Boss who has never been a boss before!?

Question

I have a boss who started out as a receptionist. She was a great boss at first. After a while her inexperience started to show, to me and others. She is constantly getting me to do her work and fill in for her. She comes late, leaves ealry. She has set different dress standards then the rest of the departments. They get to wear jeans and polos, we have to wear more buisness casual attire. She makes you feel like an idiot if you ask her a question , she rolls her eyes and says <"use common sense!" I;m like it's new..commen sense won't work here!" I don't say that of ocurse. I try to be cordial. I can't tell HR who happens to be the wifes OWNER and they are also good friends. I know for a fact the HR would tell her everything I would say.Hr came out one day complaining about another employee and said they were "bitching for no reason" and then told what they were griping about and who said it. Those 2 peopl are my only issues. My boss will tell me to do one thing, Ill do it then she'll say she never said to do it that way. SO, I started to email her asking her, "Is this what you said, I just want to verify"that way I'd have it on record. She won't reply to me then she writes me up for not replying to her. I show her where I replied to her on an email and then seh says oh, I didn't see that.

How do you deal with this if you actually like your job that you do just have VERY difficult people who have big egos and are ALWAYS try to make you look stupid.

Answer 1

Oh wow. I say find a new job.  This drama seems like it&#039;s going to continue forever.  it sounds to me like this job situation has been stressing you out, which is not worth it! good luck!

Answer 2

This is an inter-personal problem that is all too common at most workplaces. The solution to this is multi pronged and situation dependent. Here goes:

Some things you need to evaluate for yourself:

1. How skilled are you in your own job? (Answer this truthfully.)

2. Are there a sufficient number of job vacancies in the market for your skill-set? (Do some research.)

3. What kind of a relationship do you have with your bosses&#039; boss?

4. Are internal transfers withing your organization allowed?

Based on the answers to these questions, you would hit one of the following options:

1. Quit this job and take up another employment.

2. Apply for an internal transfer, and see how it goes.

3. Try and build a better relationship with your bosses&#039; boss, without making it overt. Then try and bypass your boss, over a period of time.

4. Try and sweeten up to your boss. After all you are dependent on her for your income, for at least the short term, and use the time to enhance your skills to be able to gun for a separate job.

(I&#039;d prefer options 1 and 2 over the others, because they are the quickest solutions).

Some things you must avoid:

1. Confrontations.

2. Burnt bridges.

3. Escalations - They hardly ever succeed.

Another advice:

When you write those emails &quot;As Discussed....&quot;. Please add a line, at the end that no response would be understood as acquiescence.

Answer 3

sounds like your in a situation where there is no where/no one to turn to.  I think you need to start a job hunt.  My boss happens to be really cool and knows what she&#039;s doing and doesn&#039;t act like she is any better than anyone.  I think I&#039;d definitely quick if I was in your situation, as soon as i found another good job.  There are some people who really shouldn&#039;t be given ANY power, they abuse it and feed off of it to get even bigger egos, she needs to humble herself down and realize she ain&#039;t no body special and at the rate she&#039; going she&#039;s gonna s***w the company over and have no power b/c there will be no business.