Mistreated Manager

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Mistreated Manager

Posted by: gary
Date: 4/19/2004 1:33:07 PM

Reposted reply from another topic:

"I have managed thousands of people in the past 20 years. I have treated my people with dignity and respect. On a blind survey by my boss, my staff rated me as the best manager they every worked for or to be exact 97% did. BUT they take and take and take and keep taking. There is NO loyalty. I am so fed up with treating people with respect but getting treated like dirt. Pay advances, yea I help out. Get paid back, 3 times in 10 years. Most quit and I get stuck. The managers that work for me. They need help I give it. I need help, oops they have something to do. I have a high paying management position with 6 figures. I am so fed up with thise jerks that I have turned in my notice. My boss offered a 5 digit increase and I'm still leaving. I would rather make min. wage than have to deal with the back stabbing trash I've had the ill fortune to manage. Am I stupid for giving up such a good paying job. Not according to my Doctor. Quit gripping about your job. Either do it or get out. But quit the darn gripping. These days everyone wants all the big dollars and bennies handed to them. But willing to EARN those things...not a chance. My mommy says the world owes me a living. Well, I'm bookin. I can not deal with those low lifes anymore. My only regret is that I could have had much easier life treating those people like dirt because it obviously does not matter how they are treated. Either way they will use and abuse their employer until they are either asked to do the job (which they then leave) or they get a nickle raise accross the street. Over 75% of those that quit working for me asked to get the job back. I cannot tell you how glad I'll be to work out my notice. To the other managers out there... come up with a method that will require the employees to treat their boss the way they want to be treated. GOOD LUCK..."

Reply from:	gchrism
Date:	4/26/2004 11:47:00 AM
Reply:	Hate to hear stories like that but it is rampant out there. I was let go after 3+ years by a boss who after 6 months asked my mgmt team, a technial support desk, if we answered procedural questions. If after 6 months you don't know enough about your departments, then it is best to follow the old adage of 'keep your mouth closed and people will only think you don't know your job or open it and remove all doubt'. I spent the last 6 months at my job trying to educate my boss about his job, 10-15 calls a day came from him, what a waste! And my supervisor team, I had to spoon feed them all the time on how to treat employees and manage situations. If I were you, I would stay in the job, take back the resignation, accept the pay increase and work on replacing or building a team of direct reports to handle the unpleasant task of getting rid of the malcontents and thereby making your job easier. Too often I hear, I didn't know what I had until I left. Sounds like you mother-please them too much. I understand how you feel but you have to let them fail and by doing so, the ones worth keeping will realize why and how they failed and they are the ones you will want to keep, giving that they improve on their weak points. As far as the others, when they disrespect you, verbal warning, written warning and then sign the termination papers that they built up for you. Pretty simple and it sets the standard for job performance and respect.

Reply from:	buffaloman
Date:	5/4/2004 2:38:00 PM
Reply:	Sounds like you are making a fundamental mistake, your people are treating you just as badly as you allow them to. Sorry but its time for some tuff love. Try reading Machiavelli 's The Prince. It may have been written 500 years ago but the ideas are timeless and apply to middle and upper management. Good luck!

Reply from:	lanessa
Date:	5/21/2004 8:39:00 PM
Reply:	I must respond by saying thank you! I am glad to see that there are still people with ethics out there! They seem to be to few and far between, but I am glad you have dignity enough not to be run over anymore--it will get better, good luck with your future.

Reply from:	n68firebird
Date:	5/23/2004 1:14:00 PM
Reply:	Do you have the power to hire & fire? If so, if I were you, I would start a policy of 3-warnings-and-you're fired. The first idiot to be fired will be a warning to the rest. It sounds like you are managing a bunch of ingrates, who don't deserve your respect - or anyone else's.

Reply from:	merc2k
Date:	6/8/2004 2:54:00 PM
Reply:	There's a fine line between being polite and respectful and being a doormat. IMHO, you've crossed it. "Pay advances, yea I help out." - Why? Their poor budgeting is not your problem to solve. If you do want to give advances, make sure it comes right out of the following check, and PLEASE document it (have HR develop a form they sign) in case someone says "He stole this money from me.". "They need help I give it. I need help, oops they have something to do." - Are they legtimately asking for help, or just giving you the "junk work"? Help them once or twice, instructing them while you go. Make them take notes so when the issue arises a third time you can say no. As to them helping you, be a little more insistent. Remember that "oops I'm busy" works in the other direction too. A 6 figure salary in today's economy is worth a little stress. Take the 5 digit increase, and get some get some assertivness training. You need to learn to say "No" and stick to your guns. That's the only way you can re-earn their respect.

Reply from:	frustrated62
Date:	6/17/2004 9:06:00 AM
Reply:	You sound like a great boss, but you workers simply take advantage of your willingness to be a resource to them. You should definitelt draw lines of responsibility, give them the goal, and let them sink or swim on their own. Don't be so accomodating if they can't make it. My problem is that my boss is the opposit from you. He treats his seasoned professionals like little kids: telling us what to do & how to do it. In that case, all you need is clerks. I used to have a boss similar to you, but I nver took advantge of it, if fact I thrived, always made my boss look good and I always made sure that people knew it. When you make your boss look good, it trickles down. I'd love to be back, working for a boss like you.

Reply from:	lonestar
Date:	6/20/2004 2:55:00 AM
Reply:	admin: My situation is very similar to yours. My own boss likes to treat her seasoned professionals like little kids. Yet, I am treating my employee with respect and give them as much space as possible for them to grow. I try my best to help them out, and stand up for them with my own boss. Yet, my employees continue to want more for them. When I don't support it, they then went behind my back to find a job at another group and told me that they wanted a transfer. I feel like that I am squeezed in the middle. In order to watch out for their career growth, I have sacrificed my own career path. I fought for them so hard that the trust with my mgr seems to be weaken. What should I do? I am very defeated/disappointed as well!

Reply from:	paulreimer
Date:	6/20/2004 9:38:00 AM
Reply:	How true.. I have managed many employees over the years, on the whole, I would say I was a pretty good boss, and this is the feedback I in the main received back. But the office environment is sick, and I see no hope of recovery. The management above me was interested only in their continued upward mobility, HR was a completely political tool, and the employees had been shafted so many times that they had no loyalty to a boss no matter how "great" he or she was. The employees were always ready to jump ship at any time. Who could blame them? When companies can roll out their stupid little "feel good" agenda's and have "fun weeks" where you can dress down for a day, get some stupid goodies with the company logo on them, while the upper echelon are folding their golden parachutes to be ready for yet another investigation from the government, and other parts of the company are out sourcing services to rake in more money for the golden cream at the top, and then they come crying back to the employees about how sorry they are that there are no raises this year, and the employees have to bear yet another insurance increase, and then layoffs occur sometimes stripping teams of their best employees simply because they made a dollar or two more than the average...well no wonder then that nobody gives a shit about putting 100% effort for a supervisor, whether he or she is terrible or the greatest thing since sliced bread. The corporate community of the 21st century stinks, and believe me, this inequity between those who produce and those who reap the benefits of that production will be resolved soon, and it's not going to be pretty... I have never been happier working for myself, and with the help of God, I will never have to sit for another round of bullshit interviews and "prove" myself to some corporate "cookie-cutter" mid-management fuckup. Oh, this felt so good to type... : )

Reply from:	sirlance
Date:	7/10/2004 1:29:00 PM
Reply:	Being a good boss, is also bing a god leader and parent. If your suordinattes treat you with little respect, you need to look at YOURSELF first. They will treat you inthe manner you teach them to treat you. Taking care of them like children with pay advances and doing their work, rewards you will childish behavior in return. First respect yourself, be very clear on what makes a good supervisor, hint: it's not how many people you supervise, it's in the results.

Reply from:	betternow
Date:	7/12/2004 5:42:00 PM
Reply:	admin:I feel for you and I wish you had been my boss. I recently left a management position working for a department store/cosmetic company because of abuse and disrespect from my immediate supervisor,not to mention blatant dishonesty(lying and backstabbing) by employees.HR was a waste-in fact I was accused of doing something wrong when two long time employees told outrageous lies on me,yet were never held accountable or asked to back up their ridiculous claims. But it starts at the top,my friend. The company I was working for had five previous managers in my position in three years,a couple of whom had big problems with the same immediate supervisor that I did.Yet somehow upper management doesn't seem to realize that this woman is a detriment to the company. I can understand your doctor's point of view. I was getting physically ill dealing with all of this as well. I made the only choice I felt I could ,which was to leave. I feel better and you will too. Good luck to you!

Reply from:	shelby
Date:	7/21/2004 6:19:00 PM
Reply:	Wow! Reading these comments is somewhat frightening...I've just recently been promoted to supervisor...I was looking for ways to be successful...this is scary

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