WQhen does 'teasing' by your manager go too far?

motorguy

lfcsja wrote: »

Using the cockney rhyming slang was a great suggestion. Alternatively start pretending to yawn and say he could be used as a cure for insomnia. He'll soon stop it.

Using the cockney rhyming slang is a willfully bad suggestion.

If it does eventually get escalated to HR / Senior management, then the manager in question can say, 'oh well they did the same to me by using a cockney accent'.

motorguy

avstar wrote: »

Over the next week or so I'm going to try just being silent until he runs out of steam, leaving a large uncomfortable silence for good measure and then say something along the lines of "right then, down to work". I will keep a record of all this too.

If that doesn't calm it down then nothing will and I'll have to go further. I will tell him I'm not finding it funny. If he carries on or makes life awkward then I#ll write to HR. I'm hoping and praying it doesn't get to this level tho as I don't want to rock the boat in the current climate. How dreadful that I fear for my job so much at the moment I don't want to speak out about something like this.

+1

If he doesnt get the hint with the silence whilst hes doing it, i'd suggest speaking to him in a private room or face to face about it.

I had a similar problem when i worked in Milton Keynes (i'm from Northern Ireland). One of the senior team members insisted every time he saw me saying 'top of the morning to ya' in an irish accent. It went on and on and i ended up i just took him to one side and asked him to stop it as it was not welcome.

motorguy

pinkshoes wrote: »

Next time he does it, I would say either:

"given you mention my accent EVERY time I phone you, I'm beginning to think you really like it".

or

"Repeating the same thing over and over is a sign of old age. Perhaps you'd better get yourself checked out?"

or

"As you're having such difficulty with my accent, perhaps you'd like me to have a word with your boss so you can go on a special 'understanding yorkshire' training day?"

I wouldnt try to be 'witty' back to someone who thinks hes being 'witty' when hes actually being tedious. He'll only see it as a 'battle of wits'.

adouglasmhor

pgilc1 wrote: »

+1

If he doesnt get the hint with the silence whilst hes doing it, i'd suggest speaking to him in a private room or face to face about it.

I had a similar problem when i worked in Milton Keynes (i'm from Northern Ireland). One of the senior team members insisted every time he saw me saying 'top of the morning to ya' in an irish accent. It went on and on and i ended up i just took him to one side and asked him to stop it as it was not welcome.

My GF is from an Irish family though is a Coventry kid by birth and she had an obnoxious workmate here who did the "top of the morning" routine everytime he saw her. One day he didn't see me as I dropped her off for work and was surprised by the "and the rest of the day to yerself" from me, the Muppet never did it again.

mrcow

OP - I think your way forward is the best way to go.

Anything else is going to feed it. By ignoring and playing it down to make him look like a fool, you are maintaining the higher ground.

If you need to sound off - do it on here rather than to him. Bosses come and go. You may not even be working with him this time next year. He sounds very immature for a manager. He's not going to get very far in management if he treats his staff in this way. But that's not your problem I guess.

Hermia

I'm a Londoner working in the West Country and had similar problems. When I started a few of my colleagues thought it hilarious to either put on a stupid south London accent or would refer to me as a chav (I'm not and there seems to be no shortage of chavs here in the West!). I don't mind a bit of teasing, but it went on too long. I dealt with different people in different ways. One guy was quite caustic, but I also knew he could take a joke so I would just make him laugh by making "better a London chav than a straw-chewing, sheep-s****ing yokel" kind of remarks. Another person just seemed to be doing it because she was unsure of me as an outsider so I would put on an exaggerated London accent myself and say minging and innit a lot and that kind of got her on my side. Doing all this with a boss is a different kettle of fish. A lot of them do seem to like teasing other people, but can't cope if someone does it to them. I would either go for the looking bored and ignoring option or see if there is anyone you can get on your side.

Floss

bristol_pilot wrote: »

.... Chances are he will be sacked.

I think it would take more than this to sack him, but it could earn him a warning, either verbal or written.

loopy_lass

i personally wouldnt retaliate with a mimicked accent, he can use it against you also... i would just use the long silence while he rants on then on with the conversation.

i would however look for a way of an "anonymous" complaint to either him or his boss... from another "concerned" colleaqgue who has appeared to become aware of this treatment, of course the anonymous person could say if it doesnt stop they will report it offucially.

loops