Politics is one of those topics best left to friends you agree with. Or people you can have a respectful discussion with, even if you disagree. But when it comes to the workplace, what do you do if your boss pushes political views at everyone?

Unfortunately, more and more we are a divided country. And it’s not just the United States. This is happening all over the world. Perhaps it’s the uncertainty of so many things seemingly happening at once. Strong foundational views that you share with people like yourself can help provide a feeling of stability even when so much around you feels out of control.

Why does a boss push political views?

[Read more…]

One of the more common managerial flaws is trying to do it all. Or, like a helicopter parent for employees, trying to see it all and control all aspects. So, in effect, when a boss won’t delegate, it’s about trust.

Although they might reject the label of “control freak,” these bosses don’t really trust anyone but themselves. Even if your boss is the most brilliant person who ever lived, not delegating is a managerial formula for failure.

What if your boss won’t delegate?

[Read more…]

What’s wrong with bosses? I’ve heard the question asked in many different ways. How can they be so clueless or manipulative or thoughtless or controlling or easily influenced by the wrong people or downright mean … or just plain stupid?

Over the years, I’ve written a lot about bosses … especially about the most annoying ones. Just some of the basic underlying weaknesses:

1. No idea how to manage people.
2. Busy trying to do everyone else’s work.
3. Don’t know how to trust. Or trust too easily.
4. Mind is elsewhere, such as hobbies, personal things, or areas of work that matter least.
5. No idea how to delegate well. Or they delegate so much they have no idea what’s really going on.
6. And some are oblivious to the very real human needs of their staff — needs that can increase productivity and retention far more than a new work process or “motivational” goal.

And here are some previous posts about our … uh … less wonderful bosses if you’re curious. (Scroll down for more … including the role WE may play in all of it.)

How To Deal With a Bully Boss

What NOT To Do If You Work for a Dumb Boss!

What To Do If Your Boss Takes You For Granted

My Boss Tries To Control Everything!

Boss Takes Credit for Everything I Do!

Help! My Boss Doesn’t Respond To Emails

My Boss Doesn’t Respect Me No Matter What I Do

Boss Doesn’t Communicate with Staff

Bosses are people too

Even good bosses can drive us crazy at times. So why is it so hard to find a truly wonderful boss? [Read more…]

Overtime approval request problem

On another post, Pauline writes in a comment that her boss is ignoring her emails about overtime approval. Maybe this is your situation? Or you know someone dealing with a similar issue. With a few additions / changes for the purpose of this post, here’s what she wrote and my reply:

Dear Ronnie Ann,

My pay was short 33.5 hrs overtime. Payroll said they needed something from my manager to document the overtime approval. I have sent 3 emails with no response. And I even asked if there was something I could do to expedite this, and future situations. But I still haven’t received a reply.

In the meantime she has sent emails regarding new procedures or training opportunities to all staff. I work mostly nights so rarely see her. This isn’t new. She routinely doesn’t approve overtime that is clearly marked on the schedule. Ronnie Ann … I’m at a loss.

I could go to the union but that really will get her mad. Advice?

~ Pauline

———–

My response to Pauline:

Hi Pauline!

First, I want to say how sorry I am that you’re dealing with this. You deserve to be paid for your time, without having to jump through all kinds of hoops to get it. Since I don’t know all your circumstances and also since (I assume) you don’t want to do anything that threatens your job, I’ll just offer some thoughts and questions.

(1) Is it company policy that your boss needs to approve each instance of overtime? Since you say this isn’t an isolated case, that tells me that the company must (or should) know this is going on. That concerns me some. Although maybe there’s more to the story on their part.

(2) I hope you have been documenting all emails and any other related notes. And saving a copy in a separate personal folder (not company email) so you have access just in case.

(3) You say you rarely see your boss. But can you make it a determined point to stay longer? Or somehow purposefully see her face to face. (Polite and professional tone, of course.) You can discuss the overtime approval — and how to handle it in the future, as you’ve tried to do. Sometimes looking a person in the eyes gets results email can’t.

Maybe a phone call can get answer?

(4) It seems like you might be a bit worried about direct confrontation. But you never know. Just a friendly “Oh hi. I’m so glad to reach you, (her name).” is a good way to start the conversation. Best to keep it friendly. But also short and to the point, showing you respect her time.

If she does answer, great. You’ve finally got her attention. So take a deep breath (in and out) and start. Remind yourself you are in the right. And deserve what you earned. But stay polite and respectful with her.

If not, maybe a phone message? Just say you’ve been trying to reach her by email, but seem not to be getting through. Mention the overtime approval. And ask her again to let you know if there is a better way to reach her for this in the future.

(5) If you weren’t able to speak, but instead left a voicemail … then follow up with an email. Use a Subject Line that says “Overtime Approval Request for Pauline (lastname).” Or whatever the right words are for you. (This can help keep it from being deleted or spammed.) And reference your phone message, saying you’re just following up.

Where else to find help (maybe)

(6) Alternatively, maybe Payroll can help you by sending your boss a polite request for overtime approval. This should be something they’d want to help with. Kind of strange if they don’t.  Or speaks to something more about management structure. They can simply say they need it to process your check.

If you are entitled to overtime as part of the work you do, then I believe you are owed this regardless. Here’s some information on the topic from the Department of Labor:

⇒  Department of Labor Overtime Regs

(7) What happens if you seek help from your union or elsewhere and she does get mad? Can you live with that, knowing you’re standing up for yourself? Or is your job in danger? Or will she just make it very uncomfortable for you in some way?

Again keep documenting everything related to this.

(8) Can your union protect you if your boss does take action against you? Would be good to find out where they stand on such things in general, without giving them specifics for now. And maybe they can also clue you in on political reality at your company unofficially.

But be careful at this point not to say anything bad about anyone (even if they do), just in case there is cross-communication. You never know.

(9) Are you prepared / able to leave if this doesn’t work in your favor? Even if not right away, you can start laying the groundwork for change if things don’t improve.

I know that’s a lot. But I hope maybe some of it will help you figure out your next steps. Even trigger your own solutions for overtime approval. You deserve to get paid, Pauline. But only you know how much room you have to maneuver. Good luck!

~ Ronnie Ann

If you do the work

You deserve to get paid.

That’s just basic respect!!

If not … maybe time to look elsewhere.

That’s respect for yourself!

(Even if it takes time.)

More posts to help

How Changing Your Attitude Can Change Your Job!

5 Workplace Fears That Limit Your Success

Are You Always Feeling Angry At Work?

When Emotions Take Over In the Workplace

I Can’t Stop Feeling Like a Failure

What To Do If Your Boss Takes You For Granted

How To Change Your Job Without Quitting

7 Reasons We Stay In Bad Jobs

Boss Won’t Let Me Transfer To a Different Department

My Boss Has a Favorite and It’s NOT Me

Are You Afraid To Talk To Your Boss?

Coworkers Don’t Like Me. What Can I Do?

⇒  EXTRA:  Boss Treats You Badly? It’s Not Your Fault!

And just in case you do need to leave

⇒  How To Quit a Job (Without Hurting Yourself)

Looking for job search help?

JOB SEARCH & INTERVIEW RESOURCE CENTER

Hi Ronnie Ann! I recently gave notice to my employer and am trying to leave with dignity and fairness. But have found myself being subjected to unfair treatment by some of the upper management in the company.

Almost all of my co-workers have come to me privately to tell me that they could not believe how poorly I was being treated. And I have received several offers for good job references from some of the senior members in my department.

But I am truly flabbergasted by the way I am being treated because I have always gone above and beyond for this company. And I have received quite a bit of praise for both the quality of my work and the huge amounts of (unpaid) overtime I have put in.

I don’t wish to burn any bridges (especially since I don’t have a permanent position). But I’m very unhappy and wondering if I should leave before the date specified in my resignation letter. (I gave quite a bit of notice because our department is extremely shorthanded.) [Read more…]

About 20 years ago I worked for a man I used to call a living brain donor. I saw so many things he did wrong and couldn’t help focusing on them all. Including the galling fact that my obviously dumb boss managed to become a Vice President with so few smarts.

We all knew that he didn’t understand a lot of things he was in charge of. And yet he insisted on telling US how to do almost everything. Meanwhile, he spent his days working on personal projects unrelated to the job — while the rest of us carried the workload.

Trying to “fix” a dumb boss

Dumb boss or not, I figured I could fix him by showing him where he went “wrong.” And how much better we could do if he just let us take the lead on things we knew more about. Despite the fact that I was basically telling him he’s an idiot, I framed it as supportively as possible. Or thought I did.

In the meantime — and I am not proud of this — I went around telling people from other areas how dumb he is. And they agreed, listening to all my complaints and offering their sympathy. I mean he was making me and the rest of the staff crazy.

There’s also our own work smarts [Read more…]

Is kissing up to your boss really a bad thing? And who is the judge of what’s kissing up versus simply doing a good job. Kind of reminds me of high school where the best students were ridiculed for taking school seriously. Well, your job is serious. And so is creating a good relationship with your boss.

That said, we all know people who take “boss pleasing” to a whole new level. One that makes even the best of us roll our eyes. But how much of the eye-rolling is about the boss-pleaser and how much is really about the person doing the judging?

Coworker’s judgement can backfire

[Read more…]

Lately I’ve been thinking about the whole idea of communication in the workplace. While we hear a lot about the importance of open flow communication, that just isn’t the way for many bosses. And when a boss keeps secrets or is stingy with communication, much can go wrong.

All people basically want is some clue as to what’s going on that affects them — and affects those around them. And they also want to know that someone remembers they are human and have feelings. You know … good old-fashioned respect in a world that too easily minimizes the human part of us.

But the business world often turns feelings into weaknesses (“girly” stuff). And instead winds up creating workplace processes that overlook essential human-centered management techniques. Ones that would build employee loyalty and encourage above-and-beyond participation.

And one of the biggest management errors, IMHO, is using the need-to-know-basis management style. Meaning “I’ll tell you when you absolutely need to know!” But until then, don’t ask and I won’t tell.

What happens if boss keeps secrets?

[Read more…]

A reader wrote to say “Please help. My boss doesn’t understand me, and it’s making me hate my job.” Well, my first reaction was to feel really bad for this person. That’s a horrible way to have to face each day. And I certainly can relate to that feeling.

But it also got me thinking. There are plenty of horrible bosses out there, as I can attest to first-hand! And it’s pretty easy to blame them for our misery. But honestly, the burden is as much on us, as on our bosses. At least the burden of turning things around. Or at least trying.

Who can you change first?

Before you scream at me, let me explain. First of all, we are the only people we can change for sure. So that makes us a good staring point. And what we think other people know, is not always what they know.

So, if a boss doesn’t understand you, it’s to your advantage to help them know who you are. And what you can do for them. This isn’t to say that they can’t change. Maybe they can.

But it sure isn’t fun waiting for someone else to make the first move. Especially if you’re the one who wants it now. Even if a better manager would know to make the effort, you don’t win by being right. You win by taking actions to help yourself.

⇒  Job Morphing: 20 Ways You Can Improve Your Job and Career

Boss won’t even make the effort!

[Read more…]

The time you spend thinking about how much you can’t stand your boss or your supervisor or your team leader is time you’ll never get back. Hardly any of us doesn’t know the agony of working for a terrible boss who drives us nuts in one way or another. The very fact that you have to have a boss – a person in charge of YOU – is enough to annoy the best of us.

Add to that a bad manager who is also incompetent or insensitive or a perfectionist or countless other boss qualities … well, this is enough to drive anyone nuts! So I get it. You can’t stand your boss. But what can you do about it short of quitting, which is not always possible. Or the best solution.

Does complaining to coworkers help?

[Read more…]