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Franke James is Editor/Founder of Office-Politics.com and Inventor of the Office-Politics® Game. Peter R. Garber has worked as an HR professional for over 25 years and is the author of many business books including: Winning the Rat Race at Work and 100 Ways to Get on the Wrong Side of your Boss. Dina Beach Lynch, is an Ombudsman, Author and former attorney. An award-winning mediator, Dina served as the Corporate Ombudsman for the 7th largest bank in the US helping over 48,000 employees to resolve workplace issues. Dr. Rick Brandon is CEO of Brandon Partners. He has consulted and trained tens of thousands at corporations worldwide, including Fortune 500 companies across a variety of industries. Dr. Marty Seldman is one of America's most experienced executive coaches. His 35-year career includes expertise in executive coaching, group dynamics, cross-cultural studies, clinical psychology, and training. Arnie Herz, is a lawyer, mediator, speaker, author and consultant nationally recognized for his practical and inspired approach to conflict resolution and client counseling. Dr. John Burton LL.B. M.B.A. M.Div. Ph.D. is an ethicist, mediator, lawyer and theologian. John is currently located in Prince Rupert, B.C., Canada, working with Canada's aboriginal communities. |
My
boss is pressuring me to take over another area... Like telling
that openly at meetings. I refused (openly) and now he is mad with
me...
March and May 2006 Dear
Office-Politics, I am now in my 15th year in this school and have been promoted as a Senior Head mistress who is supposed to supervise high school students. This is the highest position in my company. I started off as a teacher. I was the one who started work on this area and the results have been very good and have been steadily increasing the past 14 years. I have been openly congratulated many times before. My problem is that now my boss wants me to go into other areas such as Primary Grades (or younger levels) and develop them while I am handling the current High School levels as well. I feel he thinks I have less work now. But actually, I am so used to what I am doing that it has very little problems in High School levels and is running smoothly. But that does not mean I am having less work. I still have to handle a lot of teachers which involves training and development and setting standards in papers, etc. Since we have a lot of branches I have targets etc too. My boss is pressuring me a lot to take over another area such as Primary levels (or younger levels) indirectly. Like telling that openly at meetings. I refused (openly too) and now I feel that he is mad with me. He openly at meetings, once in way tried to delegate my current area High School levels to other managers. I was very angry with him and told him that. He denied he did it purposely and simply said that I misunderstood him. After I confronted him he asked me again to take over another area. He told me that I am too 'cosy' with my job. The Primary levels and younger levels are kind of in a mess. Only the High School levels are running smoothly. Then recently he scolded me for not organizing an office party for him too. He has never scolded me like this before. I was so upset. I spoke to him about it too. Organizing office parties is not my job, but he told that as a senior manger I should get involved in those types of things too. Later he sort of said he understands that it is not in my job area and all.. but he did not sound as if he was too sorry. Then after this he promoted an junior teacher as a Senior teacher and did not tell me about it. (This teacher works directly under me and reports to me) I got to know about it at a meeting. I told him that I felt insulted and he simply said he was mad with me for not organizing the office party. I am really cheesed off now. I think he is not professional at all. Ok. I get his point. He thinks my job is too 'comfortable' for me. But he does not realize the hard work I have put in and maintaining it is not easy. So I just want to quit this job now. I'm sick of him. Please help Thank you Fed-up-of-Boss Dear Fed-up-of-Boss, Your story says that at first he wanted you to continue with the High School levels and also assume responsibility for the Primary levels. Later you say he suggested assigning the Primary levels to someone else, then he backed off that when you confronted him. His complaint about your not organizing a party for him may simply be a symptom that he is frustrated because he has not been a very good manager with you and is taking his anger out on you. My suggestion is to help your boss be a better boss by arranging a private meeting to discuss your future within the organization. You will first need to decide what you want that future to be. Do you want to stay with the High School levels now that you have it running smoothly or are you ready for a new challenge? If you don't want to move to Primary levels, tell your boss that your career plans are to stay where you are. If you want to move up in the organization, however, it sounds like this is an opportunity to prove yourself. You and your boss need to have a clear plan for your progress in the organization and then to execute it. The unprofessional approach he has taken thus far has, not surprisingly, irritated and concerned you. But I think there is a way to turn this into an opportunity if the two of you can work together on it. Thanks for writing to Office-Politics. Dr. John Burton Dr. John Burton LL.B. M.B.A. M.Div. Ph.D. is an ethicist, mediator, lawyer and theologian whose passion is helping people and organizations create better relationships and stronger communities by being clear, committed and collaborative in their approach to ethics and conflict. John is currently located in Prince Rupert, B.C., Canada, working with Canada's aboriginal communities. Feedback from Fed-up-of-Boss: Hello. Thanks for your advice. I was so demotivated a few weeks ago that i actually when up to my boss and said i am quitting. I told him i' m unhappy. he later spoke to me. he even changed my ofice premises to a better place in another branch. So now i 'm happy and went and told him i dont want to quit...(ha.. ha.. felt abit stupid but i did it!!) he was ok with it and told me to forget about what happened. any ways all well. and i'm back on track.. your reply came a bit late but thats ok.. i am so happy you have a website like this to help people.. I think what you told me to do is what i actually did. so your reply was good. you also have told me about the boss's psycology, which most employees don't think about. they only think of them selves... Great work.. keep it up!! May God bless you and your team... Thank you.. NOT-SO- fed-up-of-boss!!
May 2006 Follow-up letter from Fed-up-of-Boss Dear Office-Politics, I have worked for almost 15 years in this company. This is my second full-time job. I joined when I was 25 and I am 40 now. I' m unmarried but my personal life is good. All my relatives and friends advise me not to quit because I am a senior manager in this company and I get a company maintained vehicle, own room which I share with another girl, ok salary etc. they say just stick to it and make the best out of it. My problem now is I lack motivation and I am fed up with my work. I feel it is because: 1. I know my boss inside out when it comes to professional life and
he knows me too. I don’t like this familiarity. Some of my bosses
ways like sometimes not having a direct approach, listening to gossip,
not professional etc, irritates me. But I just have to tolerate it. (for
the 15th year) 3. My colleague who is in my department floor, came only 2 years ago but got to my same position. I think my boss likes her more. She is a nice girl and i like her but she makes me very insecure. 4. I am hard working and produced excellent results in the past. I am scared that I won't be able to keep up my standards in the future and all my good work will be of a waste. 5. For 15 years I was producing good results. My boss now does not show
appreciation as those days because it just runs smoothly. I don’t
have problems. So he just wants me to handle High School levels plus
do other work. I feel he is taking me for granted. Could you please analyze my issues and tell me if I'm normal? Or over reacting? I just want to know if there are other people like me. Fed-up-of-Boss (again) Dear Fed-up-of-Boss (again) I've had a look at our earlier correspondence as well as your most recent letter. It seems to me that your boss is appreciative of your abilities, but is not a very good manager. You will need to help him to develop a career plan with you, or the organization will lose a good employee - you. I don't have any idea of the possibility of your finding other employment, so I hesitate to suggest that you look around, however, it is not healthy to continue in a job where you are bored and have the type of relationship with your boss that you describe. I suggest that you have one more conversation with your boss and tell him that you need to have a clear plan for developing your career. If something that stimulates you is not worked out I suggest that you look for another position. Good luck with this. Dr. John Burton Dr. John Burton LL.B. M.B.A. M.Div. Ph.D. is an ethicist, mediator, lawyer and theologian whose passion is helping people and organizations create better relationships and stronger communities by being clear, committed and collaborative in their approach to ethics and conflict. John is currently located in Prince Rupert, B.C., Canada, working with Canada's aboriginal communities. Feedback from Fed-up-of-Boss: Thank you for your reply. I will not try re-talking to my boss about streamlining things because I realize that this is the one thing my boss does not want. He just wants 'every body to do everything' because that just makes him employ less people for more work. I am from an Asian country and most of our employers are like this. Not all but most. I have decided to stick to the place because it pays good with other benefits. I think I will simply tolarate my boss for now. Thank you very much for your support.
The Ethics Letters that appears as a feature of this Website is an educational and discussion oriented column designed to help the reader better understand ethical issues. The matters discussed in the letter are reviewed in a summary/abbreviated way and are only meant to foster thinking on the part of the reader. If a person decides to adopt or implement suggestions, they do so at their own risk. No representation or warranty is provided in relation to suggestions or the contents of the letter. Neither the authors of the letter, Franke James, John W. Burton, or the owners of this Website accept any liability whatsoever for any opinions expressed in the letter or for errors and omissions. Submission of letters to the Office-Politics Forum grants the Publisher, Nerdheaven Ltd. the right to reproduce, republish, repurpose and excerpt the submission in any and all other media, without compensation or contacting the author. Copyright Nerdheaven Ltd. 2002-2005
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