The Worst Boss

I was reading through the thread on those who submitted their worst jobs so I've decided to come up with your "worst boss".

I had a boss not so long ago that was such a stinker for discipline, that it actually caused me to be stressed out and worried. You would never know what mood he was going to be in that day and you are never sure whether you were doing a good enough job. As my job is mainly a secretary that mostly types (whether working in a legal environment or not) at times, when work piles up, tensions tend to get high. However, my old boss was one of a kind, if I spelt a word wrong he would call me into the office and ask why I spelt it wrong. He would send me an email everytime I got something wrong - no matter how minute and ask me to see him. There was even one time when I was reprimanded by one of the other solicitors via email about a cheque that was sent to the wrong place. The email was copied into my boss's email and when my boss arrived for work and saw the email, reprimanded me as well! I think once would have been enough. I was asked to type a file note for a file but had forgotten to print it off for that day. Well when the next day arrived my boss asked in a calm manner whether I had done the file note, I confirmed that I had and then he shouted out "WHERE IS IT?" - nasty man. I can't believe that I put up with this for 4 years! When I finally got another job I was so relieved it was unbelievable and I feel much happier in myself for leaving too.

[CheshireCat]

My first job, 16 years old, was at a movie theater. This wasn't a multiplex, just one screen, kind of quaint. We had one of those old popcorn poppers with the kettle in the box where the popcorn stays warm and you have to dump the kettle into hte box, ya know? So we are really busy on a weekend night, I am scooping popcorn out of the box while it is popping, you had to. The kettle slips and hits my arm! Hot oil and metal, hurt like a son of a b***c! Second and third degree burns. My a*****e boss wanted me to finish out my shift! And he fired me when I took the next night off! What a d**K!

Oh, pardon my potty mouth here, just ticks me off, still.

[Marie5656]

Had a job where I shared an office with my supervisor. She "reprimanded" me once for taking "too many breaks". If I got up, went to the bathroom and returned to my desk inside of a minute, she considered that a break. Get up to get a glass of water to drink at my desk..a break. Just resting my eyes for a second after reading a long boring file..a break.

Oh dear, Marie and CC you have my condolences on your posts. Going back to my last job and the nasty boss, I was talking to someone who worked in the Accounts Department. This person told me that the head of the Accounts Department, who is a female, would have access to all the accounts staffs' emails so that she could see who was sending what to. Also she would not allow any staff to speak to one another, even if it was a request to do something which was work related. The staff would have to email one another so that the task could be done by the other person.

[Bryn Mawr]

Originally Posted by helefra

Oh dear, Marie and CC you have my condolences on your posts. Going back to my last job and the nasty boss, I was talking to someone who worked in the Accounts Department. This person told me that the head of the Accounts Department, who is a female, would have access to all the accounts staffs' emails so that she could see who was sending what to. Also she would not allow any staff to speak to one another, even if it was a request to do something which was work related. The staff would have to email one another so that the task could be done by the other person.

and which Dicensian hell did she grow up in?

That's straight out of the dark ages!

Originally Posted by Bryn Mawr

and which Dicensian hell did she grow up in?

That's straight out of the dark ages!

I'll pass on that one BM.

[Sheryl]

I've had a few bosses from hell. But the worse was a guy who somehow expected you to be in a hundred places at once. It was a convient store that also served pizzas, subs, and other food. I usually got the opening shift which was at 6:00 a.m. It was usually really busy in the mornings, with our regular coffee drinkers, students on way to school, and others getting their morning coffee or sodas. One morning my boss came in and the cooler doors had fogged over. I was busy at the register and hadn't had time to go wipe them down. He came round the counter and asked me if I had seen cooler doors, I said yea but hadn't had a chance to get to it yet. He said that I'd better find the time. I rolled my eyes and told him sure but my Go go gadget arms weren't working that morning. The customers in line just laughed, and he rolled his eyes and walked out of the store.

[RedGlitter]

Hair salon: Boss didn't like the way I cut hair. Put me on "probation." I was cutting a blond kid and that's hard hair to cut as it must be blended real well or it looks choppy. Boss flicked kid's hair and yelled "That looks like ****!" I could have died. He canned me not long after.


Boiler room: my fiance had just dumped me and my sales were off. Boss called me into his office to tell me I'd be fine, that I "just needed to get laid." I thanked him for his concern.


Hallmark: Boss had coworker tell me I was using too much toilet paper. Seriously.
I tripped over a stack of long giftwrap tubes that were placed haphazardly in the closet that served as our breakroom, coming down onto the concrete floor on one knee. Hurt like nothing I'd ever felt before, so much I couldn't even cuss which is a lot for me. Knee blew up to grapefruit size, I went to doctor. Boss called me that night to ask me how I was (aka: did I file workmen's comp, I bet) and to tell me I needed to be more careful. I said "No Mark, you need to clean up your store."

Coyote Gift (same boss): I worked my butt off at this store and it seemed every time boss came in he caught me sitting down. Never mind I had just put up three shelves of crap, I was "sitting down on the job." Like my elderly coworker said "I had underwear older than him."

There were many jerks in between those but those are the standouts.

Forgot one.

Payless Drug: Boss was a Mexican dude who spoke little English and ate blood sausage. He had the vilest breath ever. A supervisor stuck a tomato plant on top of my cash register and walked off. Hey she was the supervisor, I let the plant stay. Well the plant fell over and got dirt all over and in my machine. Machine wouldn't work. I called over Bad Breath Boss and told him what happened and he asks me "Why did you put dirt in the machine?"

[CheshireCat]

Originally Posted by RedGlitter

Hair salon: Boss didn't like the way I cut hair. Put me on "probation." I was cutting a blond kid and that's hard hair to cut as it must be blended real well or it looks choppy. Boss flicked kid's hair and yelled "That looks like ****!" I could have died. He canned me not long after.


Boiler room: my fiance had just dumped me and my sales were off. Boss called me into his office to tell me I'd be fine, that I "just needed to get laid." I thanked him for his concern.


Hallmark: Boss had coworker tell me I was using too much toilet paper. Seriously.
I tripped over a stack of long giftwrap tubes that were placed haphazardly in the closet that served as our breakroom, coming down onto the concrete floor on one knee. Hurt like nothing I'd ever felt before, so much I couldn't even cuss which is a lot for me. Knee blew up to grapefruit size, I went to doctor. Boss called me that night to ask me how I was (aka: did I file workmen's comp, I bet) and to tell me I needed to be more careful. I said "No Mark, you need to clean up your store."

Coyote Gift (same boss): I worked my butt off at this store and it seemed every time boss came in he caught me sitting down. Never mind I had just put up three shelves of crap, I was "sitting down on the job." Like my elderly coworker said "I had underwear older than him."

There were many jerks in between those but those are the standouts.

Forgot one.

Payless Drug: Boss was a Mexican dude who spoke little English and ate blood sausage. He had the vilest breath ever. A supervisor stuck a tomato plant on top of my cash register and walked off. Hey she was the supervisor, I let the plant stay. Well the plant fell over and got dirt all over and in my machine. Machine wouldn't work. I called over Bad Breath Boss and told him what happened and he asks me "Why did you put dirt in the machine?"

Idiots, all idiots! Hey, you could have gotten that one guy an sexual harassment, if that's not, I don't know what is!

[Rapunzel]

In my first job I started off with a great boss, but after a while they had a big office reshuffle and I ended up with a boss I hated. He found out I'd learnt to speak German at school and he used to swear at me in German because he knew I understood him and no one else could, so he could get away with it.

I also worked as a live in nanny in people's houses in various countries. The worst was for some very rich americans. (Some of the best people I've worked for were americans also!) Anyway, there was a water shortage on and even though I did the family's laundry and cleaning and watered their garden illegally, I was only allowed a 2 minute shower per day and told not to waste their water! There was also no lock on the bathroom door and the husband used to "accidentally" walk in when I was in there!