Worst boss you ever had.....

[Anonymous]

Total narcissist who was also a drunk. Would start drinking in the morning and sometimes would pass out in the afternoon.

The more she drank, the meaner she got. Said awful awful things. Assumed the world revolved around her. Would send the youngest employees on errands (once it was to buy tampons).

She was a SVP at a big known consulting firm. I think she is still there- she was my boss 8 years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mine was also as a nanny.

The dad was interviewing for some huge job and he went outside to leave and his car wouldn't start. This was pre-uber days so I offered him my 20 year old car that I kept in really clean, well maintained condition (and drove his baby around every day in). Instead of saying thank you, on the way out of the house he looked right at me and said "I can't believe I'm showing up to this interview in a suit that costs more than the car I'm driving".

They were first time parents and I stayed late one night so they could have their first date night since the baby was born. When they came home, the mom walked in first and started PROJECTILE vomiting red wine all over the house- floor, walls, entry table, an entire trail to the bathroom. Literally was like a scene from the exorcist.

I had worked for them for 11 months and hadn't taken a single day off. My regular commute was 40 mins each way. We were expecting a huge blizzard so I got up over two hours early and hit the road 1 hr 45 min before my start time. The storm got really bad about 30 mins into my drive. My driver's side windshield wiper flew off and was gone so I literally couldn't see anything. I called the mom and told her I was essentially stuck- it was already white out conditions and now I had zero visibility so I couldn't really continue on to work nor drive home, Her response was "So what do you expect us to do with the baby today?".

After 3 years with them, I got pregnant with my first which was a girl. They had two girls at that point. Over the years, I had chosen, ordered, laundered, and packed away all their girls' clothes. I packed them for trips. Always ensured they had a seasonally appropriate wardrobe in the correct sizes, the right clothes for camp, school, vacation, etc. They were done having kids one day when I was 30+ weeks pregnant and HUGE, I was leaving and the mom goes "Can you grab all the bins of girls clothes from the attic, load them in your car, and drop them at goodwill on your way home?" Didn't offer me a single thing.

Please tell me you took all the clothes you liked for your baby. I sure would have, and wouldn't feel one ounce of guilt over it.

[Anonymous]

When I told my managing partner at my law firm I was pregnant, he told me that he thought I understood that I was expected to wait to have children until I made partner. Ummm… we’re about 4 months too late for that pearl of wisdom dude. (I was the only woman in the firm).

Three months later, I was marked down on my annual review because I had started going home during lunch some days (5 minutes away) and taking a 30 minute Power Nap, instead of eating lunch out with the other attorneys in the first every single day.

Yes, I’m the woman who started job searching as an as the baby was born and quit— my first day back from paid maternity leave. Sorry, no sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My worst boss was a manager at a restaurant where I was a server in high school. He regularly copped a feel. I once was removed from a profitable shift because I "talked too long" to a Black customer.

, was

OMG. Was this Gus or Chris at the Paragon in Oak Lawn? Things like this would routinely happen there.

[Anonymous]

I just left my worst boss. Sad to say it was a single woman in her mid-fifties with no significant other and no children. She balked at the fact I needed to leave at a certain time and couldn’t voluntarily work evenings and weekends. I exceeded my goals and did a ton in the period I was there. She was also extremely forgetful and would blame me for things - she would accuse me of not coming to work when I was clearly present. She would forget I was away from my desk for trainings and accuse me of skipping work. She would confuse meeting dates and show up at the wrong place/time then blame me for the meeting not taking place. After getting stellar reviews, I asked to telework one day a week and she denied my request on the basis that she did not trust me yet. And then proceeded to work from home randomly during the week without telling me and she was the only person I worked with at this job. She also lived across the street from our job, meanwhile I had a one and a half hour round trip commute.

I was SO happy to quit. When I resigned she asked if I could stay a little longer. 😳

[Anonymous]

I had one sexually assault me. Another who was always high on coke and told the most fantastic lies to cover it up. My current boss yells a lot and motivates the team by shaming one of its members. He’s the worst. At least the addict’s lies were amusing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A narcissistic, completely selfish, dry drunk with an explosive temper and a foul mouth who liked to throw staplers and slam doors. Controlling, condescending, bullying, stingy, self indulgent, abusive. Eventually cratered their own career and those of everybody who depended on them for work.

Dry drunk.. wtf

[Anonymous]

My worst was my last boss- she took days to respond to emails or calls and was just generally unavailable for any type of support. Because she was too busy micromanaging the lowest performers. We are feds and she treated ladder promotions like the money was coming out of her own pocket. She wouldn’t give proper notice to people that she was going to prevent their promotion, and that caused at least two formal complaints (which she was found to be in the wrong as she didn’t follow policy). She ended up getting promoted, thankfully to another area so she’s no longer in my chain of command. From what I hear she hasn’t changed a bit, and is still almost always unresponsive. My agency tends to promote the worst.

[Anonymous]

The one who was a coke dealer to the boss and so couldn't be fired? The other boss who shouted "turn around so we can see all of you" to a new hire woman at the big meeting. The one who was so stressed he wote his teeth to tiny nubs and refused to write my annual review? No none of these fine gentlemen, definitely the boss who, while married to a woman exclusively hired and promoted young gay men 20 years or so younger than him with whom he had or hope to have relationships.

[Anonymous]

Female boss demoted me while I was on maternity leave. It was the same pay but a greatly inferior portfolio that required moving from a window office with a view into a basement space so I could be colocated with the new team.

She was a Democratic political appointee. I’m a Fed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Total narcissist who was also a drunk. Would start drinking in the morning and sometimes would pass out in the afternoon.

The more she drank, the meaner she got. Said awful awful things. Assumed the world revolved around her. Would send the youngest employees on errands (once it was to buy tampons).

She was a SVP at a big known consulting firm. I think she is still there- she was my boss 8 years ago.

I know a work drinker like that, starts early ends day passed out or wakes to drink more. Sometimes they sleep all night at desk to wake and drink. I think people are more impressed the person is alive than shocked at the irresponsibility.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine was also as a nanny.

The dad was interviewing for some huge job and he went outside to leave and his car wouldn't start. This was pre-uber days so I offered him my 20 year old car that I kept in really clean, well maintained condition (and drove his baby around every day in). Instead of saying thank you, on the way out of the house he looked right at me and said "I can't believe I'm showing up to this interview in a suit that costs more than the car I'm driving".

They were first time parents and I stayed late one night so they could have their first date night since the baby was born. When they came home, the mom walked in first and started PROJECTILE vomiting red wine all over the house- floor, walls, entry table, an entire trail to the bathroom. Literally was like a scene from the exorcist.

I had worked for them for 11 months and hadn't taken a single day off. My regular commute was 40 mins each way. We were expecting a huge blizzard so I got up over two hours early and hit the road 1 hr 45 min before my start time. The storm got really bad about 30 mins into my drive. My driver's side windshield wiper flew off and was gone so I literally couldn't see anything. I called the mom and told her I was essentially stuck- it was already white out conditions and now I had zero visibility so I couldn't really continue on to work nor drive home, Her response was "So what do you expect us to do with the baby today?".

After 3 years with them, I got pregnant with my first which was a girl. They had two girls at that point. Over the years, I had chosen, ordered, laundered, and packed away all their girls' clothes. I packed them for trips. Always ensured they had a seasonally appropriate wardrobe in the correct sizes, the right clothes for camp, school, vacation, etc. They were done having kids one day when I was 30+ weeks pregnant and HUGE, I was leaving and the mom goes "Can you grab all the bins of girls clothes from the attic, load them in your car, and drop them at goodwill on your way home?" Didn't offer me a single thing.

Okay so the dad thing is awful and he should not have said that (or even thought it). And the blizzard thing, also not okay. But the other two I kind of empathize with. I remember our first date night which was wayyyy overdue when we had a 1-year-old -- it's easy to over-indulge (temporarily) when you feel like you are FINALLY free to have adult time. Obviously very gross that she barfed everywhere but I wouldn't view that as some moral failing, unless it was like, a regular thing. And the pregnancy clothes thing...I often decide not to give hand-me-downs because I know (from experience) that it is awkward to turn them down and, sometimes, like in a nanny situation, I worry that the recipient will be offended and think I assume they are poor or something.

I mean I was poor. They paid me $12hr pretax, $18hr over time (50 hours per week).
I actually have a successful business now and ran into the dad a couple months ago at a networking event- the surprise on his face was priceless

Good for you! That is awesome. And yeah, yikes, that is a low rate. My point was just, I personally have received ratty hand-me-down kid clothes from higher-earning relatives and been offended - like "how desperate do you think I am that I would want your daughter's torn up leggings?" So I am a little self conscious and hyper vigilant when I hand clothing down.

No. This is nuts. They could’ve asked in a nice way. Everyone knows that clothes are expensive and kids wear them for a minute.

[Anonymous]

Female law partner who brow-beated her husband to stay at home and wouldn’t promote women with children. Major personality disorder and alcoholic. Lied constantly to CYA. Directed partners to write false poor reviews for associates she viewed as disposable.

[Anonymous]

I had a boss who managed to rarely come to work, and micromanage at the same time. It was the strangest dichotomy. She insulted all her staff all the time, and their work, played favorites, pitted people against each other, and was a political appointee, so spent all of her time trying to keep her job, while not doing any work. It was the worst job I ever had and I almost had a nervous breakdown while I was there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most terrible bosses are women.

This isn't true in my experience. But I work in a mostly male industry that seems to attract narcissists, so I have lots of experience with dysfunctional male bosses.

Same.