The Anal-Retentive Boss or How Do I Survive the Speak of the Control Freak?

by TresHappy 3 Replies latest jw friends

  • TresHappy
    TresHappy

    I started at this job over a year ago and my boss never takes vacations, is there 7 days a week including holidays. He's 54 and never been married. He's not gay; he's just married to the job. My boss is not a mean person; just controlling and anal retentive. He wants me not to talk about personal issues to people in the office, so I just do it when he's not around. Due to purchasing guidelines, most people in a support position have a state purchase card which allows people to purchase things w/o going thru the process of a po in an emergency. Due to the abuse of the state purchase card by the previous person, only he has access to the card now. He hates using it and will only use if he has to...so as a compromise, we decided to do petty cash. That way the faculty can come to me and get money if they need to purchase something w/o having to bug him. Now he wants to approve every petty cash transaction before hand; a form to be approved BY HIM he says so he knows what's in the budget. Even the tiniest amount; like $1.00, he has to know about it. I see the control monster becoming ever more prevalent in him. I am beginning not to like this man or respect him; I find him creepy and want to tell him what I think (I certainly don't though...) I had a long talk with the hubby about it tonight and he suggested I look for another position on campus or at the college nearby. For the most part, he stays in his office. I feel like I am always under a microscope with him;he's always looking with a "fine tooth comb". I think he's extremely inefficient and his controlness makes me in many ways inefficient. This is more a vent than anything else. So I throw this out to you, my fun-loving apostates, how do I handle him? One way is I refer everything to him; I mean everything. I give his phone number and e-mail and say to contact him. I tell the faculty to complain to him. My friend says that's the best way to handle it.

  • Scully
    Scully

    Your best bet is to find another job. Don't do anything that might put you in a bad light with the control freak boss, because that could come back to bite you in the backside in terms of references or checking up with your current boss by a potential future boss.

    When you have secured another position and are about to move on, that's when you can sit down with the current boss and say "Listen, I enjoyed the work here, unfortunately your need to control everything caused me to feel incompetent and unable to make decisions that I know I am qualified to make. Life is too short to work for people who make you feel as unnecessarily stressed as you made me feel. I hope your next <insert position title> will be able to handle this better than I could."

  • TMS
    TMS

    If others are chafing under the micro-management, you can all start referring everything to the new boss. He may be overwhelmed a bit and start releasing some of the control.

    I recognize the type and know he will not change easily. The only hope may be that he fail miserably or succeed well enough for a promotion.

    Perhaps, you can be re-assigned to another department in the same company before this know-it-all undermines your reputation.

    tms

  • jgnat
    jgnat
    If others are chafing under the micro-management, you can all start referring everything to the new boss. He may be overwhelmed a bit and start releasing some of the control.

    Yes, I've done that to good effect. It works even better if you do it with a smile. And as Scully said, life is too short. Start looking around, and get out while you can. When employees come and go like a revolving door, Management catches on. Eventually.

    This man might have a disorder, like OCD, that compels him to know every detail of his operation. Too bad for everyone around him.

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