my boss is driving me crazy

[trainergirl]

Hey everyone!

Has any one ever worked for a totally disorganized person? I work for someone who is always waiting until the last minute to spring a project on me or give me details of what they need for a business trip! I'm the third assistant this person has gone thru in 2 1/2 years! I tried to talk to them about it -- but I don't want to seem rude -- but it's driving me crazy!

He looses files, phone #'s tells me to cancel appointments at the last minute. He's over extended in terms of workload, so it's not entirely his fault. I'm not a kid and this is not my first job and I know that sometimes last minute things pop-up. But there doesn't have to be a crisis every day! This is my second month in this job, so I'm still learning procedures and things of that nature, but some times it looks like he gets frustrated if I can't locate something right away or get something completed right away. Because of his rushing and last minute work habits, some errors have been made that could have been avoided. Any advice! x(

 

[haydee]

I feel you on this.

This person is not really a boss. I work in a law firm the person I assist is a paralegal from yester year. She is someone who should be in some laid back place like sunny Fla. This woman drives me bananas. I don't like to disrespect the elderly, b/c I know some day I will be old, but I like change. But I'm sorry every now and then I have to tell her, "You know you can bring the dead back to life", I don't like to use that term, b/c she's not God. Or I'll say something else like "If I start doing drugs it's because of you".

She doesn't know how to use the comupter AT ALL, only to view her e-mails. CHANGE IS A MAJOR PROBLEM FOR HER. Ever now and then I have to remind her that we're in 2004 so to be 2005 and not the 50's.

AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHx( x( x( x( x( x( x( x( !!!!!!!!!

Haydee

 

[starlight6]

Please. My boss is a good doctor, but he's manic depressive AND obsessive compulsive. (Really...he's on meds.) Depending on his meds, how much sleep he's gotten, how much stress he's under, and whether the moon is in Aquarius, he has 6 distinct personalities. We never know when we come to work who he is that day. (Admittedly, he's a lot of fun when he's manic...but we always are waiting for the downfall to come.)
Some days he leaves us pretty much alone to do our job. Other days he spends 20 minutes telling us how to do a simple phone call we've done a zillion times before. We've all learned to sleep with our eyes open. ~sigh~

Ruth :-( x( :7 ;( ;-) }( :+

 

[nancy324]

Considering that it sounds like your job is to be his assistant, I think you should decide whether you think it will be possible to form a good working relationship with him. I mean, some bosses are difficult, but you might not have to deal with them very often or you can work around them. But if your job is to take care of his needs, then I think there is either a fit or there's not.

I know exactly the kind of person you are talking about. I worked with a lawyer just like that, and it didn't work out. I was much too nervous to do things by the seat of my pants. I have to do things in advance or else I just don't feel comfortable. I was always picking up the pieces of the disasters he caused. We just didn't work well together. It's no one's fault, it's just that some people weren't meant to work with each other.

My advice is to assess the situation carefully and make a decision about whether the relationship has a chance of succeeding.

 

[lorihart]

You must have missed my post a couple of weeks ago about bosses.No one has it as bad as me!
We get paid every second Wed,which was last wed.She is so unorginized that we didn't get paid until Wed night at 8! Our checks should be ready in the morning.We have bills we would love to get paid during lunch hour.Her excuse is she never had time.She had Sunday,Monday and Tuesday to do these out.She also complains when she as to order supplies and doesn't think she should have to do it.Who else is going to? I would gladly do it but what happens when we have to much for her liking?
I could write a book.
Lori

 

[web_girl]

My boss just doesn't bother to turn up for work a lot of the time and when he does he spends the day on game review forums. He used to do it on a separate network we have in our department but now he openly surfs these forums on the company network.

The thing that gets us is that he acts like he's hard done by, rushed and busy and that he never has time to get any of the things myself and the other managers need him to do. He rarely even picks up his own phone. He just leaves it ring.

He also has a go at the whole department if they don't look at their e-diaries and he has to chase them for a team meeting when he regularly doesn't even turn up for these or his other ones. Myself and the other managers then bear the brunt and try and turn around the bad press he causes.

He also dresses appallingly and has admitted that sometimes he just picks up and puts on the clothes he threw on the floor the night before. Sometimes these have food spills on them…

It makes it worst as he earns £10,000 more than me and doesn't even understand what the team is doing any more. Therefore makes heaps of claims and agreements that are completely incorrect. You can have really uplifting meetings with staff and the other managers but when he's involved everything is negative and people feel really down. Ironically he thinks he's a great manager and motivator!

 

[Maximus]

Trainergirl, you've described my boss to a T. He's a great guy but a total last minute type person, he's consistently at least 15 minutes late to every mtg (sometimes upwards of an hour), deadlines are met the night before (I've literally been here until 3 am a few times to help him finish stuff) and yes, there is a crisis nearly every day. Oftentimes I'm left holding the bag or cleaning up after him.

If you stick with it you'll probably have to do what I do, which is suck it up & deal with it. I'm an overorganizer so I'm usually pretty well prepared for his crises. I'm always available when he asks me at 5:00 to stay until 10:00. I really love my job so even though it's annoying I don't mind doing it. If you don't enjoy what you do you might not be able to take it as well as I do. ;(