He does this under the ruse of really needing something. I was called at home on Sat. morning to ask me if I had a certain object. I had forgotten about it and it was in my file cabinet. I told him that I didn't have it. So Monday, he comes into my office, shuts the door, makes up an obviously fictitious reason for having been looking in ALL my file drawers, some of them were still standing open (they are plainly labeled for what he was looking for, and he had on numerous occasions found what he was looking for, so it was not reasonable to think that suddenly he had no clue). He accused me of hiding things from him and told my immediate supervisor, who is my real boss. Since then he has made my life a living hell.He has periodically tried to single me out for this abuse, and it is affecting my health. I cannot quit due to my age/retirement in 15 or so years. How to survive???
2007-01-01 03:31:35 · 9 answers · asked by nursbetty 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
Don't let him know it bothers you. Keep a journal though so you can file age discrimination if it come to that.
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2007-01-05 02:16:03 · answer #1 · answered by Bill G 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree hat you should start keeping a journal with dates, times specific details (they must be factual rather than assumed). If the environment is hostile you do have recourse to retain an attorney - but you can only file a case if you leave your job because of the environment. What i would recommend is that you follow the chain of command in your management structure - bring it to you boss's attention is the first thing. Involve HR if nothing is happening to remedy the situation and when you show them your journal they will know you are serious. Most likely they will want to avoid litigation and action will be taken. But if nothing happens and you end up leaving, or else it escalates and become unbearable, talk to an employment law attorney and see what they can do. I wish you all the best and I hope everything works out for you.
2007-01-01 11:42:28 · answer #2 · answered by McB 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
what rights do you have with your company? If he is your boss, do you report to him or is he the area coordinator?! If he is your supervisor, then you don't have too much recourse other than to report his conduct to human resources. At the same time, the property in your office for the most part belongs to your job. Unless you keep personal items there, he has a right to see company property..within reason of course.
Until you inform him of his conduct you may have to deal with this. Now if you want to turn the tables on him, inform him that a personal object of yours is missing from your office. Once theft comes into the picture, he will want to curb his activities. With computer involvement, anything that he would need from you should be on the company intranet at this point, so there would be no need for him to physically go through your 0office. any office supplies should be available through the company secretary receptionist so that would alleviate his need to rummage through your files. Have you brought this to his attention? You can respectfully question your bosses conduct. If things are already uncomfortable, then what difference would it make. why do workers feel this sense of fear and loathing from reprimanding a boss?!! You do have rights, but until you speak up, then changes will not occur. IF things are bad to begin with, how can they get worse. Some times once you serve notice, then people change if for no other reason that they know that you are aware of their short comings. Plus they know that you will probably be watching them and making notes to their supervisor.
You need to talk to him first to try to settle this. If this still continues, then you may need to involve your real boss! the boss doesn't want to deal with this unless he/she has to do so, but then again, that's why he/she gets the big bucks! I'm sure the boss doesn't want his employees wasting salaried time harassing other employees and disrupting work. You may have some support there.
2007-01-01 11:59:14 · answer #3 · answered by Neptune 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If he's going through files related to the business and he's your superior, I doubt you can claim that he has no right to be in those files unless there's some sort of privacy law (eg., HIPPA for health care) that would prevent him from having access. After all, while the files are in your care and control, they're not "yours" per se.
If he's doing these things just for malicious reasons, to harass you, something like this -- which is tougher to prove because it involves proving his intent -- then you might have a reason to request he not go through your files.
Talk to your supervisor. Make sure she knows what's going on. If it's legally appropriate that the files be restricted to just a few people, then request locking filing cabinets.
2007-01-01 11:46:26 · answer #4 · answered by question_ahoy 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Unfortunately you have no expectation of privacy since the property he was searching was not your private property. It belongs to the company you work for. Because you had forgotten about what it was you had, you probably made his life difficult as well. Maybe you made him look bad because he needed it and didn't have it. If it is unbearable try to ask for a transfer, if that is possible. If you can't then just confront him. Tell him your are sorry for your lapse of memory. That it was not a purposeful act and ask him to judge you on your over-all performance and not just one incident....Good Luck
2007-01-01 12:49:21 · answer #5 · answered by Tom M 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You shouldn't have lied about having the object. Maybe what you should do now is apologize to that boss for lying and also tell your immediate boss. Later is better than never. If you have nothing to hide then you shouldn't be aprehensive about anyone going through your work stuff.
2007-01-01 11:41:58 · answer #6 · answered by shebala1 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have you ever heard the old saying "Kill him with kindness? I once worked with a woman who drove me crazy. She was always bitter and always seemed to go out of her way to make my day a mess. Of course I was a little angry and it's human nature to want to strike back. But I decided to try something else. I discovered this woman LOVED to read. I do also. So I brought her some books from home and from that day forward she was as sweet to me as could be. I realize that this tactic wouldn't work with everyone, but it may be worth a try. If you don't let this man get under your skin, he may think it's not worth his time to try and harrass you. Good Luck.
2007-01-01 11:43:05 · answer #7 · answered by sparkie 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Keep a journal of exactly what is happening (include times/dates) and be very SPECIFIC. Talk to your supervisor about what is happening and ask for his/her advice.
2007-01-01 11:35:04 · answer #8 · answered by Inquisitor-2006 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
remember that that office is not yours.it belongs to the company,they let you use while you are at work.keep nothing there you don't want them to find.
2007-01-01 12:20:33 · answer #9 · answered by schflng 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋