea of creating a bit more set schedule when you do certain things (work at the lab) you could put those on a shared Outlook calendar plus put your federal and NRC mandated due dates on it. Another idea is set aside a certain amount of admin only time during the week and if she asks why such and such form wasn't filled out relay you have a set admin time 2 - 5 every Thursday. Not in a way that comes across as a difficult but could swing it as being more efficient that way you're only touching the forms once and not starting, getting interrupted, starting again. I have no idea if the type of admin work that's being asked of you could be pushed off or if it is more of an immediate action type work.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on May 13, 2014 23:36:00 GMT -5
No, I did not really explain why I moved on Monday instead of Friday. I figured it wouldn't be a big deal, but apparently it was. Obviously not a mistake I'll make in the future.
All good suggestions.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on May 13, 2014 23:39:23 GMT -5
I don't know why she was promoted. She is a of Hispanic descent, which may have played a role. But that in and of itself doesn't bother me. I was not promoted because the job is for a "Industrial Hygiene and Radiation Safety" manager, where I have no experience in Industrial Hygiene.She was in the military before, in the Air Force. I don't think she was an officer though, but did comment she has been a supervisor before, but not in the civilian world.
There are only two other people who work for her, both Industrial Hygenists, they are both out of state and we don't talk much. I don't know if they're having any issues, but she isn't in their offices standing over them making damn sure they sign use the white board so....
I'm not aware of any previous issues with other staff members.
Well, the military thing certainly explains a lot. She may be trying to emulate military management. So, the two other people whom she supervisors are not actually onsite? She's micromanaging you through proximity, right? Do you know if she's micromanaging them? Can you ask them? Is anyone else on this whiteboard or is it just the two of you? I suppose I could ask them. Might be a bit challenging to be discreet though.
Yes, she's micromanaging through proximity.
The white boards I'm referring to are on the backs of the individual cubes. Honestly, she's the only one who really knows I'm there. None of the other scientists I work with have a clue (or really care) where I am. Obviously, the white board is for her benefit only.
She wants me to write where I am at all times. I will certainly do that in the future, it's loud and clear now. But I don't think it's worth doing major disciplinary action over, especially given I've only been working there a few weeks. It's stuff like that which destroys moral and drives otherwise good employees to leave. Really, the damage has already been done and I doubt I'll ever find the same job satisfaction ever again. Is a stupid whiteboard really worth it? Maybe she doesn't care about employee moral or job satisfaction, or maybe she doesn't think I have it in me to leave. Obviously, the last part is wrong, I've left jobs before for better opportunities on several occasions.
I mean, remember she's talking about insubordination. I have never, ever, even implicitly said I will not do a task. In fact, the majority of tasks I have done and done on time, especially in the past couple of weeks.
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Knee Deep in Water Chloe
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Post by Knee Deep in Water Chloe on May 13, 2014 23:46:15 GMT -5
She wants me to write where I am at all times.
Dear goodness. I'm sorry.
Well, then I second the suggestion of using the network calendar and sharing yours with her. It will make your life significantly easier, IMO. The the white board seems hecka annoying, and if she can just look at your calendar, that might make this problem significantly more of a mole hill than a mountain.
Just for another perspective: I email out a PDF of my calendar to my staff on a weekly basis. (I'd share it with them, but at least 50% aren't savvy enough to know how to access it.) They know that it's never, ever a final draft; but, it at least gives them good idea of what my plan for the week is. My secretaries can always manipulate my calendar is anyone wants to add themselves into my schedule.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on May 13, 2014 23:54:59 GMT -5
Be careful on the conduct vs. performance thing. I don't know how things are at the feds, but at my employer if you have poor conduct they can skip all the preliminary disciplinary steps that they use for people that are trying hard, but have poor performance. So the whole conduct vs. performance thing may be an attempt to skip all the normal warning steps and jump to something more severe. Maybe. I would think that misconduct worthy of firing would have to run far deeper than just signing in/out and doing a specific task late.
If I were showing up to work drunk or stoned off my ass or assaulted someone or maliciously violated laws, that might be another story.
But who knows, I'll find out more from HR tomorrow. I learned from my last job that management doesn't always know what they're doing when it comes to stuff like this. There are probably very specific criteria for disciplinary action for insubordination that one has to follow.
*sighs* I guess I'll try and get some sleep. I doubt I'll be able to.
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sbcalimom
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Post by sbcalimom on May 14, 2014 1:45:20 GMT -5
In regard to what Lilly said, The issue is though, Phoenix, she's given you a directive. Wouldn't be her ass on the line should you be following her directive and another portion of your job be neglected because of what she told you to do? At my last corporate admin job, I had a horrible boss who micromanaged me to death and yet had absolutely no idea what I did or was responsible for. It was obvious after awhile that she was trying to get enough documentation to fire me since I couldn't anything right in her mind and she wrote me up for every single thing imaginable. As I was working towards a transfer, I started communicating with her via email as much as humanly possible so I'd have a written record of her instructions. Whenever she told me to do something wrong or conflicting with my actual responsibilities, I would ask one time for clarification and then do as I was told if she continued to demand I do what she wanted. I cannot tell you how many times she made me do things that were blatantly wrong but I followed her directions. Obviously, the situation was not dangerous as it would be in your case but I would still try to get everything you can in writing from her, especially if she's preventing you from doing anything that would cause you to miss major deadlines or regulations. That way, it's much harder for her to blame you if her actions caused the issue in the first place. My boss often tried to give me verbal instructions as a response for emails at first but I got really good at making excuses like "Oh, I have to run to the restroom can you just email me that?" Or, "could you email me those instructions so I make sure I have them right?" After a few weeks of those constant responses, she started just emailing me for pretty much everything which was awesome because I had to deal with her less in person and I had a paper trail. And it certainly came in handy when she tried getting me fired for my supposed dress code violations, I was able to pull up all the emails where she had criticized what I was wearing for reasons that had nothing to do with the dress code. She decided I was supposed to wear a certain style of clothes that way exceeded the company expectations and nothing I said could convince her otherwise. All I had to do was show HR the backlog of emails (and pictures of the supposedly inappropriate outfits) to contradict her report and it was dropped immediately. I think she was also reprimanded because after that she became a lot nicer to me until I transferred.
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truthbound
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Post by truthbound on May 14, 2014 3:48:48 GMT -5
Obviously, we only know your side of things. Can you think of anything in your attitude or acts that might cause her to act this way? Could a slight attitude adjustment on your side change things with her? Even if it's temporary, wouldn't it be worth trying to work things out or improve the situation until you get a new job? That. All we know is it keeps happening over and over apparently. Perhaps the question that they should be asking is why.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 14, 2014 4:58:40 GMT -5
In situations like this I never try to dismiss my role in the cause. After all, if bad things happen to you, you probably at least, in part, brought it on yourself.
I'm not sure if it's an attitude thing, but perhaps I should be more mindful about these little "gotcha's" that she's so fond of. She's dramatically increased the amount of administrative work I do. A lot of it isn'tt that hard, but since I find them silly or stupid I sometimes do them late or am dismissive when talking about them. Obviously, behaving that way just gives her more ammunition that can be used against me, so I should try to change my behavior there. Obviously she's the type who will constantly look for anything and everything to use against me, so I will need to change to account for that.
I suppose being more apologetic if I do screw up might help.
Take it from a pedantic bitch (me), we can be miserable to deal with. I don't know why I get so worked up about little details. I think that I just to feel appreciated and respected and I take offense when people don't think the rules apply to them. Whether you agree with it or not, a smile and an apology can go a long way. It usually disarms me and makes me see that people aren't purposely trying to piss me off. Or maybe she is a completely unreasonable person. BUT It can't hurt to make nice. I have a manager like this, and when she gets going, there is no appeasing her. One day I came back from the restroom and she wanted to know where I'd been. I'd been gone 5 minutes too long. Was I? My apologies, it won't happen again. She kept ranting, I kept saying ok. Finally she said, you keep saying ok, it's NOT ok. Well lady, I apologized a long time ago, what do you want me to do? Then she said she was going to dock my pay for the extra 5 minutes I was gone. I smiled and said okay. I thought her wig was going to fly off her head. Another time, I walked past her when I was coming back from break and she looked at her watch and said "you're going to be late". I get back to my area, and go back to work. On time. My supervisor is standing next to me chatting and his cell phone rings, he answers and I hear him say, "she's right here working. No she wasn't late". Then he walked off so I couldn't hear the rest of the conversation. Really lady?! This particular lady is a stickler for the rules, but only when she wants to be. I think she also likes to get under people's skin if they'll let her. I use to get really angry with her and it seemed to make her happy. Then I realized that if I stayed calm and agreeable, she'd get angry and I'd be happy. I much prefer her to be angry than me. She rarely gives me direct instructions though, but if she does, I do what she says and keep it moving. She just likes to cruise through and say something crazy every once in a while. I have a hard time dealing with her because there are a lot of silent ugly words surrounding the peaceful words that come out of my mouth. Sorry you're having problems with your new boss Phoenix. I hope you can get it worked out.
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wvugurl26
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Post by wvugurl26 on May 14, 2014 6:12:22 GMT -5
I think everyone has offered good suggestions. My 14 prints a calendar listing per day that breaks it out into 15 minute increments. I'd start doing something like that and running the dry erase markers dry.
I would definitely talk to HR. I also believe if you don't get a satisfactory response from HR that you could talk to the federal employees union even if you aren't a member. They handle this sort of stuff.
I guess she has the backup she needs on her end to be able to do a formal reprimand? It definitely sucks though.
I'd check in first every day and put something on the whiteboard when you go anywhere. It seems like she doesn't understand what you do at all.
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happyhoix
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Post by happyhoix on May 14, 2014 7:04:01 GMT -5
Phoenix I'm having problems with one of my subordinates for just this exact kind of thing.
We have a small staff and a big list of action items that our corporate auditors left after their last audit. I've divided the list of action items between the staff members and set deadlines for completing the tasks. When I check with this one particular manager, I find that he is spending most of his time on some project that is important, but is not on the list of action items we're obligated to complete. Since he's a perfectionist, he spends inordinate amounts of time on the project he considers vital, at the expense of everything else. When I question him on his list of corporate action items, he becomes defensive and insists that what he's doing is just as important. And I agree that it is - but the problem is, we have other, equally important projects that our corporate offices have mandated we complete by a certain deadline.
He's frustrated that I don't compliment him on his stellar work, and I'm frustrated that I have to step in and complete some of his projects so we don't miss the corporate deadlines.
I'm not saying that's what's happening in this case. Could be your boss is just a hard ass. But you might want to ask if you could have weekly meetings with her to go over your work load and let her prioritize what she wants you to do. This will give you an opportunity to point out the things you need to complete that have NRC compliance deadlines, so she understands why it is important you complete them in a timely manner.
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raeoflyte
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Post by raeoflyte on May 14, 2014 7:48:48 GMT -5
So if my boss asks me to do something and gives a deadline, it becomes my highest priority, even if I have to deal with a NRC violation and I'm required to do things by federal law within a certain timeframe?
Look, I don't mean to get defensive or inflate my own importance. I realize at the end of the day I'm a worker bee who follows directions. But sometimes the admin tasks she assigns can conflict with something that's also really important, something that I absolutely have to do by law or policy. I don't think having the agency getting fined by federal regulators would look too good for me either, and there's only so many hours in a day.
Doing stuff that I think is stupid and I don't agree with has always been a challenge. I have tried to not let it show, but I'm sure it has at times. I'll continue to work at it, but I don't think that excuses her behavior.
It's certainly quite challenging to go from a relaxed environment to a extremely rigid one.
In such an example, do you let her know when she gives you the deadline? so - If she says "do abc by Friday", do you respond with "That will be a bit challenging, I have the X check on thursday which needs to be completed this week according to regulation THX1138, and the Y duties that need to be done weekly. Any chance abc could be completed monday or tuesday?" This is what I was thinking. Communication is key. Who was your previous boss? I don't think you should jump to conclusions that she's out to get you, but people can be fired for a bad attitude which it sounds like is what she is seeing so I'd really work on that. Sent from my ADR6410LVW using proboards
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 14, 2014 7:53:26 GMT -5
I am sorry you're going though this Phoenix. Is there any way you can schedule a meeting with the higher ups and her together to explain what you do and why you're away from your desk so much?
Otherwise, I think documenting everything you do is a good idea.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on May 14, 2014 8:35:58 GMT -5
I think everyone has offered good suggestions. My 14 prints a calendar listing per day that breaks it out into 15 minute increments. I'd start doing something like that and running the dry erase markers dry. I would definitely talk to HR. I also believe if you don't get a satisfactory response from HR that you could talk to the federal employees union even if you aren't a member. They handle this sort of stuff. I guess she has the backup she needs on her end to be able to do a formal reprimand? It definitely sucks though. I'd check in first every day and put something on the whiteboard when you go anywhere. It seems like she doesn't understand what you do at all. I'm not sure what backup she has. I asked a few different times what the process was and how I can respond and/or appeal it and all I got was "I don't know how things work with the (agency name), I'll have to look into it" or "I'm a new to being a supervisor here at (agency name), but not a new supervisor overall." So who knows if what she's doing is above board, apparently she doesn't even know. If nothing else, the fact that none of this was ever written down means it wouldn't hold up in court, if it came to that.
I will probably also look into the federal employee union. I was always under the impression they don't cover "professional" jobs, and I'm not sure exactly how to contact them or who to contact. I have seen some signs in a few of the buildings, so I'll see if they have any contact info on them. But I know where HR is (just down the hall) so they're easier to track down, so I'll talk to them first.
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wvugurl26
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Post by wvugurl26 on May 14, 2014 8:39:50 GMT -5
I think everyone has offered good suggestions. My 14 prints a calendar listing per day that breaks it out into 15 minute increments. I'd start doing something like that and running the dry erase markers dry. I would definitely talk to HR. I also believe if you don't get a satisfactory response from HR that you could talk to the federal employees union even if you aren't a member. They handle this sort of stuff. I guess she has the backup she needs on her end to be able to do a formal reprimand? It definitely sucks though. I'd check in first every day and put something on the whiteboard when you go anywhere. It seems like she doesn't understand what you do at all. I'm not sure what backup she has. I asked a few different times what the process was and how I can respond and/or appeal it and all I got was "I don't know how things work with the (agency name), I'll have to look into it" or "I'm a new to being a supervisor here at (agency name), but not a new supervisor overall." So who knows if what she's doing is above board, apparently she doesn't even know. If nothing else, the fact that none of this was ever written down means it wouldn't hold up in court, if it came to that.
I will probably also look into the federal employee union. I was always under the impression they don't cover "professional" jobs, and I'm not sure exactly how to contact them or who to contact. I have seen some signs in a few of the buildings, so I'll see if they have any contact info on them. But I know where HR is (just down the hall) so they're easier to track down, so I'll talk to them first.
Definitely check with HR first. I only mention the union because I've heard of them being involved in things like this. I do know I was told they will represent you even if you aren't a member. I don't know much more about them since I work for an IG and we have to be independent/impartial so we can't join.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on May 14, 2014 8:49:48 GMT -5
I am sorry you're going though this Phoenix. Is there any way you can schedule a meeting with the higher ups and her together to explain what you do and why you're away from your desk so much? Otherwise, I think documenting everything you do is a good idea. We'll see. For now the plan is to talk to HR and/or the federal employee union and then re evaluate my course of action depending on their answers. Right now I'm in the "information gathering phase." Ideally I might be able to obtain written copies of the disciplinairy policy that she's using so I can go through it myself, line by line, to make sure everything is on the level. One thing I've learned from my job is how to find, read, and nitpick boring regulations. I've also written down, while the details are fresh in my mind, the meeting and my response to her various accusations.
After that, I'll probably put together some formal response. It would be preferable to head this off before it goes "official" in writing, since the letters aren't written yet. I'll probably try and work out a satisfactory (or at least more satisfactory) outcome with her first, and then take it up the chain if need be, and try to find out how much the higher ups know. I think it might be telling that during my performance in brief a couple of weeks ago, he boss called in, but he was absent during this meeting.
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on May 14, 2014 8:57:08 GMT -5
Sorry you are going through this Phoenix. I think the key is communication. My boss is difficult to communicate with. I often tell people he is a good person, just not always a good boss. It took me 3 years to figure out how to communicate effectively with him. I think you need to figure out how to communicate with her effectively. It sounds like you've gone on like it's business as usual and not fill her in on what you do or what you are doing. My boss goes on vacation for a week at a time, we sit down and have a debrief of the week as soon as he gets back. When I go on vacation, we have a debrief as soon as I get back. If I talk to a client, I email him to fill him in so he knows. He doesn't always care, but I've realized it can't be my decision when he should care or not. Sometimes innocuous questions have come back to bite me in the rear. There are still occasional issues. But I know I've done my best to communicate what I'm doing to him.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on May 14, 2014 9:25:19 GMT -5
Sorry you are going through this Phoenix. I think the key is communication. My boss is difficult to communicate with. I often tell people he is a good person, just not always a good boss. It took me 3 years to figure out how to communicate effectively with him. I think you need to figure out how to communicate with her effectively. It sounds like you've gone on like it's business as usual and not fill her in on what you do or what you are doing. My boss goes on vacation for a week at a time, we sit down and have a debrief of the week as soon as he gets back. When I go on vacation, we have a debrief as soon as I get back. If I talk to a client, I email him to fill him in so he knows. He doesn't always care, but I've realized it can't be my decision when he should care or not. Sometimes innocuous questions have come back to bite me in the rear. There are still occasional issues. But I know I've done my best to communicate what I'm doing to him. Yeah,
Don't get me wrong, there are way more issues I have with her than what I've described here. She also wants to review ALL of my work before I send it out, and be cc'd on any e-mails outside of the branch (which is pretty much just her).
But she never gives any feedback on work I do submit. I submitted a audit report for her review over a month ago and never got a response back. The scientists start getting pissed off if I wait too long so.... yeah. To be fair though, she does that with everyone, so I don't think it's related to my recent issues.
For all the proclamations that we're independent professionals, she sure doesn't treat us as such.
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HoneyBBQ
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Post by HoneyBBQ on May 14, 2014 9:39:26 GMT -5
Give up on this government work crap and come work in the hospital with me. I hate micromanagement and could never deal with it. Aren't you salary? Who cares about signing in and out on a white board?
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on May 14, 2014 10:38:23 GMT -5
Sorry you are going through this Phoenix. I think the key is communication. My boss is difficult to communicate with. I often tell people he is a good person, just not always a good boss. It took me 3 years to figure out how to communicate effectively with him. I think you need to figure out how to communicate with her effectively. It sounds like you've gone on like it's business as usual and not fill her in on what you do or what you are doing. My boss goes on vacation for a week at a time, we sit down and have a debrief of the week as soon as he gets back. When I go on vacation, we have a debrief as soon as I get back. If I talk to a client, I email him to fill him in so he knows. He doesn't always care, but I've realized it can't be my decision when he should care or not. Sometimes innocuous questions have come back to bite me in the rear. There are still occasional issues. But I know I've done my best to communicate what I'm doing to him. Yeah,
Don't get me wrong, there are way more issues I have with her than what I've described here. She also wants to review ALL of my work before I send it out, and be cc'd on any e-mails outside of the branch (which is pretty much just her).
But she never gives any feedback on work I do submit. I submitted a audit report for her review over a month ago and never got a response back. The scientists start getting pissed off if I wait too long so.... yeah. To be fair though, she does that with everyone, so I don't think it's related to my recent issues.
For all the proclamations that we're independent professionals, she sure doesn't treat us as such.
Just like your boss gives you deadlines, you need to give her deadlines on things like the audit report. Tell her that you understand she wants to review things, but you still need to get it to the client in a time frame. If she doesn't get it reviewed by x date, you need to send it on without her review. Remind her the day before, hey I'm sending out the report tomorrow, did you want to look at it first? Keep it conversational. It comes back down to communication. It takes a while to learn how each person communicates, the best way to communicate with that person. Using phrases like I don't think we are on the same page, letting her know your responsibilities. Sure she's been a supervisor before, but how familiar is she with what you do, your deadlines, the regulations you have to operate under. It might be helpful to have lunch with her and just have a conversation. You need to put in the effort to communicate on her level. A year or so into my job here I was floundering because I was struggling with communicating to my boss. I didn't have my license yet and I just was just having a hard time figuring out how my boss and I fit together. It is a little different situation, because he is also the owner of the company and he wasn't going anywhere, no HR to talk to etc, but I learned how to talk to him and communicate exactly what he expected. I've been here 8 years next month and fighting through that issue instead of finding another job has been worth it.
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happyhoix
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Oct 7, 2011 7:22:42 GMT -5
Posts: 21,576
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Post by happyhoix on May 14, 2014 11:32:35 GMT -5
I had a boss once who would audit the fax machine from his office (he could see it outside of his office door - this was back in the stone age when everyone still faxed stuff). When any of his managers put anything on the fax to send it, he would jump up to look at the coversheet to see what they were sending, and to whom. Even if you stood there and watched your fax go through he would rush over and grap the fax sheet off the machine (or out of your hands) and read it.
Paranoid psycho ass wipe.
He screamed at me once because I sent an email to four people, and I did not list him FIRST on the email address list. He insisted his name ALWAYS had to be the FIRST on the list to get an email.
I considered trying to explain to him how email works, but he was a dinosaur who made his admin assistant print out all his emails for him and set them in front of him on his desk. (She also had to make an afternoon snack for him - peanut butter on graham crackers - so he wouldn't be tempted to get a candy bar. Seriously). I knew the concept of email was beyond him.
Bad bosses - I've had a few...
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achelois
Well-Known Member
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 9:55:44 GMT -5
Posts: 1,479
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Post by achelois on May 14, 2014 13:33:53 GMT -5
If you have a deadline conflict, you let the boss know. Maybe she doesn't realize it. You don't dismiss her deadline without talking to her.
If she wants you to sign in and out, you sign in and out.
Her reaction seems to indicate that she does indeed feel you have been ignoring her or disrespectful--whether or not you intended to be, that is how it came across.
Maybe you both need to work on communication. You are right. Different management styles are challenging.
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emma1420
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 28, 2011 15:35:45 GMT -5
Posts: 2,430
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Post by emma1420 on May 14, 2014 14:21:22 GMT -5
To me your supervisor seems very insecure about her position, which is why she feels the need to review everything and micromanage everything you do. It's probably compounded by the fact that two of her reports aren't in physical location to supervise.
Is there any way that you can have a sit down with your boss and discuss precisely what her expectations are and how she would like you to handle the choice between some of the compliance issues and her requests? And then send her an email summarizing the conversation (so that you have some documentation)? Because if she doesn't know what you really do, then she won't understand how critical some of these things are, and she may be feeling that you are just blowing her off and undermining her, when that isn't the intention.
It may be that in these early days that she just wants to be in the loop. She doesn't know you, and for some supervisors it takes time to learn to trust their direct reports.
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8 Bit WWBG
Administrator
Your Money admin
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 8:57:29 GMT -5
Posts: 9,322
Today's Mood: Mega
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Post by 8 Bit WWBG on May 14, 2014 21:16:38 GMT -5
...:::"Great way to start off with a new boss, with an adversarial relationship.":::...
She started it by taking away your office and having you sit outside her place like a dog in a doghouse. Absent a very VERY good reason, I would consider that a declaration of war. There are some things that just shouldn't be messed with. For a person who values personal space and a sense of belonging, this action would make me an enemy for life.
...:::"I'm not sure if it's an attitude thing, but perhaps I should be more mindful about these little "gotcha's" that she's so fond of. ... Obviously she's the type who will constantly look for anything and everything to use against me, so I will need to change to account for that.":::...
It is SO frustrating to have to be on point at all times. It is very demoralizing to try to please someone with the "an A- might as well be an F" mindset.
...:::"You generally don't use radioactive material in administrative areas.":::...
Dude... you SO have to get some glowing green rocks and a radiation suit, and like... mess with them and Geiger counters at your desk. When she walks by, ask her if she plans on having children, and if so, to stay away!
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8 Bit WWBG
Administrator
Your Money admin
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 8:57:29 GMT -5
Posts: 9,322
Today's Mood: Mega
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Post by 8 Bit WWBG on May 14, 2014 21:20:32 GMT -5
...:::" I'd start doing something like that and running the dry erase markers dry.":::...
I love it! Think of it as what people did before twitter or AIM away messages!
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Deleted
Joined: Oct 10, 2024 2:17:43 GMT -5
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on May 14, 2014 21:49:24 GMT -5
Man you guys don't make working for the man sound at all attractive... Not sure whether to laugh or At some of the stories...
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JustLurkin
Well-Known Member
This is what you look like right now.
Joined: Dec 21, 2010 5:28:20 GMT -5
Posts: 1,109
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Post by JustLurkin on May 14, 2014 21:50:55 GMT -5
Are the poster--I have not been doing well with this lately, so will say I'm probably wrong please excuse me --who went on a trip and one of the last things that happened before boarding the plane was sending an email like "I've requested a transfer away from your crazy ass"? If my shot in the dark is right, what happened to the transfer?
I had a supervisor who suddenly started cc'ing me on everrrrrything...I'm just here to do my job and go the hell home, I don't care what you, Joe Schmo or Pippi Longstocking are doing all day. I thought about cc'ing the supervisor on all my emails, and I easily sent at least 75 a day, but realized she would probably like it and respond to each email with some dumb question which would take the fun out of it. So, while my knee-jerk reaction was along the "I am now standing. I am now sitting." lines, I have to say think long and hard about it.
Edited to add: Just reread the original and you've had this boss 7 weeks, so you probably aren't the poster I asked about...? Are you still with the Air Force and just in a different position or doing something completely different? If you are still with the Air Force, I'd say your treatment is retaliation for your original complaint and would involve my attorney.
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Phoenix84
Senior Associate
Joined: Feb 17, 2011 21:42:35 GMT -5
Posts: 10,056
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Post by Phoenix84 on May 15, 2014 0:04:38 GMT -5
Sorry for the late response. Obviously I'm going to avoid posting at work for a while, and I was pretty tired after work today.
Anyway, I talked to HR. I learned that a letter of counseling is not really that big of a deal and is "unofficial." Basically it's a slap on the wrist. A letter of reprimand is more serious, and the lowest level of discipline. However, the feds have what's called "progressive discipline" meaning if I get a letter, it's could just be the first step in a series of disciplinary actions. A letter of reprimand goes into your file and remains there for two years, unless your supervisor removes it, or you leave the bureau. I also learned that insubordination, as she kept referring my actions to, requires a burden of proof on her part that I was malicious in not following her directions. In other words, what she said about not following her directions being insubordinate was flat out wrong. Failure to follow your supervisor's directions is not the same thing as insubordination. He said such a word is used extremely rarely because it does carry a high burden of proof about intent.
There's no official way to appeal or contest a letter of counseling, because it's not really "official." If she writes a letter of reprimand, I do have the option to issue a grievance with it, and appeal to a second level supervisor.
I was counseled to first try and talk to my supervisor and explain my situation. Basically, I will request a meeting with my supervisor and explain that all of this is a misunderstanding and a mistake. I will explain that a lot of things have changed in the past couple of months, and it has required a significant change in the way I do things. Missteps and hiccups were likely to happen with the large number of changes happening. I'm sorry for not meeting her expectations and I recognize that I need to change in order to meet her expectations. I feel we can resolve this matter without the need to resort to a letter of counseling or a letter of a letter of reprimand. If she states I was insubordinate, I'll explain that I meant no malicious intent, and such claims require a burden of proof. After the meeting I'll ask what her intentions are, if it's to write a letter of counseling, I'll say something along the lines of "no hard feelings, I understand." And drop it. If she still insists on officially disciplining me, I'll say something like "I'm sorry you feel these matters are so serious, but I disagree. If you write a letter of reprimand, I will issue grievance with it and appeal the letter."
I'm basically hoping I can convince her to not do anything at all, that it was a mistake/misunderstanding/miscommunication. If not, at least convince her to issue a "unofficial" letter, and if she still insists on issuing official disciplinary action, inform her ahead of time what my response will be. In order to issue anything in writing though, she's going to have to work with a employee relations specialist, and I'm sure they'll explain to her if these matters are serious enough issue formal disciplinary action, and the fact that she needs to prove malicious intent if she proclaims I was insubordinate.
So, now that I have a plan, and have requested a meeting with her, I feel a bit better about things, but still apprehensive.
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