Is this normal or is she just not a good manager?

Question

I got a job in a well known company and at first i was really looking foward to it as i was bored in the house but i got really fed up quite quickly the way things were with certain people who worked there. The main thing that i had been looking foward to was getting to know people, customers AND staff...but it seems even having a 2 min converstation with another member of staff(asking how new year had gone for them)was frowned upon. It was quiet and it wasnt a big long converstion. In my opinion the atmosphere in the shop could be quite nerve racking when she was around. I realise she was in charge etc and she has a job to do but for gods sake she should lighten up. In the end i couldnt look foward to work and i had to make myself go. Luckily i didnt need it for the money but i know some people rely on it and have to take the crap thats thrown at them. Work should be a good fun place to work as well. This is my 2nd rant of the week. Im doing well!! LOL

Blunt Honesty..I worked very hard when i was there for your information and who made the rule that you couldnt be allowed to chat to someone as the day passed by at work? Get a grip and lighten up, you must be related to her!!

Yeah i have left. Couldnt face another day. I dont mind working hard but i think it wouldnt have mattered there, the way the manager has the other team leaders etc. I was actually quite shocked at how she spoke to an older lady who worked there, she was requesting a day off in lieu and you would think she had commited a crime. She might be good at her job for the company but i dont like how she talks to her staff, she looks down on them.

Answer 1

I have been a VP of Operations for a large company for 10 years. I have worked at my firm for a total of 17 years. We have a union shop, with certain rules in place.

I believe a good manager must find a balance between the "letter of the law" and the 'spirit of the law".

Many times, the "letter of the law" at most companies will say that employees are not to waste company time talking, searching the internet, on personal calls, etc.

The "spirit of the law", however, says that all people have a very personal side, and things to handle every day at work that are not work related, and therefore should be allowed a reasonable amount of time to foster a good working relationship with other employees (hence the need to talk occassionally and exchange pleasantries) and need time to conduct limited personal activities (arranging a contractor for their house, making sure a sick child is ok, checking on a child at school or daycare).

When an employee abuses this priviledge of time needed, they should be counseled one on one, and if the abuse continues, it would be documented.

I find you get much more cooperation from employees, and productivity, by fostering a pleasant and fun atmosphere to work in, based on mutual repsect.

Answer 2

An employee who recoups after a day's hard work for a yet more demanding work situation by having a brief break away chat with another employee can be considered okay and probably not violative of the rule book. But, there can be a problem with chat partner; may be, he/she has not worked hard, has not realized the target or has to attend some customers. In that case,it may be friction in the work environment. Also, if one can do this, why not others? Chats can be recuperative but not infective! Then, the person on vigil might have been asked by superiors for that role and this may well reflect a problem persisting in the shop. In situations like these, it may be better to either switch job or to manage the situation in a way that it does not worsen the work situation. Having said this, it needs to be accepted that a person who supervises with a 'temper' or an 'attitude' just cannot be called a good manager. Please weigh the situation carefully and may be you are not at fault at all but find it extremely difficult to adjust and adapt. If that were so, please get into an alternative. However, wherever you go, the rule book would tend to chase. May be, monitors and supervisors are different and this may make a big difference in terms of employee morale. All the best for you.

Answer 3

I worked at an office like that. Although where I work at now isn't much better. Seems there's two sets of rules- one for the medical assistants and one for the office staff. I wanted a break from the hospital working in the cardiac cath lab, so I took up a part time position in a cardiology office working with medical records. UGH!! THe assistants do crap all day, talk and play on the internet and if the office staff tries to do a little talking while making a cup of coffee, we get "the look." It all depends on how the higher up's handle themselves. When the higher ups have no respect for people, other people tend to do the same. Which really ticks me off because I have more education than them, I saved people's lives from heart attacks and yet, I'm nothing to them. oooooops, sorry, now you've got me ranting! =)

I'd quit and move on if I could work my hours elsewhere. I just want 3 days a week, and that's hard to find. Good luck with your job, hopefully something major will happen and open up people's eyes.

Answer 4

I was in total sympathy until I realised it was a shop not an office. You do have to be really careful about talking to other staff members especially if you are serving another customer. I would only talk to another staff member whilst I was serving if it was an emergency or the other staff member was having a big problem or telling their customer incorrect information.

I hate it when staff chat to each other when I'm being served - it gives the impression you are ignoring your customer, you should always give your full attention to who you are serving.

Your manager sounds stressy but bear in mind that things are really tight in retail at the moment and managers are being put under huge pressure by people above them which may have something to do with your manager being moody.

Also staff at the moment in retail are usually kept to the bear minimum due to takings not being great so really managers need staff to be truly giving 100% to their job at the moment otherwise the shop will suffer as there would be no one available to pick up the slack of people who aren't.

At the end of the day your manager is only human and will be affected if she has people above her putting on pressure. The only thing you can do in these situations is to try to do 100% what your manager asks you to do and be as understanding and supportive to her as possible. If you're in the same situation again you would be surprised how well this might work.

Your manager probably picked up on the fact you thought that leaving would be preferable to toeing her line and therefore came down even harder on you to get you to leave as she knew you wouldn't co-operate, so in a way you've cut off your nose to spite your face by leaving a company you really wanted to work for rather than conforming to what your manager wanted.

Yes managers are sometimes idiots but unfortunately they are still your manager so it's often better to conform that to fight against it. Sad but true.

Answer 5

There are several variables to be weighed here, if there was work to be done, if you had customers to deal with socializing with another staff member even if only for 2 minutes is unacceptable.

The fact is you are at work to work. You can catch up with co-workers in downtime, when you have no customers, all the daily tasks are complete or you are working on a task together.

Getting upset about this is maybe pushing the envelope. But understand if you wanted to get out of the house to met new people and socialize you should have looked into joining a club, or volunteer work. It is you job to make money for the company, anything that detracts from that is counter productive.

Ideally work should be fun, however there are things that need to get done.

Answer 6

The main purpose of a business is to make money, not serve as a meeting place or social opportunity. While its true not all places are as severe as your last place was, you don't know what was stressed to your manager, perhaps she was told there was too much socialization and not enough output. So she cracked down. I am very much like you in that office work just isn't for me and I found my niche in sales, where I could speak when I wanted to and my production was easy to point to, and I was quite happy there for the fifteen years before I retired.
Some personalities seem more suited to take orders and others seem to function best with a looser system and others like pure regimentation. Perhaps it was just a misfit between you and the type of job, and the next person won't feel as stifled as you did.

Answer 7

I'm not saying this is you but some people need to be ruled with an iron fist or they just won't do anything. Some people need to be treated with "kid gloves" or they go in a huff and sulk and just wont do anything. Some people thrive on praise, some people respond better to criticism.
I'm a manager of a football (maybe soccer to you) team, all men, and the secret to having harmony in my dressing room is knowing who to treat in which manner. What player needs a kick in the backside to get him going, and which player needs a cuddle.
I know work situations are different from sporting situations but management by exception should always apply. Knowing the people whom you have trying to acheive things for you and treating them accordingly is the key to getting the best out of any team.

In answer to your question, if your boss treats everybody like this then no - she is not a good boss. She is probably the type who does respond to being treated in the way she treats everybody hence she believes it is the correct way. If you cannot see past your own ways though you are self centred and shallow.

Answer 8

I know what you mean. This morning my boss asked a colleague to turn down the radio (we work in a small office) - you could hardly hear it. Also most of the time you could actually hear a pin drop although the floor is tiled. My last job was fun, I couldn't wait to get in work every day (I was made redundant). Now I just want to leave this job. People only was to talk about work-related stuff. They're so dull.

Answer 9

A good manager leads and the team naturally follows because that is the right thing to do. In any team communications are vital, and the behaviour you describe generates resentment. Someone who has to constantly assert their seniority cannot be a good manager, and rudeness to anyone, especially a co-worker, is unforgivable.

You did the right thing to leave.

Rant on !!

Answer 10

Good managers create an atmosphere where work is a form of play. It's far more productive and personally rewarding!

Your manager's at fault. And her unhappiness probably stems far deeper than how she is at work.

Move on. I'd say the same for most people. Anyone with motivation and a wish to better their life can!