Vacuous line managers
- Thread starter Kirstie
- Start date
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- Location
- the post-brexit wasteland
bonj said:
nooooooo bonj, it's gaffer tape for that sort of job
My line manager steers well clear of me since she ended up shrieking ' you just don't care do you? at me and I gave her the truthful answer 'no'. Training you boss is a tedious part of working life but it has to be done. Rule 1 is - never show pleasure at being praised or displeasure at being criticised. It puts them on the wrong foot and from then on you should be OK.
Tetedelacourse
New Member
- Location
- Rosyth
A lot of brave souls on here! Well, tough talkers anyway.
Thing is Kirsters, and you already know all this anyway, so feel free not to read, that:
i) she's incompetent but someone else gave her the job and that someone is likely to be on her side.
ii) if she has that level of responsibility she can obviously talk herself out of a tight spot, I'd be wary.
iii) some of the advice above might apply in other sectors but in academia it simply doesn't.
I have had some David Brents* in my time, some even worse, and to be fair current one is pretty good. Rest assured though that you are in the majority and not the minority in having a fud for a boss. It sucks, she sucks, all you can do is make sure her mud doesn't stick to you and it sounds like you've already done that.
*ee the stories I could tell - but that's another thread.
Thing is Kirsters, and you already know all this anyway, so feel free not to read, that:
i) she's incompetent but someone else gave her the job and that someone is likely to be on her side.
ii) if she has that level of responsibility she can obviously talk herself out of a tight spot, I'd be wary.
iii) some of the advice above might apply in other sectors but in academia it simply doesn't.
I have had some David Brents* in my time, some even worse, and to be fair current one is pretty good. Rest assured though that you are in the majority and not the minority in having a fud for a boss. It sucks, she sucks, all you can do is make sure her mud doesn't stick to you and it sounds like you've already done that.
*ee the stories I could tell - but that's another thread.
Cycling Naturalist
Guru
- Location
- Llangollen
Depends on how much of a bastard you want to be. You could email her very politely saying how concerned you are that she chose to make unjustified allegations about you. Ask for her assurance that she won't do this again. She'll either have to grovel to you or run the risk of your taking the matter higher.
Sh4rkyBloke
Jaffa Cake monster
- Location
- Manchester, UK
...and you have written evidence either way that you've started to try and address the matter calmly and professionally.Patrick Stevens said:
Cycling Naturalist
Guru
- Location
- Llangollen
Sh4rkyBloke said:
Exactly, that's why the email needs to be very, very polite.
It's just over a year since I got out of hospital and returned to work from a pulmonary embolisim. The first thing my boss wanted to know is why I didn't call the company which manages our sickness absence. I replied that I had more to worry about at the time. He wanted to know why my wife didn't call them in my stead. By then I'd had enough. I asked him to lend me his phone to call my wife. He could explain the company procedure to her and she could tell him to f£ck off!
Since then we've hardly spoken to each other. He talks when he wants something, usually illegal, and I tell him he can have it if he puts his request in writing, signs and dates it. I'll then go and grass him up. At that point he wanders off muttering about being 'uncoperative'.
Since then we've hardly spoken to each other. He talks when he wants something, usually illegal, and I tell him he can have it if he puts his request in writing, signs and dates it. I'll then go and grass him up. At that point he wanders off muttering about being 'uncoperative'.
Elmer Fudd
Miserable Old Bar Steward
- Location
- Durham, and I am the eejit
Once had a (graduate) gaffer who asked me what I was going to do to an extrusion die to make it run properly, so I told him. About a week later he came in and told me what I should do to another die (as in one sentence of conversation and he'd become an expert in die correction).
A couple of months later he tried (unsuccessfully)** to drop me in the mire.
I bit my tongue, a month later, revenge was mine and he was no longer my gaffer ! Aah sweet justice.
** My modus operandi has always been if I drop a bollick to stick my hand up and own up to it, then no-one can pin stuff on you.
A couple of months later he tried (unsuccessfully)** to drop me in the mire.
I bit my tongue, a month later, revenge was mine and he was no longer my gaffer ! Aah sweet justice.
** My modus operandi has always been if I drop a bollick to stick my hand up and own up to it, then no-one can pin stuff on you.
NickM
Veteran
- Location
- Darwin's birthplace
I like itsimoncc said:
I no longer speak to my "line manager" except strictly in the course of duty, even though he sits one desk along from me. I try to despise rather than hate him; the latter might require the expenditure of mental energy.
Being an underling is a state of mind which I have long since discarded. I leave jobs rather than allow people to think that they can "manage" me.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
It's a tricky situation, but a least it's a fixed term and you do have the personnel structures of a H.E. organisation, and methods of at least resolving some of it.
I've worked in H.E. and Industry, and I'll tell you, HE is far better, but can be very frustraiting as there are lots of politics, especially from the Academics - I'm on the accountancy side but work closely with the Academics, so can see the issues but I have to take a step back from it....!
In industry it can be worse, especially if your boss is a Director - what they say usually goes, the HR team will back them up (even though it's wrong)... crazy. The last two jobs I've left because either the MD or Directors above me weren't all that great and bent the rules to suit themselve.
On one job I even got blamed for a project that went slightly out on 'targets' for delivery of advice to young people - 'becasue money is involved'.... the Operations Director has failed to ensure that the project was delivering the correct number of advice 'sessions', folk in my team found out the problem and were fixing it, but as an accountant, and as there was money involved, it was my fault - no 'boll***'ing of the Ops Director cos they were 'chummy' with the MD - that's when I told them to shove the job......
If you and a number of colleagues (I note you are a Snr Lecturer so this person must be a Principal Lecturer or Exec. level) I'd possibly raise it with the Dean, especially if the teaching load is wrong. There is no reason why this situation should end up in a shouting match at all...a fault on her part I'd say.
I've worked in H.E. and Industry, and I'll tell you, HE is far better, but can be very frustraiting as there are lots of politics, especially from the Academics - I'm on the accountancy side but work closely with the Academics, so can see the issues but I have to take a step back from it....!
In industry it can be worse, especially if your boss is a Director - what they say usually goes, the HR team will back them up (even though it's wrong)... crazy. The last two jobs I've left because either the MD or Directors above me weren't all that great and bent the rules to suit themselve.
On one job I even got blamed for a project that went slightly out on 'targets' for delivery of advice to young people - 'becasue money is involved'.... the Operations Director has failed to ensure that the project was delivering the correct number of advice 'sessions', folk in my team found out the problem and were fixing it, but as an accountant, and as there was money involved, it was my fault - no 'boll***'ing of the Ops Director cos they were 'chummy' with the MD - that's when I told them to shove the job......
If you and a number of colleagues (I note you are a Snr Lecturer so this person must be a Principal Lecturer or Exec. level) I'd possibly raise it with the Dean, especially if the teaching load is wrong. There is no reason why this situation should end up in a shouting match at all...a fault on her part I'd say.
OP
OP
Kirstie
Über Member
fossyant said:
Thanks for this - and everyone else. In actual face fossyant my line manager is the same as me - a senior lecturer. She's actually been a senior lecturer for less time than I have and so technically I'm superior to her. I'm also 20 years younger, and have had a lot more success generally. For my organization I am extremely young. I think that this is what the problem is. As I said before the best thing I can do is keep my head down and make my performance faultless. My teaching load is the same as everyone elses and I do my fair share. In future I will keep a record of every interaction just in case anything funny happens.
By the way Patrick I like that idea of an email but that would be like a red rag to a bull! In actual fact I pulled this one already over the appraisal - I termed it that I was concerned about her level of competence, for her sake. I actually offered to let her have another go at it with the director of staffing in attendance. I also informed her that I'd had a meeting with the director of staffing about my concerns.
walker
New Member
- Location
- Bromley, Kent
Kirstie, if its bothering you that much I would go straight to HR. tell them your situation and they can sort it out, other than that go straight to your bosses boss and tell them also. I would never go and have it out with said boss as that can lead to roads you won't like and it is all your word against theirs in the eyes of the power's that be and it generally tends to be out of your favour. do the correct route, go to HR.
KitsuneAndy
New Member
- Location
- Norwich
I've had some awful managers in the staff and one tried her best to get me sacked when I'd only been at the company for 2 years. She's still a manager and unfortunately my complaints about her came to nothing.
I really have no idea how some people manage to get jobs where they are in charge of people, when they're clearly idiots.
I really have no idea how some people manage to get jobs where they are in charge of people, when they're clearly idiots.
