War with the boss

[tcpip]

As regular readers will know, I work for a high-performance and scientific computing centre. Half my time is seconded to provide collaborative service technologies to an Australian-wide and federally-funded group.

My manager in the later group is a problem. He is ignorant of the technology he manages, he is incompetent at actual management, and he uses the 'big dick' method of staff relations. Needless to say, this does not engender much respect for the tech staff he manages.

My last two quarterly reviews have expressed, in no uncertain terms, that I have been extremely good at responding to customers and pleasing to work with. In this one, the manager has decided there is a problem in this area - without providing any evidence of course - and has started waving his authority around.

I think it's the realisation that he's getting the push from higher up, so he's responding in kind. After all I am the sort of person who doesn't automatically give deference to a person just because they have 'manager' in their name, and I am also the sort of person who will say something or somebody is in error if they are. A manager should be able to take that.

In a nutshell, I'm going to war with my boss. Wish me luck.

Comments

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

That's ... fucked up. Really fucked up.

[sianmink.livejournal.com]

part of a 5 year string of fuckedupness from that job. We went from paranoid control freak hell-manager to something that almost but not quite approached civility (we were still not getting paid well) .. which lasted about 6 months until we were bought by a large Japanese company. Then things went steadily downhill for the next 3 years.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

That's too much. I don't think I could last in a place like that. I do have a low tolerance for such behaviour (although at the same time, the petty politics of a workplace bother me less) and have fortunately managed to land safely when walking away from such situations. Others of course don't always have that option.

The unfortunate reality is in normal worker vs boss negotiations, the boss has a 'competitive advantage'.