How would you react if your boss or supervisor threatened to fire you- for example, if, say, you don't complete a task by the end of the week, your boss says "I will have to do something to you."
This happend to me today, and I do NOT appreciate it. How can you fairly and assertively defend yourself and procure human dignity when facing a menacing boss?
What can one do in these situations? (And still keep the job! LOL)
Please, this is a serious question. You can suggest crazy stuff if you so desire, but I would really appreciate a heartfelt, effective response.
2007-02-12 05:40:35 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Business & Finance ➔ Careers & Employment
I feel like choking the sh*t out of him...but of course, I don't.
You're best response to his statement is, "Is that really necessary? To threaten me, I mean? I'm still going to get the job done if you ask me nicely. You don't need threats or intimidation to encourage me to do my job.".
Most bosses will suddently realize that they've probably overstepped their bounds a little bit by making threats and you're politely reminding him it's unnecssary...and if he's still unreasonable after all that, then I would start looking for a job where you're appreciated more.
2007-02-12 05:43:40 · answer #1 · answered by Gary D 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
What everybody else is saying is exactly what i would do. If you are on a job where you are not being appreciated, get the hell out! I had an assistant manager threaten to fire me over some petty bullshit and it kinda made me think then, but laugh when he walked away, because if a boss's balls were really that BIG, he would've fired you on the spot! Obviously, he didn't have the heart (or the cojones) to. This is what is known as your boss being a workplace bully and using his words and title to try and flex his power. Don't be fooled by this. Start sending out resumes, and keep your options open for a second job. The only thing that happened to me was me losing my job. Before that, i tried to find a second job but that wasn't too easy either (never found one). It's a tough market out here.
But if i were you, i'd pull your boss to the side and just tell him, "Look, i deserve to be treated with respect and dignity and just because i work for you and you're my boss doesn't mean i have to take your ****! I am only here for one reason and one reason only (hey, when you have a job you don't like, that is the only reason!) and that is to get my paycheck at the end of the week, go home, and pay my bills!"
Let your boss know that you are in control of yourself too and it doesn't end when you walk through the door of the workplace!!
Good luck!
2007-02-12 05:57:46 · answer #2 · answered by Nate 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't think it is a good idea to keep a job if your boss has an abusive nature. I would be circulating my resume.
If your boss is abusive and you try to approach him or her in an assertive manner, it may not work out as well as it would with a normal functioning person.
Generally when a task was given a reasonable deadline, I stayed until it was completed. If you need to turn it in on Friday, you could stay late Wednesday just to make sure it would be done on time or ahead of time. Then if you find yourself falling behind again, you could stay late Thursday night. On Friday, you could hand it in early in the day and state that you stayed late both Wednesday and Thursday and therefore will have to leave early to catch up on your personal work. Better yet, you could ask your boss if it would be okay to work late Wed and Thurs and to take the time off on Friday just to make sure you have it done on time.
Your job is really to understand your boss, make him/her look good and to please your boss. If often you are having trouble doing this, it may be a good idea to find someone who motivates you to perform well.
2007-02-12 05:56:22 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
This type of supervisor is damned to lower to mid level management for the rest of their professional life. There really isn't anything you can do, in the situation of "I will have to do something to you." can you get away with saying "Well do something already". It could put a stop to the empty threats or your job, unless you don't care if you keep it. There may a more diplomatic way of saying quit with the threats or follow through though.
2007-02-12 05:55:09 · answer #4 · answered by Amy V 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You don't say if you work for a small firm or large firm. In a small group your options are limited to put up , shut up, or quit. In a larger group, your boss answers to SOMEBODY, and this behavior is not wanted. So, you can go to the person that handles this, usually the Human Resource Dept. Then make your complaint. But, be prepared to be unemployed, sorry, but that's the way it goes. GOOD LUCK!
2007-02-12 05:49:54 · answer #5 · answered by GRUMPY1LUVS2EAT 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would talk to my boss and talk to him in a professional way asking him why isn't he happy with my performance or are there going to be changes in the dept that I should know about? if your boss is making changes and not telling you, then you should have a right to know. I would have a one-on-one with my boss. I would wish you the best of luck in finding a new job if he lets you go. Good luck.
2007-02-12 05:54:39 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your most effective response is to tell him directly that threats and intimidation don't work with you and that if it continues you'll look for work elsewhere. And then do it if the harassment does not stop.
PS: You ARE keeping a written record of every such incident, aren't you? That's your defense in case you have to mount a legal challenge to an unjust termination!
2007-02-12 06:03:54 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ecstatic.
LiL EarlE
The Postal Service Rules
2007-02-12 05:57:15 · answer #8 · answered by LiL EarlE 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It happened to me. I felt humiliated, unworthy of my job, not trusted or appreciated. I had been in the job 19 years and the man who threatned me was a newcomer, having been there 3 or 4 year and who was demoted himself from the job he was first hired into. I thought about it overnight and resigned the next day, gave them a 2 week notice, and I quit. I felt like I would never be appreciated again and that once abuse starts, it only gets worse, and I had to many good memories on that job to start putting up with crap like that. To beat it all, the higher management let him do stuff like that instead of siding with me. I'm glad I QUIT.
2007-02-12 05:54:39 · answer #9 · answered by billy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ask to speak to him/her in private and assure the person that if it is a reasonable wxpectation, it will be done by the end of the week. If it isn't, explain why it isn't and request to renegotiate a deadline. If your boss is being unreasonable, maybe you do want to start sending out resumes.
2007-02-12 05:45:49 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋