Describe the Behaviors of Your Coworker From Hell
My former manager had no experience managing, was a known "difficult personality," was rude and unprofessional, and generally acted like a spoiled intern. Her behavior was out of control and everyone knew it except the boss, who had no clue what was going on outside of his office (and didn't care). She criticized the way I looked, the food I ate, the friends I had at work, etc. She showed up at 10:30 or 11am and left at 5. She was constantly disruptive. I did her work AND my work while she did things like go get her hair done at lunch. She would criticize me for not doing her work the exact way she would have done it.
Tell How You Dealt With Your Coworker From Hell
Our boss took no interest in any of my professional complaints about her. I didn't want to cause trouble by reporting her but I should have, because once she realized I was fed up she beat me to it and reported me for "not doing enough" and other vague "offenses" she couldn't clearly outline. He didn't want to admit he didn't know what was going on in his own department during layoffs, so he took her side since they were friends.
In a professional review, she told me I was failing at my job because I couldn't read her mind. That was NOT part of my job's expectations. When I tried, I was criticized for wasting time. When I worked independently, I was criticized for not being a team player. I was NOT an assistant, by the way. (Although she did introduce me to someone as her personal secretary once...) She never had any concrete, consistent examples of my bad work. For every 45 things I would do perfectly, she would nitpick about one minor thing. When I pointed out all I do right, she answered with, "So?"
We spent an entire meeting discussing her new haircut. We spent another discussing her hopes and dreams for life (seriously??). She would gossip about people and when I wouldn't participate, she would tell me I had a bad attitude. She would constantly pry into my personal life. One time she got drunk at a company event and told me she was really disappointed in my work -- because I didn't compliment her new high heels (which she expensed).
I should point out that no one else in our entire (large) office had a problem with me. Many people had issues with her, but she loved drama and confrontations (her words) so they all steered clear. Many coworkers offered to speak to the boss about my situation, but the boss refused to get involved. He didn't want to deal with this. Now I have dozens of recommendations from a job I supposedly did terrible work at.
My manager threatened to fire me regularly for over six months, which created a hostile environment for me. She basically said that as soon as I messed up, she would gladly get rid of me. (I never messed up that badly.) When I pointed out the stress this was causing me, our boss said that I was taking it too seriously and I should just ignore her. I worked 12-15 hours a day at one point (at work and at home) and answered her emails on weekends. She didn't notice.
She was out of the office at least two days a week, yet tried to deny me a one week vacation (in two years) and time off at Christmas.
Tips and Tricks
- I was never going to win with this manager. I have obsessed over what I could have done differently, and there was nothing. I eventually had to quit and it was the smartest thing I could've done. I am now afraid of what other kinds of psychos I will run into in the work force. I didn't believe people like her could exist at lower levels and still keep their jobs.
