This boss also has taken many responsibilities from me, slowly, and sometimes without telling me directly.

February 2005, Article 7

Dear Office-Politics,

I work for a health insurance company as a clerk. There are several issues that bother me.

The first issue is the way my boss handles staff meetings. She will sometimes include every member of the department, but me. She has even said, in front of the whole team that I'm not needed there at that time. She encourages certain employees to spy on other ones.

Also, I deal with a huge volume of files. I constantly have to keep moving these, and large amounts of them just to get a little room, to make room for new ones coming in - we receive about 400 files a month or so. The company won't pay for the room we need. I feel that, if she had really wanted to, my boss could have made that happen. I wonder how easily she would have let that go if she were the one doing it.

Also, there is an employee that does nothing but talk all day and surf the web. Must be nice. Then, there is another one who has a lot of personal problems, and is on the phone alot. More than I want to know. I feel I don't get the same support as some of my other co-workers would get in my situation. Also, I've been supportive of them.

This boss also has taken many responsibilities from me, slowly, and sometimes without telling me directly. This is what she did to someone else who quit. I felt this boss pushed that person out, and now is trying to push me out. What should I do?

File Clerk

Dear File Clerk,

You're obviously reading the writing on the wall. Trouble is you don't like what you're reading!

From what you've written, this lady doesn't sound like a great person to work for. She is constantly putting you in your place, and that's 'down', in her mind. Now some might say that she is not involving you in meetings because she wants to get maximum productivity out of each employee. The thinking is: Why have any extra bodies in a meeting than necessary to accomplish the task? As an employer myself, I can see that 'bottom-line' point of view. But in terms of your aspirations for career growth, it's a dead-end. You need to be part of meetings so that you can absorb the decision-making process and skills that will help you to move from file clerk to more senior roles.

Going back to the 'writing on the wall' metaphor, only you can assess whether the trouble signs you've noticed are serious enough to make you leave. My reaction when I read your letter is to say, "Get moving! Things aren't going to get better with this lady in charge. Take action before you get pushed out!" It's always better to look for another job when you are still in a job. If you do decide it's time to look for another job, draw up a careful action plan. Tally up your skills. Get help writing a resume. Get letters of reference from people. Talk to friends and family -- and network! Don't quit your job tomorrow, but start the process today for moving to a better job that will use more of your talents. Life is too short to work in a dead-end job.

Good luck. Thanks for writing to Office-Politics.

Franke James
Creator, The Office-Politics Game