How to Deal with a Manager on a Power Trip
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So the topic is pretty straight-forward...
My sales manager at Staples is on a freaking power trip with me. Here are a couple of things that happened yesterday:
Scenario 1:
Our new ET Expert, who is a GREAT guy by the way (although not at my level technically speaking but sales-wise might finally give me a challenge) sold a computer with an onsite. I was right there so he asked me to schedule it. No problem. I walk over to the service desk to grab the schedule book and my sales manager goes "make sure you schedule it when you have coverage". Now, I started as the onsite tech in 2011. I know the gig better than anyone. I've corrected him on policy quite a few times. Anyways, I simply respond "I know <manager's name>, I've been doing this awhile". I wasn't rude but just very forward and kept walking. I scheduled the onsite and all seemed fine. He then pulled me into the office and asked if we were going to have another issue. Now, mind you, he has sent me home twice in the past couple weeks for no reason other than I hurt his pride.
Scenario 2:
I'm standing up front talking to our newest tech associate who I helped get hired. He's actually technical and going to be a great salesman once he gets trained. He's been working helpdesk/L1/some L2 for most of his career. I'll tell you about his day job's network in another thread...
Anyways, my sales manager, who LITERALLY is doing nothing to get stuff done around the store, is talking to another associate up by the customer service desk about food. Well, we both mention how we're kind hungry and if they want to talk about that, just please go ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE ****ING STORE! (not in those words exactly) He starts saying how I'm not his boss and I can't tell him what to do. I politely ask him again just to please go somewhere else or stop talking about food. He refuses quite rudely again.
So at this point, with nobody in the store, I put some music on and start singing. I'm just having some fun and he tells me how there is no singing at work. I look at him and just say how if he wants to talk about food, I will sing. Now I know he is technically my manager, but the issue I have with this is that he only pulls this **** when my General Manager is not around.
I'm getting fed up because he inhibits me from doing my job and makes me just not care when I'm there. He's apathetic , lazy, and acts quite inappropriately around some of the female associates. For example, we have a couple of ladies who work in copy center who are in their 20s. The sales manager is 27. If he's closing with one of them, he spends all night in copy center talking and working with them. If one of our two ladies in their 50s close in Copy Center, they practically have to beg him to come over and help under the exact same circumstances.
Me and others have brought this to the GM's attention but the issue is that the GM can't fire the sales manager, only the DM can. The DM is an even bigger idiot and won't get rid of him. Several people have complained to HR about the sales manager but it seems to have fallen on deaf ears. I'm not sure what else to try. How do you deal with someone who seems to have made it their sole goal in life to make your life difficult?
I know many would say leave and find another job but in the area I'm in that's both easier said than done and also I like my job and don't really want to leave. I just can't stand this sales manager anymore!
Thanks,
A.J. -
If this is the worst you've got it, that's pretty good compared to most people. I wouldn't really call this much of a power trip, and I certainly wouldn't quit my job over it. There is no singing at work, too.
Unless you're leaving things out, I mean just don't sing, and since crap rolls down hill, you just gotta deal with this stuff and move up the ladder, and you certainly never move up the ladder by pissing off your managers and singing at work, even if there's no customers around. There's a certain expectation of a minimal standard, I'd find out what it is and follow it.
I may sound like a jerk in this, but I've gotten similar complaints from my employees about their own managers, and it just makes them look bad, not the manager. Try working in a restaurant for a while, that'll learn ya
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This is pretty silly. Don't sing at work. Sure, it would be nice if you could. But this isn't serious enough to ever mention to anyone. It's not worth it.
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Why is everyone focusing on the singing?! Tiny part of one example...
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Not sure I see a power trip. Is your manager kind of a dick? Sure, most are. Is he doing things outside his role as a manager? Not that I see.
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@thanksajdotcom said:
Why is everyone focusing on the singing?! Tiny part of one example...
Because it seems to be the primary thing you're talking about, and that's a sort of odd thing to bring up if it's not important. As I said, unless you're leaving things out, that alone is kind of odd. If you have more examples of other things, I'd certainly be interested to read them, and that's not a challenge, that's a genuine request. If there are other, better reasons, don't lead in with the singing.
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@thanksajdotcom said:
Why is everyone focusing on the singing?! Tiny part of one example...
Why is it there if it isn't important?
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Singing... talking about food.... I wish offices I worked in were not full of people gambling and discussing sports. but that's how work is.
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@scottalanmiller said:
Singing... talking about food.... I wish offices I worked in were not full of people gambling and discussing sports. but that's how work is.
Ughhh... all offices are like that? I just thought ours was unique since we are in the sports industry.
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@coliver said:
@scottalanmiller said:
Singing... talking about food.... I wish offices I worked in were not full of people gambling and discussing sports. but that's how work is.
Ughhh... all offices are like that? I just thought ours was unique since we are in the sports industry.
All of the big ones that I have been in devolve to sports and gambling.
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Singing? Really?
Basically what you're saying is that your Sales Manager is a bit of a dick, enjoys a power trip, really likes his food, and flirts around young staff members, right?
That pretty much describes every Sales Manager I've ever worked with. My advice is to suck it up. And stop singing at work!
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First world employment problems
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@scottalanmiller said:
@coliver said:
@scottalanmiller said:
Singing... talking about food.... I wish offices I worked in were not full of people gambling and discussing sports. but that's how work is.
Ughhh... all offices are like that? I just thought ours was unique since we are in the sports industry.
All of the big ones that I have been in devolve to sports and gambling.
I guess it's good I work for whom I work for. I'm the only one who really gambles. Our conversations devolve into why I have a grand sitting on my desk in $20s. I tell them it's because I'm gonna make it rain, then hit someone with it.
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Where's the power trip? He's the boss. He gets to do what he wants. Sounds like you just have an issues with him being a boss or rather you want his position.
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@thecreativeone91 said:
Where's the power trip? He's the boss. He gets to do what he wants. Sounds like you just have an issues with him being a boss or rather you want his position.
I believe I have mentioned this more than one to AJ.
Suck it up boy.
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I think it would be a real problem if your manager was intentionally sabotaging your work/position by falsely accusing you of things and setting you up to fail.
With management, there is a level of respect that should be followed - he's your manager, do what he asks (so long as it is within reason - the singing thing? That's really not an issue, but it sounds like you were provoking him). If it is affecting your job in a real, quantifiable way (and can be proven), then I would say something. Otherwise, it sounds like nitpicking - suck it up and wait for the right situation to complain about.
With all this said, if you and the manager don't get along, maybe it's time to find a place that is more compatible with your work style/ethic. If you can't change the culture, and it's unlikely that a manager would leave, then it's not going to be a place you are going to thrive in. The guy obviously doesn't like you, and it sounds like he might be trolling you.
Finally, I know everyone else is thinking it, but posting here about your workplace isn't a good idea. You could be in breach of some hardly known 'electronic communication policy' - I've seen people get fired for stuff like that.
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@Rob-Dunn said:
Finally, I know everyone else is thinking it, but posting here about your workplace isn't a good idea. You could be in breach of some hardly known 'electronic communication policy' - I've seen people get fired for stuff like that.
I think we all just kinda got tired of repeating ourselves at this point.
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@Rob-Dunn said:
Finally, I know everyone else is thinking it, but posting here about your workplace isn't a good idea.
The rest of us just gave up repeating it.
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I'll just leave this here: http://community.spiceworks.com/topic/926832-venting-about-your-employer-online
