Our employee is a friend (but she is turning into a monster!)

Demotion is a bitter pill to swallow

Dear Office-Politics,

I work for a government agency where the Executive Director is a political appointment, rather than a hire based on knowledge and experience.

Since this Director started, it has become obvious that he holds in small regard employees who have advanced program technical knowledge and skills, unless those employees are in a management position. This I firmly believe stems from his lack of experience in what we do and how difficult the work is. The cultural climate at our agency has become one that revolves around the power of management and the “executive team” (the new name for our top administrators). The book our Executive Director most often quotes from is “From Good to Great”. The concept that appalls me the most in this book deals with management “shaking things up” by getting the wrong people off the bus, and the right people on. Bus being our agency. “Wrong people” seems to be me!

Director to Intern, “You understand that you are not allowed to leave, right?”

Dear Office Politics,
At the end of my internship, a wealth of job opportunities will be open to me. I already have two solid job offers that my current organization cannot compete with. The problem is that the Director of my organization and my immediate boss have both told me that I cannot leave, because they have invested too much time and money on training and “mentoring” me. The worst was a phone call from my Director where he said “You understand that you are not allowed to leave, right? We do have an understanding?” I laughed nervously and said “Okay, bye.” I was in utter shock.

My problem… My Manager.

Dear Office-Politics
I work for a very large world-wide distribution center. My location, however, is a very small “off spring” branch that has only two employees, myself and the branch manager. Let me start by saying I love my job! I love the people I deal with over the phone, the few walk in customers and the work load.

My problem… My Manager. I am at my wits end. I honestly don’t know where to turn. I know that if I were to do the things my boss does, I would have been fired! He spends most of his days surfing the internet and posting in chat rooms. When he’s not playing on the computer he’s on his cell phone. He is a part time police officer and many a time he is called away for police related work. He has left our store to go to court. I am told that if upper management calls, I’m to say he is on a sales call. Upper Management is aware of his part time position, but has little knowledge of his leaving our office for his police duties. Several days at work he is so tired from his night shift that he will go into his office to sleep for hours. I am told not to disturb him…