Work issues - Advice pls?

[600+]

What's your point of view on the below sits?

I recently changed jobs and I am now at the end of my 3rd week in the new place. I have a 6 month probation period.

I belong to a small team of 4, the 3 are women (not good looking either)! The manager is late 30s and a right bitch! She is abrupt, demanding to unbelievable extent and when things do not happen exactly to the letter as she wants she becomes sarcastic, cocky(spelling?).

I don't like her behaviour. I work hard, I do my hours plus more and the work gets done. The team is newly put in place and the services we look after are at a right mess!!! There is no HR to speak to directly as the manager is responsible for the HR tasks. General HR exists but not to raise these concerns.

I am not exactly enjoying the interaction with said manager! She has the attitude of a career woman in a mans world (or so she thinks).

Any ideas? Thnx

[fizzwheel]

Your a newbie in the job you've been there 3 weeks. I'd give it a bit longer to settle especially if the team is new.

Whats the opinion of the other people in your team, if you all spoke to her together would you all sing from the same hymn sheet.

If shes throwing her weight about theres not much you can do unless shes being rude, derogatory or her behaviour could be judged as bullying you're going to struggle to do anything about it, especially if she is established in the mangement team / chain.

With the current economic climate will it be easy for you to find another job or are you going to have to suck it up for a while ? You might find when she gets to know you a bit better and stops feeling the need to assert her managerial clout over you and learns to trust you, she'll back off a little bit.

[G]

Tough one, and in me eyes there is two real options, C) is possibly not an option depending on your profession in this current climate.

A) You give as good as you get, but be clever and witty about it....how you go about it can either make you the managers best friend or worst enemy.

B) Do your best to please her, brown nose where you can and get on her good side.

C) Leave

[600+]

Thanks guy, the other 2 ladies of the team do not speak to her that much. I am the Protection Manager of the services in the portfolio and whilst I'm supposed to deal with the whole portfolio by myself the other 2 ladies are responsible for the day to day issues.

I cannot leave because this is a job I've been trying to get my hands on for sometime now. I was thinking more among the lines of talking to her but in a way that I would be crystal clear about what I like or not about her behaviour and her management style.

[Mr Speirs]

Basically she is a bitch. Personally I would wait until she was in ones of those moods again and when she says something sarcastically, in a stern voice say
'Please don't talk to me like that, you are being sarcastic/condesending/rude and it is not professional.'
You can defend yourself with fact whereas she will need to justify that her manner is an acceptable Management technique.

[Messie]

Maybe you need to find a job with good looking women. I'm sure that would cheer you up a bit :rolleyes:

[yorkie_chris]

Has she got any daughters?

[600+]

no daughters as said career woman :S

there are good looking women just not in my team :)

[krhall]

Shoot her! HTH

[G]

no daughters as said career woman :S

there are good looking women just not in my team :)

Should we read.....butch Lesbian

[CoolGirl]

whenever you have a discussion with her, take notes. If she asks you to do something, write it down and check it back with her before you proceed. Even better, drop her an email after each conversation with a list of the agreed actions.
That way you know you're doing what you've been asked and she's got no comeback. you've laso got a ready made 'to do' list.

<goes back to HRM revision>

hth.

[Ping]

Maybe you need to find a job with good looking women. I'm sure that would cheer you up a bit :rolleyes:

Quallity comment there Messie. :lol: I was going to be sympathetic but then I read that bit too...
:p


However, I agree with Mr Speirs' suggestion. Oh, and Coolgirl too.

[BigBaddad]

Don't get married.....[-X

[fizzwheel]

Should we read.....butch Lesbian

Is it a good book ? Whats the plot like, is the character development good.

I'll get me coat...

TAXI !!!

[600+]

lol nope she has a bf - she is just one of those women that doesn't want kids just a career.

from the 1st day I have a s-sheet that I update daily at the end of my day that lists all of my tasks and actions! this is something I've done in all my jobs up to now. she has visibility of this at every 1-2-1 we have. I send it to her in advance ;)

I know how to cover my @$$ so that she doesn't have ground to fire me during my probation period. but this is not my concern! I want to have a professional working relationship with her for as long as I have to.

[fizzwheel]

Just be careful how you speak to her. It might backfire on you.

I had similar situation, new boss, throwing his weight around, upset my staff and me. He was rude and arrogant and he didnt know the business so alot of the decisions he made impacted badly on what we were doing.

I tried talking to him 2 or 3 times. I was calm polite and professional. He didnt like my feedback he told me so and then told me my opinion wasnt valid and it ruined our working relationship. I ended up walking out of one meeting and going to talk to our deparment head to try and get it sorted out. It never was, that guy spent 6 - 9 months trying to get rid of me out of the department it only ceased when I changed rolls and removed myself from the management position I was in. He had his own ideas and he wasnt willing to listen to anybody else even those people he had in his own managment team. He got fired in the end, but it was a horrible time to be working where I was.

So just be tread gently especially as you've only been there 3 weeks. I'm sure you know this and I'm sure you will, but be aware it may backfire on you.

[600+]

Hey fizz - thanks for your input. Thinking about it there is little chance that if I speak I will be heard. I guess it's a case of waiting till my probation period is over and hoping that by then the trust will have increased from her side and my life at work will have improved.

Patience again!!

[shonadoll]

Should we read.....butch Lesbian

?:rolleyes:

[shonadoll]

I think you have to wait too, and if you do do anything, make sure you are direct but calm. Having a similar issue at work myself - work with 4 women, and it's not fun at the moment. I may well end up resorting to videotaping conversations;)