Work Related Gripes V The Wrath Of Jay..

[cramx3]

Until you get sea sick.  Not sure there is some perfect job out there, everything has it's flaws.  Just got to find whats got the best ups and least downs I guess.

[jingle.boy]

My boss got whacked at the end of our fiscal year (end of June), and now my Global VP announced that she's taking a new role in another Business Unit.  So, I have two layers of management above me vacant at the moment - which has me and my team-mates reporting directly to our CMO - who can be ... volatile ... is a micro-manager, and is not terribly experienced in the market/client base that our team serves.

[JayOctavarium]

I want my money for nuthin

And my chicks for free

[jingle.boy]

Now that ain't workin!

[JayOctavarium]

I love how I go out of my way to point out a possible issue at work, nothing dangerous, but that may cause a legal issues (Towing a vehicle that is in a slight gray area)... and I basically get shrugged off. Ooooooh kayyyyy well I have emails that show I tried to warn you just in case things go south

[Lonk]

My boss got whacked at the end of our fiscal year (end of June), and now my Global VP announced that she's taking a new role in another Business Unit.  So, I have two layers of management above me vacant at the moment - which has me and my team-mates reporting directly to our CMO - who can be ... volatile ... is a micro-manager, and is not terribly experienced in the market/client base that our team serves.

That sounds awful but maybe an opportunity for a promotion?

[jingle.boy]

I could be, if I wanted it.  I'm fully capable and experienced to do the job, but there is not enough Tequila in Mexico to make me want the immense heap of daily BS that comes along with it.

[ReaperKK]

That's why I can't be in the medical field, if my team fucks up a banker doessn't get his pitchbook in time. Not the end of the world.

Might lose your job if you take down a banker's tech from my experience 

But yea, my job isn't life or death decisions which I like better for me, but that's scary how easily a mistake can mean a life in those jobs and much respect for the ones who not only do those jobs, but take the time to do it right.

I'm kind of fortunate, we aren't technically a tech support desk. We support certain type of software that tracks usage of files in our database. 90% of calls are related to bankers trying gain access to certain docs or requesting us to fix their fuck ups.

[cramx3]

My boss got whacked at the end of our fiscal year (end of June), and now my Global VP announced that she's taking a new role in another Business Unit.  So, I have two layers of management above me vacant at the moment - which has me and my team-mates reporting directly to our CMO - who can be ... volatile ... is a micro-manager, and is not terribly experienced in the market/client base that our team serves.

oooff that's shit

[jingle.boy]

Thankfully, 2 weeks PTO starting in a few hours.

[cramx3]

  5 more days including today till my month off    I'm already in the "not motivated to start anything" mode

[axeman90210]

I love how I go out of my way to point out a possible issue at work, nothing dangerous, but that may cause a legal issues (Towing a vehicle that is in a slight gray area)... and I basically get shrugged off. Ooooooh kayyyyy well I have emails that show I tried to warn you just in case things go south

Yeah, I save everything as far as emails go. Then six months later when a client tries to say I didn't tell them we'd be doing something a certain way I can show them the exact email I sent telling them that. Bill always has receipts.

5 more days including today till my month off    I'm already in the "not motivated to start anything" mode

My general rule when I'm about to be traveling is that once my boarding pass for my flight has been printed, I don't want to be bothered with fuck-all

[cramx3]

but... what if I dont print my boarding passes? 

[cramx3]

For those bitching about open offices... you may have a point

https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/new-harvard-study-you-open-plan-office-is-making-your-team-less-collaborative.html

[Chino]

For those bitching about open offices... you may have a point

https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/new-harvard-study-you-open-plan-office-is-making-your-team-less-collaborative.html

Yup. Study after study shows this, yet they still shove the same talking points down our throats every time they ask us to fill out a survey about how we like it. We've been in our open floor plan for nearly 5 months now. It's trash. I send more emails and send more DMs than I ever did when I was isolated in my cubicle.

[Stadler]

For those bitching about open offices... you may have a point

https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/new-harvard-study-you-open-plan-office-is-making-your-team-less-collaborative.html

Yup. Study after study shows this, yet they still shove the same talking points down our throats every time they ask us to fill out a survey about how we like it. We've been in our open floor plan for nearly 5 months now. It's trash. I send more emails and send more DMs than I ever did when I was isolated in my cubicle.

I cherish that.  Yet again, "common sense" sustains a fatal blow.

I despise the open floor plan.   I've been in two circumstances where there were open floor plans, and while I rarely pull rank or try for special treatment (my work life is best characterized by the mantra "a lowered head gathers no lead") in both cases I made the case that as an attorney/counsel, I handle valuable and in some cases personal information and therefore an office is not a luxury but a component of compliance. 

[cramx3]

So new year and all, it seems there's a lot of high priority major projects that need to happen sooner than later.  My team is only 3 of us plus a manager.  The work load is crazy right now and the forcast is bad.  My boss has been asking my coworker to work with him on the management side instead of work with me on the projects.  I understand he probably needs help too, but I mentioned to him that it would help our projects if I had the help of another as expected since we've always been a two man team at our home base.  I pretty much handled it all myself in 2019 while my coworker did the office work or travelled. He mentioned that my coworker has only been not helping me for the last quarter which isn't true, it was all of 2019 and I even put this in my yearly review at the end of last year (have yet to hear feedback).  Anyway, I brought up my concerns that there's too much for one person, we are growing insanely and I can't keep up as one person (who also travels to our other sites and when I do, it means my work backloads at the main site). 

Well, I was told to take a xanax.  Literally.  I'm so pissed off about that comment.  I feel that is beyond being unprofessional.  Anyway, I busted ass all day and updated in our group chat what I accomplished and that I will need network engineering to review my own network design (since our 2 of our network engineers quit last month, someone's got to do the work) and made a comment about how it would be nice if we had working scripts like we used to so I didnt have to make custom builds for everything.  Now I got some really nasty responses from my coworker but I'm 99% sure that's my boss using my coworkers account to say it.  I know this as I've known both of them for 10 years and they have very different ways of talking and personality.  I'm livid with that.  I asked if that was my boss and now all chat is quiet.  I'm not stupid and I'm busting my ass while those two drink whiskey in discuss work in the office.  I know this, because they admit after 5pm is when the booze comes out. 

I'm not sure what to do here.  I'm so mad that I want to report this to HR, but at the same time, I'm not looking to get into any shit or make things worse for myself.  I'm just super frustrated, overworked already and feel like I'm being manipulated.  Maybe 2019 is finally when I leave.  If I left, that would put them in a bad spot and I kind of want to do that because my coworker who ahs been doing the office work lately has gotten really bad at doing his core job function.  He works at like 50% of what I'm capable of and my boss forced my Amsterdam coworker to quit last fall so we are already short staffed.  Kind of feel like those two are digging a hole and if I left they would be buried in it.

Short story, I'm so mad that instead of my boss understanding my concerns, he tells me to take a pill and then tries to manipulate me.  I feel abused.

EDIT:  He responded to my comment asking if it was him by using his own account and saying "eat my ass" and didn't acknowledge or deny calling him out.  Kind of confirms it even though I didn't need the confirmation as I know exactly how both of them talk.

[millahh]

First off: Screenshot that shit, and maybe make some sort of a documentation of the "xanax" crack. Particularly the latter...your boss could be seen as making an intimation about a protected class.

Second... Fuck 'em. No job is worth burning yourself out for people who will tell you to "take a xanax" and "eat my ass".  You've given them what you owe them (your work in exchange for the paycheck). Yeah, they're manipulating and using you, and kind of acting like a couple of teen girls in the process.  Not saying to go out of your way to burn the bridge, but if it happens to catch fire, well...

You've accumulated a lot of skills and experience, have shown that you can manage complex situations under challenging circumstances, and you're someone who can just get shit done.  If you're having to do shit outside your lane, that is all additional stuff you can use to sell yourself to your next employer., and it can set you up well for the next level up, since you have a view across functions. You've got great material for your CV and for interview questions.  In any environment, there's a lot to be said for people who can just get it done.

[Edit: This was basically the standard Ask A Manager response, except profane]

[wolfking]

So new year and all, it seems there's a lot of high priority major projects that need to happen sooner than later.  My team is only 3 of us plus a manager.  The work load is crazy right now and the forcast is bad.  My boss has been asking my coworker to work with him on the management side instead of work with me on the projects.  I understand he probably needs help too, but I mentioned to him that it would help our projects if I had the help of another as expected since we've always been a two man team at our home base.  I pretty much handled it all myself in 2019 while my coworker did the office work or travelled. He mentioned that my coworker has only been not helping me for the last quarter which isn't true, it was all of 2019 and I even put this in my yearly review at the end of last year (have yet to hear feedback).  Anyway, I brought up my concerns that there's too much for one person, we are growing insanely and I can't keep up as one person (who also travels to our other sites and when I do, it means my work backloads at the main site). 

Well, I was told to take a xanax.  Literally.  I'm so pissed off about that comment.  I feel that is beyond being unprofessional.  Anyway, I busted ass all day and updated in our group chat what I accomplished and that I will need network engineering to review my own network design (since our 2 of our network engineers quit last month, someone's got to do the work) and made a comment about how it would be nice if we had working scripts like we used to so I didnt have to make custom builds for everything.  Now I got some really nasty responses from my coworker but I'm 99% sure that's my boss using my coworkers account to say it.  I know this as I've known both of them for 10 years and they have very different ways of talking and personality.  I'm livid with that.  I asked if that was my boss and now all chat is quiet.  I'm not stupid and I'm busting my ass while those two drink whiskey in discuss work in the office.  I know this, because they admit after 5pm is when the booze comes out. 

I'm not sure what to do here.  I'm so mad that I want to report this to HR, but at the same time, I'm not looking to get into any shit or make things worse for myself.  I'm just super frustrated, overworked already and feel like I'm being manipulated.  Maybe 2019 is finally when I leave.  If I left, that would put them in a bad spot and I kind of want to do that because my coworker who ahs been doing the office work lately has gotten really bad at doing his core job function.  He works at like 50% of what I'm capable of and my boss forced my Amsterdam coworker to quit last fall so we are already short staffed.  Kind of feel like those two are digging a hole and if I left they would be buried in it.

Short story, I'm so mad that instead of my boss understanding my concerns, he tells me to take a pill and then tries to manipulate me.  I feel abused.

EDIT:  He responded to my comment asking if it was him by using his own account and saying "eat my ass" and didn't acknowledge or deny calling him out.  Kind of confirms it even though I didn't need the confirmation as I know exactly how both of them talk.

You could fuck him up with that eat my ass comment.  What the fuck is with this guy.  Don't bust your balls for this cunt anymore mate.  If you can fuck him up by going to HR, worrying about what may happen before it's even happened yet is not worth it.

And the main point from your post for me was never sacrifice yourself and make the decision to stay for the sake of others.  Garunteed if the roles were reversed they would fuck off and not give a fucking shit with what crap they have left you in.  I've been sacrificing myself for others for years mate and I know none of those people would do the same for me.

Sounds like you're a smart guy and know what you are doing so there would be plenty of more opportunities out there.  A boss blatantly telling you to take a pill and thrn eat his ass is simply not on.  Do what you can to screw this guy over because he'll just keep screwing you without giving you a second thought.

[cramx3]

Well this guy brought me in from a previous job, mostly treats me well and has a more hands off approach to managing me (meaning, I have lots of freedom to work as I choose since I always get my shit done without issues) but it's clearly a stressful time at work with all the pressure to get stuff done.  I know he kids a lot and EVERYONE knows he has a bad mouth at work but everyone pretty much likes him as it's often just jokes, plus his cousins husband is the head of our department so he has some family ties high up.  I don't totally want to fuck him because I don't think it's in my best interest, but after yesterday I lost a lot of respect because those weren't joke comments anymore, that was me for the first time in awhile speaking up about needing assistance and that everything isn't so smooth for our understaffed team. 

I think I just need to update my resume and put myself out there to gauge what's going on.  I'd rather fuck my boss over by having him lose 1/3 of his team during such a critical time especcially with network engineering being at 1/2 staff (and a lot of this came up because I was talking about how I did a bunch of my own network engineering to make up for them).  Regardless, last night I screenshot both conversations fully last night and backed them up locally off any work device.  I'm surprised he didn't go back and edit them.

[Phoenix87x]

At work I feel like I am in a row boat with co-workers that cut holes in the boat instead of rowing 

And I come in the afternoon, so my entire first hour is the phone ringing off the hook, things way behind and digging out of a hole.

[Stadler]

Well this guy brought me in from a previous job, mostly treats me well and has a more hands off approach to managing me (meaning, I have lots of freedom to work as I choose since I always get my shit done without issues) but it's clearly a stressful time at work with all the pressure to get stuff done.  I know he kids a lot and EVERYONE knows he has a bad mouth at work but everyone pretty much likes him as it's often just jokes, plus his cousins husband is the head of our department so he has some family ties high up.  I don't totally want to fuck him because I don't think it's in my best interest, but after yesterday I lost a lot of respect because those weren't joke comments anymore, that was me for the first time in awhile speaking up about needing assistance and that everything isn't so smooth for our understaffed team. 

I think I just need to update my resume and put myself out there to gauge what's going on.  I'd rather fuck my boss over by having him lose 1/3 of his team during such a critical time especcially with network engineering being at 1/2 staff (and a lot of this came up because I was talking about how I did a bunch of my own network engineering to make up for them).  Regardless, last night I screenshot both conversations fully last night and backed them up locally off any work device.  I'm surprised he didn't go back and edit them.

Well, you have options.  Certainly I think that if not legally then practically the "eat my ass" comment is not going to play well.   I think I would throw resumes out there, see what the water looks like, then talk with someone in the company.  That "someone" can either be your boss, or HR.   I can't read your situation, but it depends on what you feel is going on in the background.   If you think it's just overall stress, then maybe talk to him personally, and say "bro, if there's heat, fair enough, but I'm hear to help you not be your whipping boy".   If it's something else, be careful, because you don't want a conversation with him to later be misconstrued or used against you.

[cramx3]

Well, he's acting normally today and I'm just doing my thing.  Granted, I should note, I haven't actually seen my boss in person in like 6 months now so hard to judge everything via online chat. 

But what bothered me a bit was that my coworker told me that my boss is mad because I didn't get a head start on one of our major projects before the year ended... well because I burned 8 vacation days in December plus he sent me to Denver for a week.  And when I got back I had to catch up on everything I missed while away (either from being on business travel or PTO) since there's no one else to do my work.  Not sure how I was supposed to get ahead of myself.  But my point being, why isn't he talking to me about this and my coworker is being the conduit? 

So frustrating.

[wolfking]

Well, he's acting normally today and I'm just doing my thing.  Granted, I should note, I haven't actually seen my boss in person in like 6 months now so hard to judge everything via online chat. 

But what bothered me a bit was that my coworker told me that my boss is mad because I didn't get a head start on one of our major projects before the year ended... well because I burned 8 vacation days in December plus he sent me to Denver for a week.  And when I got back I had to catch up on everything I missed while away (either from being on business travel or PTO) since there's no one else to do my work.  Not sure how I was supposed to get ahead of myself.  But my point being, why isn't he talking to me about this and my coworker is being the conduit? 

So frustrating.

There's a good chance he feels threatened by you.  Bosses don't like when employees are smarter and know more than them, so they avoid.  My boss doesn't speak to me either.  He'll speak to everyone else and have a laugh, but ignore me totally, but I kind of am the backbone of what's going on.

In your situation, I think you need to say fuck it and just do what's in front of you and do your work.  I think as you mentioned and what Bill said, get the resume's out there and see what's out there.  You don't want to do anything based on emotion without having a possible backup option, cause then you're fucked.  I'm trying to take the approach of not worrying about what my boss is thinking and just work on me and what I need to do.  Try and find some self satisfaction is what you are doing and helping co workers as opposed to trying to get it done for your boss.  Until he talks to you directly with issues, maybe don't worry.  If you don't see him or need him to do your job then fuck it, just do your job and keep those comments that you've saved on file.

As Bill said too, you can just approach him and ask what's going on and if he has any issues.  You'll probably find he'll backtrack and try and get out of the situation and just say there's no issue and you are doing your job.  Sounds like a weak prick like that.

[cramx3]

I totally agree, I am smarter than him no doubt. I have answers prepped for anything he will ask and that included last night when I informed him of things he should have known but clearly didnt which is what came before the eat my ass comment.  My boss at a previous job was the same way, she would keep me out of everything because she knew I'd find all the issues from her plans and the rest of the team suffered and one person got fired (which was the fire under my ass to get out).

But I'm not going anywhere yet, I cant risk leaving or doing anything irrational. Just need to do as you all say, get my resume out there so I can weigh options. Then I'll have a better idea if the grass is greener. 

The other problem is I get paid fairly well for what I do and have great benefits, itll be hard to find comparable. I would like to move into management though so I'll have to see if there's opportunity.

[wolfking]

I totally agree, I am smarter than him no doubt. I have answers prepped for anything he will ask and that included last night when I informed him of things he should have known but clearly didnt which is what came before the eat my ass comment.  My boss at a previous job was the same way, she would keep me out of everything because she knew I'd find all the issues from her plans and the rest of the team suffered and one person got fired (which was the fire under my ass to get out).

But I'm not going anywhere yet, I cant risk leaving or doing anything irrational. Just need to do as you all say, get my resume out there so I can weigh options. Then I'll have a better idea if the grass is greener. 

The other problem is I get paid fairly well for what I do and have great benefits, itll be hard to find comparable. I would like to move into management though so I'll have to see if there's opportunity.

Yeah mate, I'm in the same boat, the money and benefits are very good which makes it really difficult to just up and leave.  Maybe let things cool, step back and see what happens.  If things cool than cool if shit keeps happening then you have an issue.

[cramx3]

Things aren't going to be cooling down anytime soon.  We just got our newest $500k spine switches, these things are beasts and can do 400Gb/s PER interface.  Got to keep up with the facebooks and googles.

But appreciate the support fellas, wednesday was one of my worst days in terms of treatment that I can recall in a loooong time and was so mad and upset about it.  It's Friday so I'm feeling a bit better just from that and wow for once (after I brought it up which got the whole take a pill thing) my coworker did some real work and helped me yesterday. 

[Chino]

Well, I was told to take a xanax.  Literally.  I'm so pissed off about that comment.  I feel that is beyond being unprofessional.

I would be beyond livid if anyone in the office said that to me, let alone management. I'm not the narc'ing type, but if my manager or any of the higher-ups said that to me, I'd get up and march straight to HR mid conversation without a second thought. Fuck that, man. The corporate environment is miserable enough as it is, I wouldn't need comments like that as icing on the cake.

I'm not sure what to do here.  I'm so mad that I want to report this to HR, but at the same time, I'm not looking to get into any shit or make things worse for myself.

It's a tough call for you because your operation seems so small. It'd be hard to escape the awkwardness depending how HR wanted to handle it. If you were debating leaving the place anyway, I'd say roll the dice.

[KevShmev]

What really sucks is, even when it is not your fault, I feel like once you go to HR with an issue, you are branded by management as a complainer, and good luck in the future with that company.

[King Postwhore]

We have a closed door policy but in moments like this with a comment there's no getting around it and you have to address it right away.

[Stadler]

This is awkward to write, because it's not like it happens every day, and it's not like I walk around thinking I'm the smartest guy in the room (oddly, I prefer working for companies where I'm not; that's why I loved GE so much.  Smartest people - by far - that I've ever worked with).   But if I do ever find myself in a situation where I think that may be the case - it's happened about three times in my career - I address it head on, in a review or something like that.   It's even more relevant now, now that I've hit a point that I'm not looking to be CEO of the company.

I say right up front:  "Look, I'm not looking for your job.  'Runway' to me is getting well-paid, and being the guy you (boss) go to when you don't know where to turn, or when you get the shit job that no one wants to do.  I want to be the one guy that you bring with you to whatever YOUR next job is."   Yeah, that sounds kiss-ass, and it is - so when you get one of those jobs you best deliver on it - but I've found it's very effective in managing up expectations.   Who knows what he's REALLY thinking, but I know my current boss seems to have taken me at face value, because I am the one guy on his team that is doing ALL the functions of the others (meaning, one of my colleagues is STRICTLY compliance and ethics; one is STRICTLY sourcing; one is STRICTLY one particular business.... I have current projects in two of those three as well as the other stuff I strictly do).   

This doesn't mean that you can't TAKE the bosses job if it becomes open - though, thinking back, I'm not sure that has ever happened to me, to be honest - but you have to minimize the degree to which your own boss views YOU as a threat as opposed to an asset.   You also have to account for the fact that he might not even consciously realize what he's doing. 

[cramx3]

I've told my boss I have no desire for his job.  I don't think that's the case.  He just doesn't like that I push back on some of his solutions because he always proposes the more "brute force" way of doing things where as I like to "work smarter, not harder" and would rather get things right the first time than try multiple attempts before getting it right.  I'm easily the most efficient person on my team (I work the least hours and get the most done in those hours), I don't know why that's so frowned upon by him.  And that's including me being on DTF for significant portions of my day 

[Phoenix87x]

Anybody else deal with politics at work? I mean like inter-department politics, not like left vs right politics.

I feel like the majority of my day is spent trying not to get reported by some other co-worker for god knows what. I sit there dead silent, try not to talk unless absolutely necessary, try not to move too much. Every little thing can be reported and there is so much hate and drama stirring in the department that people are looking for things to report. And there's preferential treatment and double standards as well.

In the past month alone, 3 people have been brought in the office because someone reported them. I feel like I work in a game of thrones/North Korea world where there's secret alliances, spies and people are always listening and watching, just waiting for any opportunity to run into the office. I hear whispering, see the fake smiles and fear for my job. Its very frustrating.

Anyone else deal with an environment like that? 

[cramx3]

Yes, but thankfully not my current job.  In the past I had a manager that liked to pit all the shifts against each other (we did 24/7 coverage on four shifts) as a way to get people to work harder but all it did was make everyone hate everyone.  It was such BS and everytime I tried to offer better solutions I got shut down and eventually these bad ideas from management got someone fired who was only following instructions.  I left shortly after and have not since been in such a toxis work environment.  Now, it's really hard to escape office politics all together but working for a smaller company makes it easier. (and now that my company is merging with a bigger one, I can already sense the politics are getting worse, but with all the WFH it's not so blatant).

[eric42434224]

Anybody else deal with politics at work? I mean like inter-department politics, not like left vs right politics.

I feel like the majority of my day is spent trying not to get reported by some other co-worker for god knows what. I sit there dead silent, try not to talk unless absolutely necessary, try not to move too much. Every little thing can be reported and there is so much hate and drama stirring in the department that people are looking for things to report. And there's preferential treatment and double standards as well.

In the past month alone, 3 people have been brought in the office because someone reported them. I feel like I work in a game of thrones/North Korea world where there's secret alliances, spies and people are always listening and watching, just waiting for any opportunity to run into the office. I hear whispering, see the fake smiles and fear for my job. Its very frustrating.

Anyone else deal with an environment like that?

Yes.  At Amex believe it or not.  It was between differing teams in the same department.  Most toxic work environment I have ever been in.  The resume boost was so good I stayed Longer than I wanted, but got out as soon as the right opportunity came up.