HR’s funnier side: The world’s 3 worst bosses
September 5, 2008 by Jim GiulianoPosted in: Behavior, Communication, Discipline, Management, Special Report
The results are in, and it’s official! Working America, a community affiliate of the AFL-CIO, holds a contest every year in which people tell their bad-boss stories. The three best (worst?) get published. Take a look at the winners. Sound like anyone you know?
No. 1
An office manager in Kansas City, MO, was asked by her boss to organize an employee outing. She planned a trip to a major league baseball game two months ahead.
Our heroine got a group ticket rate, arranged for snacks, carpooling and ticket distribution. Just one problem: She wasn’t able to predict the future; she didn’t realize that it would rain on game day.
Most bosses would understand that even the best employees can’t control the weather, right? Most would, but not this one.
“My boss informed me that I had picked that particular date because I knew it would rain,” she wrote in her worst-boss submission to contest. She ended up losing her title because of the “blunder” and had to take a pay cut.
And a few months later, the boss asked her if she would like to organize another picnic. She declined. The boss then went to the company’s board and complained about the employee’s lack of cooperation.
No. 2
A driver for a small, rural ambulance company in Illinois tells his story.
All three of the company’s ambulances had problems. One had no lights or sirens, another had no functioning brakes and the third had no heat.
On a cold Christmas Day, our hero was forced to pick one of the faulty ambulances for emergency duty. He chose the one with no heat, figuring that was better than tooling around in a vehicle that had no brakes or siren.
So our driver froze all night, along with the patients he was transporting. When the driver complained, the boss decided to make things worse by pairing the driver with a member of the staff that no one liked.
The employee liked to complain about her problems, especially her marital problems and sexual shortcomings of her husband, who also worked for the company. The stories went on for the entire cold 14-hour shift.
And after that, the boss fired the driver.
No. 3 (tie)
Two sad stories just couldn’t be separated, so they share third place.
(a) One boss was less than sympathetic when a worker reported that his grandfather was diagnosed with terminal cancer and was given less than two months to live.
After telling his boss of the situation and how it might have an impact on the worker’s attendance and productivity, the boss just said: “I don’t know why you are worried about him. He is just your grandfather and he is going to die anyway.”
(b) A fast-food manager was working the night shift. The phone rang. It was his wife, screaming that their house was on fire.
He makes a frantic call to his boss to find a substitute manager. The boss says he can’t find anybody to come into work and that the manager must stay and keep the business open until the usual closing time. The manager then asks his boss why he can’t come in. Answer: It’s the boss’s “family night” and he doesn’t want to ruin it.
The manager closes the store early and rushes to his burning home.
He gets fired (no pun intended).
Tags: AFL-CIO, Working America, worst bosses
September 8th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
I know this is “HR Blunders”, but each of these stories is presenting one side. Is there REALLY any way to verify that a boss demoted someone for predicting rain or fired someone after sticking them on a 14 hour shift with a chatty Cathy and no heat? I question this because I hear stories all the time from people about why they were fired, only to find out they didn’t give the whole story.
September 8th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
I’m with you Brian. In a previous position we had an employee who was fired for stealing and we found out about it while she was on maternity leave. When she returned she was fired. She told her husband she was fired because she was on maternity leave and he called to let me know he was going to sue. She obviously had not told him the truth why she was fired….
September 8th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
When I was reading this, the same question that Brian Ard brought up came into my head but I guess people who get fired won’t necessarily tell both sides of the story.
September 8th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
How about the worst employee stories? Give the bosses a break.
September 8th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
I agree with Brian. I had a good friend who told me her husband was fired because his boss told him to take a $1.50 clearance t-shirt off the clothing rack (retail) so he could play on the company softball team. When the unemployment paperwork came in the mail she found out he stole a lot more than a shirt.
September 8th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
Note that these stories come from an affiliate of AFL-CIO. Not surprising a union organization would publish one sided, boss dissing accounts.
September 8th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
There are two sides to EVERY story. Some place in the middle is the TRUTH!
September 8th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
I cannot agree more with all of you. There is *always* more than one side to the story and because of confidentiality other employees never get to know the full truth surrounding terminations. What they hear from the terminated employee or from the rumor mill they of course consider gold which we all know is nonsense. Worse, the employee will lie (as Lisa noted) to their own families! These stories, while entertaining, were extremely employee biased and make all employers look like cold, unsympathetic, heartless individuals. An unfortunate image indeed.
September 8th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
True, there are horrible bosses. I work in an industry where men are not viewed favorably if they decide to take time off for having a baby. “Your not having the kid, why should you be there”
And I have seen bad employees as well , liars, theives, drug addicts. Always get two sides to the story
September 8th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Despite what each of you think, these things do happen. Yes, there are always two sides to a story ~ how often do we hear negatives about workers? Frequently, through HR seminars, conferences, etc. But it is important to learn to be a good boss. I have seen administrators who had the same reaction concerning grandparents and even parents who were very ill, as the ‘boss’ in the story above: coldness and indifference. Let’s learn to be compassionate leaders, who lead by example, and who care about workers as individuals. We don’t hear as much about the good leaders, but that is due to the fact that workers do not have complaints about those who lead well, and are not in search of a place to give voice to any negativity.
September 8th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Posting one-sided stories of disgruntled employees is poor journalism, esp. for an HR publication. The title of the piece indicates vetting was involved. “World’s Worst Bosses.” Perhaps it would have been more aptly titled, “3 worst claims regarding poor workplace treatment.” I doubt any vetting occurred. How could it? Poor, lazy journalism.
September 8th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
HERE IS A WORST EMPLOYEE STORY. THE PRINCESS
THIS EMPLOYEE STARTED A PATTERN OF CALLING IN SICK WHEN THE CHIEF PHARMACIST TOOK A 3 DAY WEEKEND TO GO CAMPING. HE DID THIS 2 TO 3 TIMES A YEAR. SHE INSULTED HIS INTELLIGENCE BY ALWAYS USING THE SAME REASON FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO WORK THAT FRIDAY. HER FIANCE’S GRANDFATHER HAD DIED. THE POOR GUY DIED THREE TIMES IN 18 MONTHS AND THERE NEVER WAS ANY SERVICES OR FUNERALS FOR HIM. wHEN CONFRONTED WITH THIS INFORMATION SHE QUIT STATING THAT THE BOSS WAS UNREASONABLE.
September 9th, 2008 at 5:27 am
I think the worst kids of “bosses” are the kinds that cannot be leaders – sit on the fence, play it safe, never make a decision, give wish-washy direction, cannot decide on a strategy, and cannot support their employees goals and objectives either. They may have ok personalities, even be a likeable person, but if they cannot be a leader, you do not want them. In fact, the term “boss” has a negative connotation and should probably not be utilized in a foward-thinking organization.
September 9th, 2008 at 8:20 am
I’m on the other side from most comments I have read. I’m a boss and I have seen the shananagans that are done. I hear the justifications, the reasons why they need to skirt the law and other sundry negatives. As a boss a really hate to hear such things and I think that is what is being refelcted here. Not so much that it is not true as it is bosses feet are being stepped on.
I think the purpose of the contest should be to learn how wrong things can get and to give us encouragement when we see that we are doing right things not simply doing things right. Yes, employees can be just as bad but the subject was bad bosses. Bad employees are another story.
September 9th, 2008 at 9:40 am
I’m with John. I’m not in HR but have been in business for quite some time and you are all delusional if you don’t think stuff like this occurs. Now, I’m not so foolish as to think that everyone is purely innocent, but give me a brake people! If you think that just because someone is a manager or in HR they incapable of doing an injustice, or shouldn’t be managing people, you are wrong.
I have personally had some managers that were great people, but should never manager a person, and one VP that was a great people leader, but was also a walking HR violation.
September 9th, 2008 at 10:56 am
I assume you are all professionals; I have no comment on the “bad bosses” articles, but do have a comment on your spelling, improper use of words, etc. PLEASE look over your postings before you post. The “dumbing-down” of America has to stop! For example, the possessive of you is your; if you mean “you are,” the proper word is “you’re.” And it should be “give me a break,” not “brake.” The proper spelling is “thieves.” I could go on and on; sorry to be such a stickler and to send a post not related to the thread of the conversation. I’m just trying to do my part.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
We all know there are a lot of people in leadership who really shouldn’t be there. They are cold, uncaring, uninspiring, demotivating, and control-freaks. Many care only about their own career path and they couldn’t care less about who they step on, stomp on, or dismember on their way to the top. They don’t have any regard for laws, ethics, decency, or what is right vs. wrong. When reading an article like this, I always try to learn something. If nothing else, I can check my behavior against what I have read to determine if my actions could be construed negatively. If so, I ask myself questions about what I can do to change that perception and be a better manager. But the article was supposed to be somewhat humorous, so treating it as a serious piece of literature might be beyond the original scope.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
How is this for funny…the worst boss I have ever had in my entire life was the HR Officer of a company I worked for…absolutely mean and spiteful… she would chew on all the rest of us for being rude and delivering poor customer service which was a lie and then turn around and actually tell us not to talk to other people or be in any way friendly. We all suspected her of being bipolar.
How’s that for irony?
September 9th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
I agree with Carla!! I am tired of so many errors from professionals. It’s sad. Aren’t we smarter than that?
September 9th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Down, girls, down… I noticed the errors, too, but maybe people aren’t “dumbing-down”. Maybe they’re just careless, or in too big of a hurry, because they’re reading email at work, instead of working… Anyway, I didn’t think any of the scenarios that won were funny at all!! However, people are just people. Some are sweet and nice, some are mean and hateful. Some people live a satisfied existance, and others believe everyone has all the luck; they feel deprived and spend all their time trying to make others feel as bad as they do. Chances are, if your boss is making you miserable, he or she is probably a miserable person. They are probably angry about their own loss or deprivation and, as the old saying goes, “misery loves company”.
I’ve owned and operated a company for about 25 years, and have found these things to be true with many employees who seem angry or aggressive. Usually, they’ve suffered a recent loss, or several, or they have a serious illness, or maybe s
September 10th, 2008 at 8:28 am
Connie and Carla. I thought about this very hard and finally decided to write this. I have no doubt that you are nice and concerned people. On the other hand your “lecture” is a bit arrogant. Yes there are typos. This is an informal board and people are probably very busy so they visit and respond very quickly. Some, like me, are not real good typers and not necessarily poor spellers. To challenge people’s professionalism in the manner that you did was unprofessional. Again, I think you meant well but it was offensive none the less.
September 10th, 2008 at 10:27 am
When I interview for a new position, I can usually spot a bad boss and decline the job offer if I get one. Deborah Ybarra described perfectly the first ‘bad boss’ I’ve experienced in four decades of working – ’sit on the fence, play it safe, never make a decision, give wish-washy direction, cannot decide on a strategy, and cannot support their employees goals and objectives,’ and all this made him dislikable to me. The yelling, finger pointing, and illogical screaming and stupidity I could cope with because that behavior I had experienced before from other bosses. I was the odd manager that found it impossible to work with him, while most other managers encountering the same difficulties with this guy were able to adjust, I expect, because of having dealt with his kind before.Having no prior experience how to adjust or cope with my first ‘bad boss’, I had no choice but to bid a good job goodby. All of these are traits I should have picked up in the interview but didn’t. I would like to think I’ve gained the experience to be successful with such a boss if I’m unlucky, or unobservant enough, to get another one. Incidentailly, the ‘bad boss’ of transfered the week after I left, probably because of the high turnover of those reporting to him. Patience is another lesson I hope I’ve learned from that.
September 10th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
I don’t doubt that things like this CAN happen, I just hear it too often to believe it EVERY time it’s reported. And I know full well that HR folks are not immune from demolishing the very policies they are supposed to enforce. But stories like these get passed around on the web and suddenly they become “fact”, (ie “I read somewhere that a boss once…….”). Force people to substantiate what they say or you’ll get an email about Eddie Murphy frightening a woman in a Las Vegas elevator with a dog.
Disclaimer: I did not proof read this post on what is supposed to be a casual message board. Sorry if I’m “dumbing you down”.
September 10th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
You know, I really did not intend to be arrogant or to offend anyone. I guess I’m just a frustrated English teacher at heart. Please forgive me.
September 10th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Carla, I can’t post for anyone else, but you are very unprofessional for wasting my time reading your post which has absolutely nothing to do with the topic – for that I find YOU in error. Simply stop reading these posts and go to a proofeader’s paradise website instead.
Now back to the topic. I agree that there’s always two sides to every story. Both sides will justify their own version. The truth will eventually come out.
September 10th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Carla – “You know, I really did not intend to be arrogant or to offend anyone. I guess I’m just a frustrated English teacher at heart. Please forgive me.”
——————————————————————————————————-
You have shown that you are a great person! It takes a lot to ask forgiveness. We all do stuff that after a while find it may not have been the best thing. Lord knows I have. Thanks for your response and yes indeed I forgive you.
John
September 11th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
I to am tyred of all the typos and dumming down. PLeeze folks, use spell check or proofe read you’re messag befour posting. Thanx you!
September 11th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Hahaha. David – that was great. Thanks for the laugh.
August 27th, 2009 at 10:41 am
These were all great posts to read. Carla seemed to make everyone’s blood boil. When I first read her comment, I thought it was also unrelated and unappropriate, now it just has me self-conscience because I type my comments in a hurry—— I know there are two sides to every story but…I have worked for a horrible boss. When she would arrive we could immediatly tell what mood she was in and have to work around that. We all wondered whose turn it was for her to “chew on and spit out” that day. Out of the original seven people that worked for her when the company started in Oct. 2008, there are only two left. We also use to think she was bipolar!
September 1st, 2009 at 11:35 am
I agree with the comments about self-deceptive employees not including the whole reasons for their termination. You do have to consider the source. I have had one terminated employee beg me to lie to his wife as to why he was terminated. However, we had a director reprimand a subordinate for not giving at least a 1 week bereavement notice. The employee apologized for incoveniencing his boss and the department. The employee said his family agreed to provide the one week bereavement pre-notice in the future and only euthanize fellow family members after the one-week notice had passed.