Have anyone have had a boss who is a psychopath?

TrickyWicky

There are two ways you can continue in this employment - as it is at war) or try and cozy up to this maniac and get them friendly.

I tried this in one job and it did work for a while but I was always the target when things went wrong so I stopped bothering and let the c**t (in his own words) get on with ruining the site for the company and himself. What can I say? They lost the contract not long after I left - I was one of the few that kept the place afloat and the boss had no idea how to run it (plus his non existent 'extensive' training was utterly useless and a ticking time bomb).

If you can gring and bear it then getting cosy with the boss may help you all but it'll only be a matter of time before it goes wrong if you can't. Some bosses are simply paranoid that the staff are conspiring against them - the staff getting sick of the crap treatment then decide they've had enough and start rebelling - making it even worse. If you can get inside their head and convince them that you're working to help support them then they'll love you but if they're just out to create war for the hell of it then you're screwed.

Something has to give and in this situation it's either the bully or the victim. You either gather the evidence and back each other up (write statements and have each one print and sign their name to it) or you start looking for something else and abandon the sinking ship.

As for recording, no it's not illegal (though only for individuals - companies have all sorts of DPA rules to adhere to) but you can't play those recordings to anyone unless you have the recorded persons consent - that doesn't apply where there is a judge or police involved though.

Coraline

TrickyWicky wrote: »

There are two ways you can continue in this employment - as it is at war) or try and cozy up to this maniac and get them friendly.

As of now I have come to realise that I cannot or will not work for this person any longer, I've figured out a way to keep the psycho at bay by just agreeing and nodding no matter what they say (doesn't matter if it contradicts everything told an hour before), just shut up and say yes. That will string me along until I find a new job.

But this will have a finite shelf life. Luckily I have patience, as now I'm beyond giving a flying farting ƒ**k but getting the next few paychecks until I wind up elsewhere.

Like you said tricky, it's only a matter of time! I've been fooled twice already, so I'm not going for the nice act again! I don't want war (just a battle) and surely can't put up with it.

TrickyWicky wrote: »

Something has to give and in this situation it's either the bully or the victim. You either gather the evidence and back each other up (write statements and have each one print and sign their name to it) or you start looking for something else and abandon the sinking ship..

You summed it up eloquently--as of now (well at heard I can only speak for myself) it's both. I want out, and at the same time to get the word out of the bag about this person. It's a constant that the abuse happens behind closed doors and far away from authority.

TrickyWicky wrote: »

As for recording, no it's not illegal (though only for individuals - companies have all sorts of DPA rules to adhere to) but you can't play those recordings to anyone unless you have the recorded persons consent - that doesn't apply where there is a judge or police involved though.

Thank you, that is reassuring. I think what I'm going to do is start hitting the record button and slipping the voice recorder in my pocket before all meetings. If it ever comes to the need to use them, I'll just double check with an employment solicitor. There are just too many things going on to know where and what is proper (department policies vs. UK law, etc, etc,) .

Well at this whole situation will at least help kill the time until my next holiday.

TrickyWicky

One thing to bare in mind if you record stuff is that if you ever go legal, you'll need typed transcripts of the recordings. Thats a LOT of typing and time (especially if you have weeks or months of recordings).

If thats your preferred option then you'll need to keep a diary / index of days / events so that you can minimise the recordings that you need to get transcribed. If you have a smartphone, you may (sorry I don't have one so don't know) be able to keep notes on that somehow in semi real time then update your diary when you get home.

You could also consider an annoymous witness such as twitter or something - something that will get your live comments timestamped to prove when you wrote them or just simple emails that are CC'd elsewhere but do it from your phone and not a work computer or they'll stitch you up for that too.

makeyourdaddyproud

TrickyWicky wrote: »

Yeah my boss before last was a total and utter head case. He was half english and half european and utterly screwy in the head.

Every day someone was a fu**ing c**t, every customer was a fu**ing c**t, every member of staff at our other site was a fu**ing c**t etc. Every morning he came to work he'd be in a rage until lunch, things would fly across the room, he was wonderful, the best, everyone else was scum etc.

Everyone hated him. Eventually I left as I'd had enough of his constant BS and a while later the company gave him the shove.

I hope that Danish King C.n.u.t. didn't suffer from dyslexia in his day.

Coraline

TrickyWicky wrote: »

One thing to bare in mind if you record stuff is that if you ever go legal, you'll need typed transcripts of the recordings. Thats a LOT of typing and time (especially if you have weeks or months of recordings).

Good thing to know--luckily I'll fast forward to the relevant parts and I'm an experienced audio-typist!

TrickyWicky wrote: »

If thats your preferred option then you'll need to keep a diary / index of days / events so that you can minimise the recordings that you need to get transcribed. If you have a smartphone, you may (sorry I don't have one so don't know) be able to keep notes on that somehow in semi real time then update your diary when you get home.

I'm doing the diary on pencil and paper...the only mobile phone I've ever had is the one they issued to me at work....and I would venture to guess that wouldn't be ideal for me to use for this sort of thing! (For this reason I never log into personal email accounts or MSE at work).

TrickyWicky wrote: »

You could also consider an annoymous witness such as twitter or something - something that will get your live comments timestamped to prove when you wrote them or just simple emails that are CC'd elsewhere but do it from your phone and not a work computer or they'll stitch you up for that too.

Ah, so you mean tweeting what is going on to an account that I made? but without a personal phone/laptop/whatever at my job that wouldn't work. I have an iPad with wifi...but if I used the wifi at work for that couldn't that open a can of worms??

Thanks much for your input, my colleagues and I will be taking these thought starters to the pub Friday after work. Or depending on how it goes tomorrow in the office....tomorrow!

TrickyWicky

makeyourdaddyproud wrote: »

I hope that Danish King C.n.u.t. didn't suffer from dyslexia in his day.

Would that be some sort of excuse for abusing people then?

TrickyWicky

Coraline wrote: »

I'm doing the diary on pencil and paper...

Wakey wakey.. pencil can be erased and edited. Just use a pen or you're going to end up finding your evidence is useless.

If you want to set yourself up for a fix, you're going about it the right way. Otherwise if you want to stand half a chance, don't do silly things like using a pencil. Use rock solid methods that can't be rejected.