C2RL R
Member
Registered: 28th Mar 02
Location: Redcliffe, QLD
User status: Offline
|
Anyone have one? Have you ever tried to tell them to back off? What kind of shit do you have to put up with?
My boss is constantly on my case about what he wants done. He actually has no idea about what my duties involve or the best way to get the end result, hence the reason they need me there. I have 15 years experience and am perfectly capable of managing my own time and getting the job done. He just can't seem to leave me to it and I am really starting to take offence as it feels like he doesn't trust me at all.
I know it is best to try and ignore it but it's hard sometimes when i am receiving emails telling me to do something that I told him I was already doing a few hours previously. That's just one of his annoyances.
|
RichR
Premium Member
Registered: 17th Oct 01
Location: Waterhouses, Staffordshire
User status: Offline
|
Is your manager an employee of the business or an owner of the business?
|
C2RL R
Member
Registered: 28th Mar 02
Location: Redcliffe, QLD
User status: Offline
|
owner. Its a family owned business that he is technically not part of. His wife is the MD, she runs the place very well, he is a cargo ship pilot so he works away and does 3 weeks on, 3 weeks off. When he is on his 3 weeks off he comes into work and basically upsets everybody.
I can understand his concerns since he is the owner with everything at stake.
|
Gaz
Member
Registered: 24th Aug 03
Location: Widnes, Cheshire
User status: Offline
|
Sounds like he doesn't know the job his staff should be doing and to compensate this he micro-manages you to "Enforce" his authority and show you he is your manager.
Best way of dealing with this? I'd ask him to do a "day in the life..." session and allow you to teach him the day-to-day tasks/challenges and allow him to role with it on his own to see what you do.
[Edited on 09-08-2014 by Gaz]
|
Gaz
Member
Registered: 24th Aug 03
Location: Widnes, Cheshire
User status: Offline
|
Also, a good tip is hidden in here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/peggydrexler/2013/06/13/managing-up-when-your-boss-is-an-obsessive-micromanager/
Don't wait for him to micromanage you. Go to him, provide him updates of what you are doing before he asks. It can simply be a conversation "Keeping him in the loop" whilst he's been away for 3 weeks
|
C2RL R
Member
Registered: 28th Mar 02
Location: Redcliffe, QLD
User status: Offline
|
yeah i kind of already do that. He will then go away and email me telling me what he want's me to do and it's usually the thing i just told him was next on my list. i think you're right and he wants to show that he is in charge.
|
Gaz
Member
Registered: 24th Aug 03
Location: Widnes, Cheshire
User status: Offline
|
have a read up on Leadership Styles and Communication Styles. I did this for when I was moving into a supervisor role and it was very useful for me. Now in your case, you will be using this for the opposite reason, to understand why he is being the way he is but this will also help you understand how you can cope/deal with it and be productive and constructive communicating back to him.
At the end of the day you need to look after number 1, and number 1's income. So pissing him off isn't going to get you a pay packet at the end of the year so it's about thinking differently.
You may even find you wish to call a meeting with him and express your feelings. Management is a two way thing and if he's being negative towards you and lowering your morale then he needs to lead by a better example and change to help his staff out.
|
C2RL R
Member
Registered: 28th Mar 02
Location: Redcliffe, QLD
User status: Offline
|
yeah mate I really can't decide if it's worth saying anything. He has been pretty good to me but at the same time I don't like his style and sometimes i dread it when i hear he's on his way back from his proper job.
He goes through phases where he concentrates on 1 persons job and trying to get them doing it better. Last time he was here he was all over the production manager for the whole 3 weeks. Seems this time it is my turn.
I will try the email update thing whilst he is away. Must be hard for him wondering if things are getting done when he's not there but the way he communicates his concerns just gets every body's back up. it's like he thinks the staff just have a holiday when he's not there which isn't the case. Most of us really respect his wife and we all go the extra mile for her. for example, i work about 45 hours a week even though i get paid for 37.5.
when he is away i actually look forward to going to work but when he's back it's a nightmare. Most people i have talked to at work say the same thing.
|
Balling
Premium Member
Registered: 7th Apr 04
Location: Denmark
User status: Offline
|
quote:
Originally posted by C2RL R
I know it is best to try and ignore it
Of course it's not. Obviously being constantly questioned is annoying as fuck and leads to a bad work environment.
Ask him for a sit down, then explain how you feel you can be most effective.
Don't tell him he's doing anything wrong as he might get defensive.
Tell him that you feel there's mistrust and want to get that out of the way. Ask him what you can do to help create trust.
Alternatively ask him to shove the job up his ass or do it himself if he's such an expert and proceed to fuck off. Family businesses can be the absolute worst. I've been at two and will do what I can do avoid being hired at another... which I then was yesterday... 
|
C2RL R
Member
Registered: 28th Mar 02
Location: Redcliffe, QLD
User status: Offline
|
i'm not in a position to tell him to shove it at the moment so that won't be happening. He is a bit hot headed and angry all the time so i can't imagine any conversation i have with him wouldn't end well. Everyone else just carries on as they were and ignores it but I too am a bit hot headed sometimes and I can't hold my tongue.
[Edited on 09-08-2014 by C2RL R]
|
RichR
Premium Member
Registered: 17th Oct 01
Location: Waterhouses, Staffordshire
User status: Offline
|
It's a very similar set up to the business I've just resigned from; family run, trying to micromanage everyone but not actually being in the office enough to see the day to day-all of my emails are directed via my bosses and we have to copy in Archive on every outgoing email, their main job seems to be to read all of the incoming and outgoing mail which, similarly to your's, shows total distrust in the staff. A lot of our decision have to be passed by external people such as the boss's ex partner. The atmosphere is the primary reason that I'm leaving after 8 years but I also realised a long time ago that the reason the two directors are like that is because they actually don't understand the business they run, it's outgrown them and they've fallen into a industry which doesn't suit their background or knowledge-it actually left me feelin sorry for them as they simply have no trust in not only our's but also their own judgement.
Long story short, if you think that you boss will accept a conversation and a degree of criticism, do so. If not, find another job.
|
Aaron
Member
Registered: 9th Aug 04
Location: Cottingham, East Riding
User status: Offline
|
I have a manager who does this. He doesn't seem to know what he's doing, so much so that any request given to him is instantly passed to his superiors. He questions EVERYTHING me and my colleagues do, to the point where we think he doesn't believe anything we do or say.
No-one in the team has any respect for the guy.
|
Gaz
Member
Registered: 24th Aug 03
Location: Widnes, Cheshire
User status: Offline
|
Not sure on what your output is but why not start to produce stats for him? an hour a week might benefit you in the long run.
So for example, the team I supervisor are IT Service Desk analysts. Therefore for me, their output is how much they are fixing. This is monitored on a daily/weekly/monthly basis to ensure I can show my boss that the guys are doing a great job.
So for you, do you have something you could easily show in a report to give confidence his 3 weeks away from the office is no different to the 3 weeks he is in? You could also show him in the extreme situation that him being in the office is making you counter-productive. This will spark opinion but will get the truth laid out on a table to discuss and hopefully tackle.
|
C2RL R
Member
Registered: 28th Mar 02
Location: Redcliffe, QLD
User status: Offline
|
yes i think i could do that. I am the engineer at a cosmetics manufacturing plant. I also run the quality management system. I can honestly say that when i'm at work i never stop. I don't do any personal stuff while at work.
i can provide him with evidence of every single thing i do during the day. the only grey areas are when people need help with a task and i have to do that. I'm thinking of maybe keeping a diary/log of what i achieve in the day and sharing it with him.
there are a lot of staff that kind of take the piss. like one of the chemists spends a lot of time sorting out the finances for her husbands electrician business. he knows that she does this as he has told me about it. unfortunately i think he tars us all with the same brush although he is very wrong to do this.
|
Gaz
Member
Registered: 24th Aug 03
Location: Widnes, Cheshire
User status: Offline
|
so thats quite key, he may be indirectly punishing you because of others actions. So go back to what Balling said... Ask him what you can do to build trust up for him to ensure he can trust you and what you are doing for his company.
|
C2RL R
Member
Registered: 28th Mar 02
Location: Redcliffe, QLD
User status: Offline
|
yeah maybe i should tell him i understand based on the amount of none work related stuff that goes on in the place but that i am not one of those type of people and i feel offended but the insinuation. he will probably just tell me if i don't like it then leave.
|
micra_pete
Premium Member
Registered: 23rd Apr 03
Location: West Yorkshire
User status: Offline
|
whether is three weeks on, three weeks off or 1 day a month, he's one of the owners.
he can manage, push, bother, interfere with you as much as he wants (without crossing a bullying line obviously). If you don't like it, you have the power to take your skills somewhere else.
Managers are different!
|
John
Member
Registered: 30th Jun 03
User status: Offline
|
In a smaller company where you are dealing directly with the owners, I personally just get on with it instead of creating a worse atmosphere. In a bigger company where it's just a manager, I'll quite happily moan about it.
|
Ian
Site Administrator
Registered: 28th Aug 99
Location: Liverpool
User status: Offline
|
Judgement call but he needs to know.
|
Hammer
Member
Registered: 11th Feb 04
User status: Offline
|
I get told what to do directly from someone that can't spell 4 letter words. I've learnt to ignore him and he knows it. Pulls me up every work night out for showing him a lack of respect 
That's obviously not the best way to go about it but neither is sitting back and allowing yourself to be dictated to, especially from someone that doesn't really know what he's talking about.
|
C2RL R
Member
Registered: 28th Mar 02
Location: Redcliffe, QLD
User status: Offline
|
He sent me an email at 1:15 am. Tool.
|
