I just ripped my boss a new one.

[Bertha Venation]

I've been off work for a week. I took sick early last week, then had Friday & Tuesday (today) off for a long holiday weekend. I'm going back in tomorrow. I set a rule to auto-forward email at work from my boss to my home email; in case the temps -- "floaters" -- sent to my desk during my extended absence had an troubles, I'd have a heads-up and could help better.

I've always had my email arranged so that mail from each attorney I work with, as well as from different departments, goes to its own separate mailbox. Several weeks ago, a floater had a problem with that (where no one before had), so to my "Tips for Temps" -- instructions each secretary's required to keep at her desk in case of absence -- I added painfully clear instructions along with screen-shots so that any idiot could figure out how to see all mailboxes.

Today, Any Idiot filled in for me. My boss shot off this pissy email, which my auto-forward duly routed to me at home:

Again today we're having some drama over the floater not knowing that the email I send you goes into some other place then your inbox -- we just now, at 3:29, figured out that she hasn't gotten any of the email I have been sending today, so none of the things I've needed have gotten done. Since we've been through this drill before, I'm relatively unhappy. I am really, really, really jammed when you're not here. You've got to set up your desk so that a floater (when god forbid I get one) can function. I would be very grateful if you would ditch the system you use whereby my email does not show up in your inbox. It is causing too many problems when you're not here.

Sorry to send you a cranky email, but I have to be on travel tomorrow, and I don't want to forget to raise this with you.

thanks

I replied:

I understand your frustration. Your problem today is ENTIRELY with ~Floater~, and I strongly suggest you take it up with ~the Floater Supervisor~. My tips are crystal-clear about how to access email. Honestly -- anyone, except for the floater you have today, apparently, could figure it out.

After this happened a couple of months ago, I fixed my tips thoroughly, specifically to keep this problem from happening in the future, and I told both you and ~the Floater Supervisor~ about it -- do you remember that brief conversation? ~Secretary~ (as workflow secretary) and ~Secretary~ (as tech secretary) both have copies of my tips.

~Floater~ called me at about 3:30 today to ask me how to find email you have sent her. I was utterly astonished, ~Boss~, as it really is laid out quite clearly, in bold, italicized letters at the top of the first page, as well as 2-3 pages with color screen-shots outlining exactly how to be sure the floater sees all incoming mail. It is not my fault that ~Floater~ could not comprehend the obvious. Did ~previous Floater~ have any trouble reading email from you last week?

I cannot help it, ~Boss~, that I have been ill. I do not fall ill or exacerbate my spondylosis purposely, taking absences to make your work more difficult. No one is more burdened by my absences than I am.

Now, if we need to have a sit-down about this, I'm open to it. But please do not continue to assume that whatever goes wrong at my desk in my absence is my fault. I work my butt off for you (and believe me, I know you appreciate it; you're very clear about that), and I know life would be beautiful if I were in perfect health. Unfortunately, I am not.

I hope your travel isn't too stressful. I will talk to you from the office tomorrow. Feel free to call me this afternoon if you like.

Finally, it's Come-to-Jesus-meeting time with this boss. :grr:

[Richardo]

1. A very professional 'ripping', Bertha

Not too over-the-top, but effective. :thumbsup:

Hope you're feeling better from your illnes, and that you had a good holiday weekend...

[mhr]

2. Well Done!

eom

[trumad]

4. I've got one thing to say...

You're Fired!

[pagerbear]

3. Very appropriate

When you said you'd ripped him a new one, I thought you'd laid into him much more angrily.

[Dogmudgeon]

5. Predicted outcome

The Boss will end up apologizing after trying to rescue his pride.

The real problem seems to be that a brain-dead temp caused your Boss to suffer overheating.

If he demands that you actually DO "Go To Jesus", it will be difficult for him to rationalize it as being "for cause".

Good luck. Bring extra chamomile tea -- for your Boss.

--bkl

[LisaM]

6. God forbid that the attorney follow up before 3:29....

what is it with attorneys? They want to start their interactive workday at 4:00 p.m.

[Bertha Venation]

7. What is it with attorneys? It's the PHONE!

That seems to be the root of all this one's troubles.

[Nlighten1]

8. I had a similar experience with my boss last week.

With the cost of gas these days all of my colleagues have been talking within our group about the need for the higher ups to increase our mileage reimbursement.

All of us were afraid to broach the subject with any of the higher ups because they aren't exactly friendly when it comes to asking for money. As a matter of fact they are down-right hostile.

Well, we got an email from the higher ups saying they are raising the mileage amount.

We were suprised but we have 2 different methods of milege. All of us in the Northern location are on a mileage "salary". The people in the Main office aren't and get the mileage based on what they actually drive.

So I asked my immediate boss if this applied to us too because the salaried mileage people weren't discussed in the email. She came back after talking to her boss and said, NO.

So I sent her an email and said, "Just an FYI, this mileage salary was put in place 5 years ago before we were bought out by XXXXXX. And it was based on the price of gas then which was more or less 1 dollar a gallon."

She replied back via email, "Dave will be here next week and you can talk to him about it then".

It is difficult to convey exactly what this means because you have to understand the dynamics of the leadership in this place. But essentially she is saying, "Fuck you". She knows full good and well if I talk to her boss he will say NO and be pissed off at me for asking him.

So I replied,

"I would be more than happy to do that but this isn't just about me. If I was the only person in the office getting this salaried mileage I can see that the sole responsiblility would be on me to raise a grievance about it. However, there are several of us who are getting this mileage allowance and it would appear that we are now being treated unfairly in compensation for it as to the rest of the company. People who don't get the mileage salary are getting compensation for the rise in gas prices and the people who are getting the salary are not getting any compensation.
Since it doesn't just involve me and it does involve other employees under your management maybe you should go to bat for us and explain to Dave the situation. If you don't want to do that I will be more than happy to raise the question to him."


I never heard back from her but that doesn't suprise me.