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Work sucks..

Relic

Relic

Cow are you?
Sep 12, 2006
6,198
85
Robbinsville, NJ
#1
No really... so we have a new boss. In the short time she's been here, we went from being trusted and allowed pretty much to police ourselves as well as being allowed to work from home. Morale was outstanding, everyone pretty much loved their job and we were getting rave reviews from the management. I've saved several emails from management commending the work we were doing.
So enter new boss. She's now monitoring every phone call, every email, tracking our break time down to the second, enforcing strict sick day numbers, making us account for EVERYTHING we do, and has ended our ability to work from home. This has had no effect on productivity other than making it poorer and morale is at an all time, absolute low.
Remember - there were no issues before this. Had we been abusing the hell out of what we do than I can 100% understand it. But we were not.
What is god's name would make someone in management think that all of this is a good idea!?? Can anyone out there who may be in an upper management position explain to me how this might be beneficial?? I'm miserable as is pretty much everyone who works with me..
My one comforting thought is that at the moment, I HAVE a job. For that I'm extremely grateful, but damn.... I can already see where this is going - low morale, low productivity, bye bye everyone... unless that's the idea...?
Sorry just venting. As I said, I'm eternally grateful to have a job in this current climate but damn...changes when they are not really needed is a very idiotic thing to do.
 
#4
She's trying to find out what's going on and if she is in fact a new manager, making the age old fail of micro managing instead of empowering the work force hired to do the job.
 
#5
Hummmm, Do you think she is throwing her weight around or was she hired to come in and clean up your dept for upper management? I have seen it both ways.
I manage 17-18 people and try to always treat them as I want to be treated. I feel a happy worker is a productive worker but sometimes you can have this backfire. New management allot of times comes on strong but will back off once they get to know the people working for them and how they work best. If not hold a team meeting with this manager or whoever is over them and air it out.
 
#6
Have you ever, you know, told her that she's doing a bad job? If everyone in your office agrees then rally together, send emails to her boss letting him/her know that she's not good, print off those original emails that regarded your outstanding performance, and then go show them to your boss and let her know that what she's doing is hurting and not helping your office out. If you guys had a winning formula and she's messing it up then her boss will want to know, and they will put her in line or replace her if they believe she's going to make you guys see a loss.
 
#10
jmattbassplaya said:
Have you ever, you know, told her that she's doing a bad job? If everyone in your office agrees then rally together, send emails to her boss letting him/her know that she's not good, print off those original emails that regarded your outstanding performance, and then go show them to your boss and let her know that what she's doing is hurting and not helping your office out. If you guys had a winning formula and she's messing it up then her boss will want to know, and they will put her in line or replace her if they believe she's going to make you guys see a loss.
Click to expand...

Bad move. This could backfire big time, and if that happens not only will your job still suck, but you'll be in her crosshairs. In "theory" this would be the way to go, but in reality it could lead to a very swift end to your employment (as well as anyone that supports you in that endeavor).

If you're truly friends with anyone above her, have an off the record coversation with them asking for advice. For all you know she may be a friend of someone in upper level management and your department may be more expendable than her in their eyes...also, as stated, it could be a move by upper level management to curb the freedom you once had.

In any case, be very careful how you approach this. Like you said, you're extremely grateful to have a job, so don't do anything that might jeopardize that.
 
#11
If the number crunchers brought in a by the numbers person, I'd bet the bottom line folks were not pleased with a laissez-faire business model. In this economic environment she is what companies will turn to in order to stay mobile enough to grow. That's the goal of business after all, to grow. In the end it can't help but be a good thing for you as revenue increases so does the salary ceiling. It's hard not to resist change when we've been comfortable for so long :) Just try to keep your eyes on the prize and not get into the group think bitch fest that is certainly starting. Distance yourself and you'll be happier for it, trust me. Deep breaths my friend, deep breaths :D
 
#12
Waffles and Scotch said:
Bad move. This could backfire big time, and if that happens not only will your job still suck, but you'll be in her crosshairs. In "theory" this would be the way to go, but in reality it could lead to a very swift end to your employment (as well as anyone that supports you in that endeavor).

If you're truly friends with anyone above her, have an off the record coversation with them asking for advice. For all you know she may be a friend of someone in upper level management and your department may be more expendable than her in their eyes...also, as stated, it could be a move by upper level management to curb the freedom you once had.

In any case, be very careful how you approach this. Like you said, you're extremely grateful to have a job, so don't do anything that might jeopardize that.
Click to expand...

It could, or it could fix the problem. Of course there's a need to tread lightly when you go about this, but it is worth doing if your job went from being something you enjoyed to something you hate. If the rest of your office agrees then it would be worth taking this to someone positioned above her to let them know that office moral has been down since she has made these changes.

They could perhaps offer advice, offer insight, or they could even get her in line if this position is something new for her. The chances of it backfiring are quite slim if you handle the situation properly. And honestly, if your entire department is more expendable than her then it was likely that your job was going the way of the dodo bird eventually anyways.
 
#15
cheezewiz said:
Micromanagers are the bane of every workplace. New managers normally tend to be this way. Maybe you need to take one for the team, and you know......relax her a bit.
Click to expand...

Yup. I doubt you'll be able to "relax" her, though. I know these types well, theyre the ones who have no happiness in their lives and the only way for them to feel like they have control over anything is to run too tight a ship. Sadly, it usually results in exactly what Relic describes.

Skitch it! said:
Jobsworth:

"A person in authority (esp. a minor official) who insists on adhering to rules and regulations or bureaucratic procedures even at the expense of common sense."
Click to expand...

I did not know there was a word for that, but yes, this would be her.
 
#16
aborgman said:
"Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell."

Edward Abbey
Click to expand...


Growth in business is never about just growth. It's about money. And it's the way it works. Besides, Mr Abbey was an author and an environmentalist. As such he has little expertise in business. I frankly don't get the quote as it pertains to this discussion.


random quote
Who is rich? He that is content. Who is that? Nobody.

Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790)
 
#17
I call this "old guard" management. I have this same problem. Yet, not to that degree. My VP is very in tune with the ways of the MIS/IT professional. I.E. work from home, flexible work hours, being salary - just get the job done - don't worry if you hit 40 hours or not, etc, etc.

The problem is his boss. He is from the "old guard" that thinks if you are not being micro managed, or that if you are not in the office, then you are not being as productive as possible.

This has caused me to look for new opportunities, and each time I tell them I'm leaving for a work-from-home-situation, I'm always allowed a little more freedom. Even though is gets retracted later on, I play the game, and as of right now, it's working out for me.

There will a time (hopefully sooner than later) when the market corrects itself, and these managers are left by the way side when that company cannot recruit viable candidates when all they offer are classical office environments.
 
#19
The system you had sounds like it was great, but it also could have been inefficient. Sure, the workers all love it, but you all also don't see the ledger and know if the company is profitable. Perhaps there has been some revenue loss and thus the need to tighten up the loose ends and see what can be improved to stop the losses.

This happened at my last job to a lesser degree, so I know how you feel. The economy sucks right now as you know, so the days of free spirited work when you want where you want, it's all gravy are over.

Some of those attitudes exist where I am now. There is talk about us being bought out by a larger organization, and I have no doubt stricter measures will be put into place to tighten the ship if it comes to fruition.

-Mike
 

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