I Just Got Fired - Long.

[NYPDwife]

Ugh, I hate my boss.

I am a part-time administrative assistant. I left my old part-time job (with holiday, sick and vacation leave) b/c I wasn't a "true" admin asst. I found this job and was told that I was to be a back-up to the "office manager". I love what I do and what that consists of is booking flights, cars and hotels for sales guys, typing itineraries, filing, etc. Another part of my job was to answer the daily foreign quote requests via email. Now my boss and I shared this job. Every day for one hour, I would sit at her desk and reply to the quote requests, enter the quotes in the system and file the emails away. Now, USUALLY my boss prints them out in the morning and hands them to the National Sales Manager so he can write the prices on them, then she leaves them at her desk for me to do. Whatever quote requests come in after 2 PM are SUPPOSED to be done by her. Lately, all she can spend her time doing is personal stuff so I'm stuck trying to reply to quote requests that I have to do and that she should have done. But you know what? I GET IT DONE!

I know that people do personal stuff at work, I know I do. But I also know that I don't surf the net, or check e-mails or plan my Disney trip while I have something else to do. I'm the type of person that hurries up, does what needs to be done and then I screw around.

But yesterday was the final straw..I'm working on the sales presentation for the yearly trip to Vegas. This includes booking all flights, reserving group space at the hotel, planning the menu, looking up restaurants and making dinner and show reservations, typing the itineraries and assembling the PowerPoint presentation. I LOVE DOING THIS. This is the part of the job that makes me really happy. Last year when I did this, my boss had no problem picking up the slack on the foreign quotes b/c I was busy. This year, it's been a little slow so I've been doing the quotes each day. But yesterday, I was given the numbers for the graphs that were to go in the presentation. Now, I'm only part time, so I had to take 6 months worth of numbers for 8 markets and graph them, format the graphs and then put them into the presentation. And I'm so anal about aesthetics in my work so it takes me a bit to make sure everything is uniform and eye-pleasing. She comes over to my desk at 1 and tells me, "I'm going to lunch, there are only a couple of e-mails", so I said "I'm busy doing graphs" and she just left. Now maybe I'm wrong, but I took her silence as a don't worry, you keep doing what you're doing b/c it's important. When she comes back from lunch, she throws a hissy fit b/c the emails aren't done at which point I told her that I was trying to get the graphs done and I figured she could do them. Now, she pulls out the boss card and says, "we'll it's your job". So I got pissed and said "well maybe you could've gotten them done if you weren't busy refilling your cat's prescription, booking your sisters flight and finding a new oil company for your house". I WAS WRONG PEOPLE I know that, but it was true . So she got really pissed and went off on the National Sales Manager for giving me stuff to do b/c since she's the office manager, she has to delegate my work.

So fine, yesterday I leave and today I come in. Now let me explain something, I'm the type of person that tells you what needs to be said and I'm done. I don't let things "fester" as my mom's husband calls it. But anyway, I come in this morning, and MAKE SURE to say a CHEERY good morning to my boss, who just grunted something back. Fine. I go to my desk and try to find another spot for dinner in Vegas for the sales trip. I take my time looking on Zagats and look at and print menus for the National Sales Manager to choose from. After this, my boss calls me and says she wants to see me in the conference room. I go in and she shuts the door and immediately tells me that she doesn't appreciate me telling her about her work ethic. I tried to explain how I felt, got nowhere and just decided to apologize. She complains again, so I reiterated my apology. I just wanted to get the hell outta there.

Then, I didn't have anything to do so I took the quotes off the National Sales Managers desk and decided to price them myself. I've never done it before and figured it would be a good learning experience. Well, I bring them back to the NSM to check and he tells me that I did a good job for my first time, to which she storms in his office and tells me "you're quoting the emails?" so I said yes, that I wanted to help the NSM b/c he's been busy and the less stuff he has to do, the more he can work on the Vegas presentation with me (he's swamped). Then she proceeds to pull the boss card again, with "Well, I TELL YOU WHAT TO DO" (she was semi-yelling) and "Don't come to J asking for stuff to do, I give you your work". So I told her that I didn't ask for them, I pulled them off his desk while he was on the phone b/c I wanted to help. So she huffs and I walk away.

Now, I'm headed to her desk and she's already walking towards me , so I ask her "Do you have anything for me to do?" and she says (with an attitude) "look up flights" so I grabbed the Travel Request and was walking back to my desk when she says "CONFERENCE ROOM, NOW!". Now, I'm a 33 y/o grown woman, there's no need to yell at me! . I walk behind her and she stands in the doorway and yells "What's your problem?", so I tell her, I don't have a problem, she's the one with an attitude and told her to stop trying to treat me like a child and not to speak to me like a 5 y/o.

Then she shouts "go sit down" (in the conference room) and I said, no, I don't want to so she says well then, you can just leave, so I said FINE!

Now, while I was packing up (and cursing under my breath), I call the SVP to tell him that it's my last day and he tells me to come into his office. I go in and I'm upset so I'm tearing up (I hate that ).He gives me a tissue and asks what happened so I'm telling him and he said I was wrong for calling my boss out on her personal stuff, but to get over it since I apologized. then he says she does not have the authority to fire me so just go home and cool down and come back Monday. He said he would speak to her and if she gave a GOOD reason for firing me, then he would call me, but he was doubtful that would happen. Then he says I want you to say goodbye to your boss and tell her to have a nice weekend. So I (reluctantly) agreed.

Now, while I'm walking past, I say, "I'll see you Monday" and she SARCASTICALLY says "oh, you're coming back?". I didn't respond, grabbed my stuff and walked out.

Now, I know I'm wrong for calling her out, but am I right somewhere?

 

[corndog]

It sounds to me like you quit, not that you were fired.

 

[NYPDwife]

It sounds to me like you quit, not that you were fired.

She said "well then you can just go", I didn't say I quit. Then in the end, me not responding was me trying to just keep my mouth shut and not get into a verbal fight. The Senior Vice President said to go home for the day and come back Monday.

 

[Handbag Lady]

Of course we're only getting your side, but it sounds to me like your "boss" is having issues with you being more competent than she is at work.

It is a hard spot to be in, but you need to learn to handle these things better. If she is your superior, you do need to take direction from her, but clearly others in your work place must see that you excel at your job and can easily now do her job, too.

 

[daisax]

Frankly, you behaved extremely unprofessionally, and she's not much better. Unfortunately, she's the BOSS in the situation, so you're supposed to meet her objectives. Yes, it sounds like she's a weak boss, but that's when a stronger employee has to put the boss on the spot and say "I only have 3 hours -- which is your priority, A or B?" or "I'm still working on C, which you need for that meeting tomorrow at noon. Do you want me to finish that first?"

 

[denisenh]

It sounds like you didn't need your job, to be honest.
I think that you were pretty bold to respond to your supervisor, in each instance, the way that you did....kind of like how we all wish that we could, but don't.

 

[Lureen]

I'm sorry you're having such a bad time at work, but there is only one word for your behavior: insubordination.

Like it or not, this office manager is (was?) your boss and you have to take your marching orders from her.

 

[NYPDwife]

Frankly, you behaved extremely unprofessionally, and she's not much better. Unfortunately, she's the BOSS in the situation, so you're supposed to meet her objectives. Yes, it sounds like she's a weak boss, but that's when a stronger employee has to put the boss on the spot and say "I only have 3 hours -- which is your priority, A or B?" or "I'm still working on C, which you need for that meeting tomorrow at noon. Do you want me to finish that first?"

I totally understand that I behaved unprofessionally, but I'm glad to hear that she did too. I know she's the boss, but it's hard to be nice when you bust your butt all day and your boss is just messing around and then expects you to do their work too.

 

[Disney Doll]

Sounds like a lot of grief for a part-time job. Sounds like you could have been more respectful. Sounds like your boss is an idiot but she is the boss. Sounds like a lot of grief for a part-time job.

 

[Todd&Copper]

OK, I am the same age as you, and I would have handled the initial encounter much differently. Instead of telling her that I was working on graphs and dropping it, I would have asked if she rather I work on the graphs or the emails. And no matter how many times I wanted to tell a boss off or call them out, I will NEVER do it unless I truly wanted to get fired. I'd just yes ma'am them and then go for a walk or go to the bathroom and call someone and vent to the other person about my feelings THEN return to my desk.

It doesn't sound like you are definitely fired. But in the future, you really ought to hold your tongue when she ticks you off. I mean, would you like your kids or spouse to call you out like that? It is disrespectful. . . .Not that the boss wasn't disrespectful as well, but two wrongs don't make a right.

Relax this weekend and go back on Monday and see what happens.

 

[Maleficent13]

You both handled it extremely poorly. I can't even pick a "better" and "worse".

Also, you did not do what your SVP told you to do. He said, according to you, "I want you to say goodbye to your boss and tell her to have a nice weekend."

You said to your boss, "I'll see you Monday." That isn't even remotely the same.

MHO? You meant to be snarky, and you succeeded.

 

[NYPDwife]

You both handled it extremely poorly. I can't even pick a "better" and "worse".

Also, you did not do what your SVP told you to do. He said, according to you, "I want you to say goodbye to your boss and tell her to have a nice weekend."

You said to your boss, "I'll see you Monday." That isn't even remotely the same.

MHO? You meant to be snarky, and you succeeded.

Honestly, I WAS going to say, have a nice weekend, but she didn't give me a chance.

 

[Mom2Nick]

You both handled it extremely poorly. I can't even pick a "better" and "worse".

Also, you did not do what your SVP told you to do. He said, according to you, "I want you to say goodbye to your boss and tell her to have a nice weekend."

You said to your boss, "I'll see you Monday." That isn't even remotely the same.

MHO? You meant to be snarky, and you succeeded.

I agree. Everybody in this situation acted unprofessionally. The see you Monday bit was way over the top....

 

[deelam]

I think you handled yourself well. I would advise you, if you go back to work, to keep things professional with your boss. Don't give her a reason to call you insubordinate. Do only what you are supposed to do.

The SVP is questioning if this was a "just" firing. The company doesn't want to open themselves up to lawsuits, and maybe they have trust issues with your boss.

I worked at a place once that had a crazy CS manager. She picked on the one single Mom who really needed her job badly. One day the Crazy manager called her in a meeting with human resources about her coming in late 2 days in a row(her son was sick). In the middle of the meeting the girl told HR that the CS Manager was mentaly unstable and told them about some really odd things she was doing. The girl got fired and the company fought against her collecting unemployement benefits. The company didn't really like the crazy manager, and they had plans to let her go later on. But they backed the crazy manager while she was in power.

 

[livie1205]

I am sorry that your boss acts like a child BUT she is the boss and you have to do what she tells you (if you want your job) as far as your actions you should be lucky if your not fired and learn how to kiss butt....

 

[daisax]

I totally understand that I behaved unprofessionally, but I'm glad to hear that she did too. I know she's the boss, but it's hard to be nice when you bust your butt all day and your boss is just messing around and then expects you to do their work too.

Except her lack of professionalism was weakness, and yours were multiple cases of insubordination. She can manage to keep her job as a weak boss as long as she can fool HER bosses into thinking she (or the people who work for her) are getting the work done. You, on the other hand, aren't likely to keep any job long talking to the boss that way.

I've never worked in a place where you wouldn't have been invited to clean out your desk after you threw her internet usage in her face. And I've seen weak bosses last for years and years (not my own, but in my workplace).

 

[Mickeyistheman]

Both of you did act unprofessionally. However I was in a similiar situation in my previous job and had posted on here about it.

I finally could not take it anymore and I had to leave, BUT they ended up asking me to leave instead of finishing my 2 weeks which by my contract is mandatory.

They also have been refusing to pay me my final paycheck as well and now I am going to sue them.

My supervisor was terrible, did nothing all day and when something came up that had to be dealt with she just pushed it around to someone.

I had 10 years more experience than she did and I know she didn't like me, so that made everything difficult because when the owner would ask a question she usually didn't know the answer and I did, sorry if he asked a question to everyone in our weekly meeting if I know the answer I am going to say it.

However, even as mad and frustrated I was at her I never called her out in that manner. I would have said things differently to your SVP that the reason for the situation was she was falling behind so YOU wanted to help her out etc. Not say that she bought stuff online etc. That just makes you look bad and disrespectful.

But see what happens enjoy the weekend and go in with a good attitude on Monday.

Good Luck!

 

[kinntj]

I don't think your working relationship with your boss is going to improve any time soon. It's not what's dished out to you, it's how you respond to it. Not very professional in my opinion.

It doesn't matter if your boss sits on her hands all day and you do all the work. You either do the work you're given or you can quit. It's like that with any job. There's always someone else who could do the job without complaint who loves the part time hours, even if they have to work hard.

 

[kelleigh1]

My former boss was similar. It got to the point where she was spending all her time working on stuff for the charity that she was involved with and I was running the business. I eventually quit and never gave her the real reason why, but other people knew and they understood. But I would never be able to really speak my mind because I don't want to burn that bridge. You just never know when you might need a reference from that person.

Obviously you know you were wrong. And while I'm not sure anyone would side with your boss, as others said, she is the boss and unfortunately, you can't react the way you did when talking to the boss.

And I don't think things are going to improve even if you do go back on Monday. I think it's too late to go back to the way things were and it's going to be very tense working there. Is it worth it?

 

[bumcat]

Fired or not it will never be the same. She will never forget what you said. Very immature on your part.
I worked for the same co. for 28 yrs, never ever ever would I say stuff like that to my bosses and I had some lazy nasty ones!
If you decide to return she will make your life miserable and force you to quit.