Yes, it’s true: some bosses are straight up assholes and out for themselves! But many (like me!) are just a squirrel trying to get a nut and aren’t killing other squirrels to get it. I used to be a really flexible, nice boss who wanted to positively influence my employees. I used to say sorry when I was wrong. I used to practice good manners; I’d say please when I wanted something and thank you when I got it. I feel I still am this person but I do it all with extreme caution…
Let’s fast forward a few years and see the results of being a nice boss, shall we? I’ve been blown off – and not just by my employees – I’m talking about the interviews to actually hire those employees! I’ve been stolen from, lied to, (and I mean stupid, unbelievable lies! After all, I can respect a good lie) and I’ve been totally disregarded.
Your boss has a lot of bullshit to deal with. No one seems to ever think about the sacrifices bosses make for their employees and customers, or about the lengths we go to just to make everything pleasant and efficient. We are extremely underappreciated! If you couple being a boss with being a small business owner as well, it’s a double whammy – everything needs to be paid for: the toilet paper, the chairs, the rugs, the pens, the paper – even billing the customer costs money. Did you know that everything costs double for a business owner? I’m not kidding! A phone line at a business is twice as much as a residential phone line! Did you know if you earn $12 per hour that it actually costs your boss almost $15 per hour after taxes and payroll costs to pay you? And I haven’t even mentioned the biggest thorn in every business owners’ side…rent! People can be careless and wasteful with our hard earned stuff.
Listen – bosses and employees come from 2 different mindsets. The boss/owner will work as hard as she has to and wait patiently for her (often small) reward. Meanwhile, many employees do as little work as possible in the shortest amount of time and want the biggest reward immediately, if not sooner.
There will always be a conflict here. There are hardworking employees out there, and I am lucky that I have some from time to time. It’s just really hard to be as nice as you’d like to be because it often backfires. People will always push the envelope, and sadly, will view a boss’ niceness as a weakness to be taken advantage of. If your boss is an asshole, it’s quite probable that he didn’t start out that way, and after years of abuse he feels the need to protect everything he’s worked for. Imagine that. Now stop reading this and get back to work! |
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
Popular Articles
About Truthaholic
truth•a•hol•ic (trüth´ë´hôl´ik) n. 1 The relentless pursuit of uncovering and exposing the hidden meaning and true intentions of others through rationalization and analysis. 2 Having or showing strong reasoning skills and applying them in a quest for truth. 3 A cleverly constructed blog site containing witty dissertations about the truth in which each blog is appropriately titled with a line from a song and accompanied by a cute illustration. 
Posted by truthaholic in 
This also explains why most landlords are perceived as assholes, too. Much of what you’ve described here directly relates. I was once a nice guy who owns rental property. Now I’m the asshole who owns rental property. Oh well.
Hey RD
Yeah, I’m a landlord too. I’ve have good lick with that so far…but I’ve heard horror stories. I’m starting to think owning commercial real estate is better…it’s like oh your 3 weeks late with your rent..bye bye. If the tenant is residential you have to wait 6 months to kick a dead beat out for NOT paying you YOUR money! Which is bullshit! I always thought it would be cool to own a strip mall but I don’t have the $$$!
First off,
Great post-I am sure there will be lots of lively discussion on this one!
2nd- The Who-”We Don’t Get Fooled Again” great song
(* As a sidenote-not that anyone cares, I’ve always imagined that if I was playing my particular rendition of this tune in concert to a screaming hoarde of adoring fans, during the interlude immediately following the “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss” lines… I would break into a rant of all the bullshit work acronyms and corporate double standards going on nowadays in the workplace that everyone could identify with while my drummer and bassist wail away. (Sidenote-I am not musically gifted unless you call turning the volume settings up on the stereo as such and so sadly, my little musical fantasy here will never come to fruition) But I digress…
I happen to work in middle management so I get it from both sides-the unrealistic expectations, the disloyalty, blah, blah, blah-the list is endless.
I could and have actually considered writing a book consisting of the satirical look at business nowadays in Corporate America just from my own whacked out experiences dealing with people-both employees, customers, and “The Powers That Be”
It is difficult to stay your high ground and moral compass as the years pass with being mistreated, trampled and corporately sodomized by those around you. By and large, I have been successful by treating others the way that I would like to be treated.
Now that doesn’t mean that you’re anyones doormat by any means-it just means that I am completely honest-to the point of being politically incorrect as blunt-while still professional to not get my ass in HR’s office or sued.
The biggest problem, as I see it is selfishness and the lack whatsoever of any form of loyalty-on all sides.
You try and do the best job that you can (which, let’s face it, is the “good enough” job because of the lack of tools and resources)while being faithful with what’s been entrusted within our own respective care.
Now excuse me while I go and lock up the toilet paper that some fuck has been stealing from the company. Toilet paper for God’s sake! Now my company has installed those monster canister covers with two dual rolls of paper that weigh about twenty pounds each with the absolute thinnest material known to man. If you’ve gotta ‘pinch a loaf’, you’re gonna be gone for a good half hour trying to scrub your ass clean. How’s that for your efficiencies boss???
Steve– I was laughing at your comment! Good Luck with the TP-LOCK DOWN! Hey my friend was on a road trip and was in a small town local bar and there was a sign typed up and taped to the wall that urged their patrons NOT steal the toilet paper from the bar and that it only costs .65 cents at the local mart down the block, it also confirmed how totally rude and cheap people are who do this! What’s so funny about this is it was such a funny sign my friend STOLE the sign! I was like “ya stole the sign that urged people to not steal!” I was laughing and thinking those poor bar owners! They can’t win!
Hey Steve D an idea for the thinning rolls dilemma
Best Bet, eat one large meal with lots of fiber and you will use less toilet paper!
In 1976 I saw Pete Townsend do one of his guitar jumps as he banged out “Wont Get Fooled Again” with Roger D screeching and Keith Moon pounding the percussions and the cool as a cucumber John Enwhistle strumming amongst the chaos of The Who….pass the panama red “)~ As an employer like Ms Truthaholic, we have the task of wearing many hats in a given day, a task unappreciated by THOSE TYPES of employees/customers. The others whom know this and give you the benefit of any doubt, well they make it worthwhile, hence the reason to get up the next morning and do it all over again is made easier with that in mind.
Conversely those in the crossfire, middle management , a position to take blame from more folks above you and fewer to blame below you, “stuck in the middle” is being in a rock/hard place, but cool heads prevail always, and that is a way to climb up the vine and get that golden egg.(how about that for a truthaholic topic song name Ms S.? stuck in the middle lol)
The greater majority of A-hole bosses are peoples whom just are that, an A-hole with a boss- job.
If you the person that is the brunt of the A-Hole boss, remember first thing to do BEFORE reacting, a mistake of most, is to see where they come from, and then form a more accurate picture of whats happening and then do the right thing.
If youre a boss like me, be a Fezziewig and not a Scrooge, and you discover that most employees are like flowers feed em, nuture em, and they will grow, and blossom in your garden. Occasionly we have to weed out the bad ones and make room for the next blossom!
Hey Dr Kev
I see we have some Who fans..Woo hoo! I agree with you.
I have really awesome employees. It depends on the type of job too. My previous business was NOT upscale and the one I own now is and it attracted crazy employees who no other employer would EVER hire! Bottom of the barrel, I’m talkin’ certifiably crazy! Now I have a great business and that generally attracts great employees, but there always people that just don’t get it…
PS stuck in the middle with you is Steelers wheeler…and Gerry Raferty is sining lead who does one of my all time fave songs of the 70’s..”It was you wooomun ..right down the line…” and of course Bakers street
S
Ah, the lost art of management. When you have good examples above you, it makes it easier to be a good boss. The filter down effect is very obvious in the places I’ve worked at. I think what people are talking about is how to be firm and set the standard, without being an asshole. Great bosses inspire you to do more than you think you could. I get more inspired by recognition of what I’ve done right than hearing about what is lacking in my performance. I try and do this to my employees, but it is tough sometimes when you really need them to perform at a level higher than they are. Any success stories are welcome! My greatest success at this is to get more specific than you think you need to be regarding the area that is a problem.
Well MG, good stuff. Yes specificity is the key. I always ask the employee who KNOWS what to do but is not asserting themselves, what they think is in the way of them doing it. Pushing your views in hopes they are enlightened only goes so far, as the boss you need to determine WHY it’s not happening. this can only be done by getting to the real reason why it’s not clicking. Sometimes it’s simple– some employees are not suited for the job which is sad because this means they don’t know what the fuck they want! They applied for the job after all!
All of my businesses revolve around sales and customer service. I always tell my employees to create a personal rapport with people who are inquiring about a product. If a customer walks into the store and you’ve never seen her/him, introduce yourself and find something you have in common within the first 3 seconds. If it’s a neighborhood store ask them if they are new to the area and talk about that. That will lead to other things..like I just had a baby and moved down the block. That sentence has 3 more questions you can ask..what did you have? What’s your baby’s name? Is this your first? Are you shopping for little Kayla today….? YOU just had a baby? You look great. If it’s touristy, ask them where there from and discuss that. Don’t say stock customer service bullshit line #247…”let me know if you have any questions!” Always connect with people like you’ve known them for years and they’re your best friend, yet be professional of course.
When it comes to sales always ask questions…why are you hesitant about wearing that skirt? Never say “buying or purchasing” BIG turn off! What are your concerns with this car? Is it the price, the color, …whatever…is there anything else I can tell you about this product.. like did you know…bla bla bla..if they say nothing, give them choices…Always get the reason they said no…the real reason. Getting information is your ticket to serving them better and when people feel good they want to be around you.
Those are my “tips” on customer service and sales.
As far as inspirational success stories…I think most people who work for me learn a lot in a short time because I pontificate alot and am very quick and observant so I tend to point out where they need improvement, duh ..I think all of the Truthaholics know this already! I don’t think other bosses would dig as deep as I do. I’m pretty deep. I feel what I tell them can be carried over into every aspect of their lives. Like I told one employee she has to learn to love asking more questions, even when she fights with her boyfriend ask him WHY he has a problem with ..bla bla bla..or Why does my habit of …..XYZ bother you exactly? Get into it. I tell them whether you know it or not your always trying to “sell” something to someone!
S
Yeah, a boss is like a mentor, a parent, an authority figure. The power to do damage and the power to do good, waaaay beyond the work sphere. Good point on probing more on why it’s not happening. Could be they don’t know. Could be they disagree. Could be they are resistant for some reason that you can address. Or it could be you need someone else in that position, always a tough one to handle.
I believe it all comes down to integrity and a mutual respect, which should be ingrained in all of us. Too many people take no pride in what they do and how they do it. This is what we’ve become—-shells with no work ethic or sense of accountability. How did this happen?
Yeah, mutual respect. That’s key, it’s really at the core. Without that, no behavior will really cut it.
The conflict you speak of could possibly have caused the rise of the Labor Unions which in my opinion have raped our national economy. The unions served their purpose in an era of great labor abuse. However, the workers, emboldened by their collective power began to demand compensation far out of proportion to their contribution. People wonder why US manufacturers move to third world countries. The Labor unions have made it extreemly difficult if mot impossible for manufacturers to earn a profit and their are those in our society who would have us believe that this move to foreign manufacturing is solely due to greed. Rant Over.
So do I have any female readers besides Angela and a few others that have commented on other blog topics?
Just curious…why more guys relate to my blogs.
S
Mike
I don’t know enough about unions to intelligently reply. If unions were paid wages that were more suitable, what are the benefits that a union provides to a large company that non union workers don’t offer?
Let’s talk about unions for a little while. Historically, they were actually guilds in which artisans and craftsmen would take on apprentices and teach them trades and skills that the journeymen craftsmen had perfected to the best of their ability using the methods available at the time. This was handing down from man to man not only skills, but attitude and pride of workmanship. You weren’t just learning from a textbook and parroting back stock answers. I’m speaking of skilled crafts for the most part. As the industrial revolution created more and more jobs, some of the individual skills were replaced by assembly line methods—this reduced the personal touch of man learning from man—the impersonality began to become a great part of the working world. The guilds found out that sharing their knowledge from their work experiences with each other made each other stronger and better and, consequently, they were able to produce a superior product or service than what was previously available. The unions evolved from groups of workers in order to develop collective bargaining contracts, wages, benefits, and fair treatment from employers, as well as grievance avenues when employees feel that they are being abused. These contracts protect both the company and the employee—a contract can be specifically inclusive so everyone knows where they stand. The benefits that a union can provide to a large company lies primarily in the contract wording—they will provide the company with highly skilled and dedicated workers equipped with the most recent knowledge and skills available to them to do the job correctly and safely. Plumbers, electricians, mechanics, and many other trades must maintain their skills by attending classes and seminars that inform them of the latest developments in their respective industries. They often have to re-certify—be documented as having the latest information to legally and safely do a job according to the most recent codes set by the government. For instance, if you want your house rewired, you could look in your local newspaper and see an ad for a “Handyman—can do electric, plumbing, heating and air conditioning, roofing, etc. call joe at 123-4567″. Or see an ad for “Certified electrician–Union–bonded. Can do all electrical work inside or outside. call joe at 555-5555″. Which one would you choose???? The unions provide the companies and the consumer with an implicit guarantee that the worker they send is more than capable of doing the job. —————————————————————–About 40 or 50 years ago unions represented about 30-40% of the work force. Today, less than 15% of the work force is union. So how could less than 15% of the work force control and rape the economy???? The profits of many companies seem to find their way into the benefits given to the CEO’S, CFO’S, the board of directors, the owners (who are really entitled to anything they see fit because, after all, they do own the companies) in terms of stock options and bonuses in the millions, even if a company is losing money, and lower tier workers are being laid off. To speak of being compensated for the proportion of work being done——how can you justify such ridiculous payouts while the guy at the bottom of the work chain is denied a quarter an hour?—————— The work that is sent out of the country is being done by people whose lives aren’t really enriched by making the $1.00 per day that many of them make. I call it corporate greed. Look at the stock market. Look at cheap quality products that we are buying. Made in China, Mexico, Indonesia, India, etc.————————————————————-Better take another look at the overall picture. There have always been more non union jobs in this country. The only reason that some of the non union jobs were well paid is because of the unions. Once a union contract was ratified calling for more benefits and wage increases, the non union workers were given increases by companies in order to keep them from changing jobs. Union jobs have always been better paying than non union jobs in the same trades. Even the teachers—-as smart as they are, they weren’t being paid very well. Once they unionized, they became much better off and have great benefits—-check their history to see what I’m talking about.———————————————————–Just for laughs, pick up practically any yearly stock report and see who is really making the money. Did you ever hear of golden parachutes? They are great in an absurd way. Check Exelon profits and think about that when you fill up your tank. I know that unionizing everything is not an answer, but putting everything into perspective, people didn’t feel so detached from each other when there were more unions. They felt that they made a difference as a group with common purposes–felt better about themselves and the country overall. The laws for the last 30 years have been tough on organized labor. But all labor is having problems now. Hey—we elected our lawmakers so I guess our present condition is our fault afterall.
I was just reading this blog and thinking there may be some validity to your claim that bosses can be assholes. The operative words here are “some, and can.”
Mainly because not all bosses are and not all bosses will be assholes. What I mean is simply this, being an “asshole” is an option not a requirement. No individual is ever required to be rude, blunt, unkind, or downright mean. To be or act that way is a choice which unfortunately many individuals who assume the role of “boss, manager, supervisor, landlord, or any other role of authority over others makes of their own choosing.
I have had the pleasure of working for some very awesome bosses, and managers, people I personally hold in high regard. For these individuals I would always go the extra mile to get a job, or task finished because I knew that person truly appreciated all my efforts. Currently I am employed by a company where the boss is a complete asshole! He is rude, disrespectful, will not under any circumstances listen, and worst of all he is an alcoholic which unfortunately bleeds over into his business persona. Can this individual be polite or nice? Truthfully I have no doubt that through some miracle he could be, however believe me at this point in time I have my doubts, because I have never seen any evidence showing those qualities in him. While I do not hate my boss, I do not respect him in any way shape, form or fashion. I may respect the position he currently holds as a manager/supervisor, but I do not respect the individual.
I spent the first year of my employment going the extra mile until I came to realize what I consider two very important things. 1. My efforts were in no way appreciated by this individual. 2. All this individual has ever done is take advantage (with 0 appreciation) of my efforts. He continuously asked me to go the extra mile, all the while never appreciating any of my efforts. It was at that point I made the choice to no longer go further than I need to on a day to day basis. Right or wrong this is a choice I made, and until things in this particular office change drastically; I will stand by my decision.
As far as landlords, more often than not I have been blessed with some very good landlords/property managers. If anything went wrong at the property I was renting, or if something needed fixed all I had to do was ask and it usually was completed rather quickly I did my part; I kept the property neat and clean, I made rental payments on time, and I respected the neighbors.
Have I had landlords/property managers I would of rather not had? YES unfortunately I have. However these people were eliminated very quickly due to their inability to get things done, poor management abilities, as well as never being available to address renter issues.
Maybe your next truthaholic blog should include both sides of the coin because not all bosses/managers/supervisors, or landlords/property managers are assholes, and not all employees or renters are assholes unless forced by circumstances beyond our control to assume that identity. No matter what position one holds there should ALWAYS be respect. Unfortunately this is not always the case which is the cause of 90% of the problems.
Hey P.A.L.
I enjoyed reading your experiences about bosses and landlords. It seems your boss has many problems beyond the normal boss problems. Being an alcoholic changes chemicals in the human brain and makes them act totally crazy—like, out of control, emotional, paranoid and demanding. He is an extreme example of an “asshole boss.”
I was referring to the standard asshole boss and just trying to point out the bosses and business owners point of view. Since most people are not bosses or business owners I thought it would be informative to point out a rarely talked about perspective. I’m a business owner and a boss– it is a double whammy for me.
In my blog I make no claims that ALL bosses are great or assholes nor do I claim that ALL employees are great or assholes. I actually point out both sides. like this quote: “Yes, it’s true: some bosses are straight up assholes and out for themselves! But many (like me!) are just a squirrel trying to get a nut” and like this quote: “There are hardworking employees out there, and I am lucky that I have some from time to time. It’s just really hard to be as nice as you’d like to be because it often backfires.”
P.A.L.–I think what happens is, when we read something we have strong opinions about we immediately start relating to the story and thinking of our experiences while we’re still trying to read, and therefore we miss some parts of the story. So I always re-read anything that gets my wheels spinning because I know I missed some stuff.
Good luck with this boss, any chance you can leave or report him to his boss? Can you send an anonymous letter or get others to sign this letter..power in numbers…
Best,
S