Have You Ever Had A Mean Boss?

there is a big difference between a boss and a leader. I had a boss that would make fun of people's appearances, race,culture. if you made a mistake you could see the steam coming off the top of his head.

 

i've had a lot of bosses that were very incompetent, but i can only think of one that i would consider mean. and she wasn't like a bully or anything like you described, she just was also incompetent and was one of those people who tried to make herself look less awful by lying to make her employees look more awful.

 

Yes, I have had a mean boss or two....and you are right. Leadership is different than being a big bad boss. Leadership is quiet and inspirational.

 

mine were friendly

just met a manager today i hadnt seen in a long time and found out my old boss (her father) had died 5 years ago...

he was a nice old guy

 

I had a boss that I really disliked. He was one of those big corporate types but he'd left that world behind to start his own business, so essentially he was behaving like it was a huge company when it was basically 5 people in a room, the vibe was completely off.

One of my co-worker's dads died when I was there and he said "take as much time as you need" and when she got back from taking time off he said "oh by the way, that was your holiday for the year" so she had no time off for the rest of the year.

I was a temp salesman and it was my first proper job, he took advantage of my inexperience and trusting nature to completely shaft me on commissions. I left right after he revealed that the bonus I'd been waiting on (and banking on) was around 30% of what I was expecting. He docked ridiculous amounts of pay from us temps for minor lateness's, losing the equivalent of half an hours pay for being one minute late (we were already on minimum wage, not even the London living wage)

All in all, I don't think he was a bad guy in many ways, I honestly just think he was a fucking jobsworth, kind of paranoid and insecure about his pet business failing and trying to instill some bullshit company mentality in people by being pointlessly pedantic and strict.

The only thing (apart from the commission thing, which i partly blame myself for, he took advantage of my not wanting to ask too many questions and show my lack of experience, If I'd got my shit straight he'd not have had the opportunity, not a mistake i ever make now.) that I really objected to was the fucking corporate double-speak that has somehow come to be seen as "professional"

He always wanted to "Have a conversation around actioning something" rather than "Talk about doing something" made me want to fucking puke.

 

Sure have.
I finger blasted his wife at the X-Mas party. lol

 

I wouldn't say my current boss is mean but It's such an odd dynamic right now for the company. I feel like it's the result of preferential treatment towards women, in this case.

Sure she has managerial experience but there is also no indiciation she can physically do our jobs, nor has she even experienced many of the dynamics we are challenged with outside of our warehouse. On top of that she only interacts with a few people, she seems 'nicer' than the last guy, but at the same time it feels like a forced decision having her be manager and it's rather uninspiring.

 

I've had all kinds of bosses, including mean.

 

I've actually been blessed with some really exceptional bosses in my working life. And a couple of mediocre ones, but never a bad/mean boss

Although I just inherited a new boss after some department changes at work, my old boss encouraged everyone to laugh and joke with each other, this one has a reputation for sending out snarky emails if she hears people talking too much or laughing too loudly. So we'll see, i dont see myself personally having a problem with her though. My coworkers who sit around me never, literally never, stop talking during the day and it drives me nuts so I may end up appreciating her management style.

 

This boss i speak was a general sales manager. When the company got bought by a huge corporation he had to tone his ways down.

 

My hairdressers is a great place to go, the girls are chatty, and I always leave feeling like I've just had coffee with friends!
So one of the girls. Probably the youngest, her mum was in a hospice, very sad story, very nice lady, too young to be leaving this world in that way! Anyway..
Her new boss ( upset the entire salon!) Was totally un caring about this, sure isn't one of the team! Or trying to be for that matter , too young and inexperienced I think!
So it got to the difficult time, the poor girl needed time to spend with her mum, the boss says no!
One day it gets near the end, too much, is refused time off, so she walks..Goes sits with her mum.
Anyway, couple weeks ago, I'm in the salon, this boss is doing her friends hair, and discussing how she hates this salon, that she has difficult staff!!! My ears go up! My hairdresser is off making coffee..
Then she started, about the young one just taking time off, bla bla!
So I say..oy! Stop that this moment..How unprofessional are you? Are you now going to tell the lady why she walked? I explained to the lady how it really was..And again told the manager how unprofessional she had been, criticism is something not to do in a place like that, about her staff! Their personal lives is none of her business, and a little bit of empathy goes a long way..
I would hate her to be my boss!

Did you get the picture? Think I ranted a bit..Sorry

 

I totally got the picture, as if I was in the chair next to you.
I enjoyed the story.
If its one thing going on in this world, there are daily soap operas at the local beauty salons. I think here's a couple of reality shows out there of all the meanest stylists and or bosses....
Some that come to mind: "Jerseylicious" "L.A.Hair" "Cuttin’ It in the ATL” "Blow Out" "Tabatha's Salon Takeover"
All those shows had some pretty mean bosses..

Good post.

 

Yes and No !! same boss, they are sometimes under a lot of pressure as well guys , You have to help them to be the boss you know That's why I have never wanted to be the Boss of anything in my life fuck that , just give me the money

 

I agree mally, I've been a boss, and I know how hard it can be! Oh yes!
But to talk to your clients, about your staff! Very unprofessional don't you think, and making them look bad by feeding half the story, that was like, major bitch!

 

This reminds me of the last supervisor I had at Pella Windows several years ago, except he didn't even have managerial experience. He was 24 years old and straight out of college with a four year math degree. He was one of the smartest idiots I've ever known, but why he was made a supervisor at a manufacturing plant I can't fathom. He showed no real interest in learning how anything actually worked out on the floor either...and you're right, it is uninspiring. Less than a year later I quit and went back to school myself.

 

It was the bit about you going to the Hairdressers I found hard to Believe ( sticks Tongue out )

 

Hands on hips, tapping toe! Your gonna get it next I see you!
A slap! I mean..I'm saving them up!

 

Not really mean, no. At the worst I had one that perhaps was too busy and occupied with his own responsibilities, so he could come across as rude or insensitive when trying to break to an employee what they should do better. But there it was clear as well he wasn't really mean. Just trying to run a company that had its difficulties.

 

At my first place of work I had a mean boss. She replaced my old boss when he moved away. Her mean behavior came from her inability and unwillingness to admit when she was wrong or apologize, on top of her incompetence to manage things appropriately. After I left that job, I found out later she was demoted to assistant manager.

 

The mean bosses I have had were always female. One always targeted people in the office... people would leave.., after 3 years I started receiving mean letters in interoffice mail. When I took 5 of them to my boss she said... I know, we (implying that others in the department helped) typed them on your computer and printed them then sent them to you while you were working on the front desk reception for the girls lunch relief. This was a very large company... I should have sued their ass. I just wanted it all to stop at the time and did not want to work with a woman who was so caniving and hateful so I just left.

Other female bosses I have had were spiteful as well. Never again will I work in a department of only women or a female boss.