How should I handle my boss's behaviour?

MrsCorleone

Hi guys. Just looking for a bit of advice here.

Basically I have been at my current job (retail sector) about six months now and since I started (but more so as of late) my boss, who is also the store director, has been making me feel so miserable at work.

He has a terrible reputation amongst the staff anyway for intimidating people (mostly the young girls), constantly picking at members of staff, talking to people in a very rude, nasty and condescending manner and just making the morale horribly low.

The shop also has a huge turnover of staff, (due to him firing people a lot or people leaving because of him) since I started six months ago, thirteen people have either been fired or have left. He also keeps staff on probation period for a ridiculous amount of time. It's initially supposed to be six months but it's always extended continually for stupid reasons like if you've had one day off in six months or have been late once. Whilst on probation he fires people without notice.

In regards to myself, since I've been there himself and one of the other managers have been seeming to pick on me and won't just leave me alone to do my job. A few weeks back he gave me a written warning over a genuine mistake I made at work. Recently he also called me into the office over something ridiculous and spoke to me in a very nasty and intimidating manner, so much so that I got upset about it at work later that day which I have never done in a job before! He's constantly watching the staff on the cameras and calls you into the office for anything he deems you to be doing wrong. This was just one of a few incidents. I feel as if he is trying to push me and bully me out of my job as he's not like this with all members of staff.

I feel constantly on edge when he's in and keep wondering when the next call into his office will be. One staff member has been off for weeks due to stress because of the disciplinaries he hands out for completely ridiculous reasons. He's making me worry for my job and its security as I feel like one mis-step on this never ending probation period and he will fire me.

Thankfully I'm part of a union. If I get another call into his office and he speaks to me like that again how should I respond? I was thinking of obviously just being calm and telling him that I understand what he's saying but I will be making a call to my union as I feel I am being picked on and bullied by him. Is this the right way to play it? I feel like he needs somebody to stand up to him as he gets away with treating everybody like dirt. He really is a bully.

I'm looking for another job but in the meantime I need to nip this in the bud if he does it again as I've had enough. I'm also going to write down all of the incidents that have happened so far.

Any other advice from anybody who's been in a similar situation?

Thanks in advance!

mum2one

The good thing is your in a union so will have some help, what I would do is write all the incidents down that represent you, you could be in an industry which has a high turnover naturally - so your boss may be able to use this as an excuse.

If it was me I would speak to Union as if he is calling disciplinary meetings and not following correct protocol then the process could be open to abuse.

Try and keep your head up, I know its easier said than done.

10 yrs ago I took my employer to tribunal and its not a process I would want to repeat, I took an out of court settlement with no liability admitted.

bluenoseam

You do realise you've been there 6 months, if he wants rid of you, you'd already be gone & there's nothing you could do about it right? The union can't do much given the length of time served & ultimately, he doesn't even need a reason.

zzzLazyDaisy

Your problem is that you started with this employer after 5th April 2012.

That means you have to work there for 2 years before you have the right to go to an employment tribunal. Which means that barring unlawful discrimination (sex, race, disability etc) they can terminate your contract for any reason and you won't have a leg to stand on. So the issue of the probationary period is a bit of a red herring since they can dismiss you probationary period or not, within the first 2 years.

If you want to keep your job, that means keeping your head down.

Thank this government for eroding workers rights.

Daisy

Shawn_Dark

It's really sad that things like this happen. My brother-in-law got fired from a well-known high street shop for pretty much the same thing (i.e. bullied out).

I would keep a work diary of every event, every day.

Sadly you really can't do much and the sooner you come to terms with that the better. It really will help you get through the day a lot better.

In the meantime, try and plan out your future options, e.g:

- Start your next job (even if its part-time)
- decide on whether you want to change careers?
- research into a qualification that will help you get ahead.
- seek advice from people who may be able to help (CAB even?).

The union thing might work out for you but even if it doesn't, your manager wont be able to behave unprofessionally in front of your representative. If he still does, its definitely time to move on (even if it means temporary unemployment - its not worth the stress after all).

heretolearn_2

Get another job.

You won't change your boss's approach. You won't teach him to treat people differently. You'll just be miserable there.

I worked for two bullies. One I felt trapped in the job for various reasons and stayed for years - he was just awful. I was the only one to stand up to him and in a sense it made things a bit better because he basically just blanked me and refused to talk to me unless he really had to after that, but it made work very difficult.

The next company I went to was also run by a bully, and I knew by the end of day 1 I'd immediately start looking for something else. Took me 3 months - but I got the best job I'd ever had so it all turned out well in the end.

You honestly cannot do anything to change these people. Get out.

Nicki

The manager may well have an unfortunate manner about him but is it possible he is also doing his job?

You say you work in the retail sector and that you just want to be allowed to do your job but are constantly being challenged about "ridiculous" things not just by this manager but another one too. Is it that you work for a chain with a brand image and you are being asked to do things in the way the head office of that chain wants them done which might be slightly different from your previous employer.

If you did something wrong at work whether deliberately or carelessly why would you think it was bullying to be disciplined for this? Same question in relation to your comment about people being disciplined for being late.

Are you completely sure you don't have an attitude at work which rubs your manager up the wrong way and makes him less inclined to cut you some slack?

TrickyWicky

Nicki wrote: »

The manager may well have an unfortunate manner about him but is it possible he is also doing his job?

What company WANTS a high turnover of staff and recruitment costs? - 13 members of staff in six months is pretty serious.

Nicki

TrickyWicky wrote: »

What company WANTS a high turnover of staff and recruitment costs? - 13 members of staff in six months is pretty serious.

That depends on the size of the store and the kind of staff who have left though. If it is a large store, and some of those who have left were for example students who were working to subsidise their university costs and have left because their course has come to an end and they are no longer living in the area, then it suddenly doesn't look so terrible.

What raises alarm bells with me is that OP it turns out is having issues with other members of management, not just the one with the unfortunate manner. That does raise a question as to whether its her or them with the problem.

OP hasn't said what the "ridiculous" issues are. It seems to me though that in retail your job is to do what the manager wants you to do in the way that he or she wants you to do it, however ridiculous you think that way may be. I don't suppose McDonalds servers for example particularly mean it when they say "Have a Nice Day" after they serve you, nor do they probably want to have to say it, but as that is the image their brand wants to portray, it would still be a disciplinary if they refused to do so, however well they made your burger or put it on the tray, and arguing at tribunal that it was a ridiculous non issue would not get you very far. Unless OP can say that she is being asked to do something which is unsafe or illegal, I doubt she has a leg to stand on just because she doesn't like they way that store does things.

Mojisola

heretolearn wrote: »

Get another job.

You won't change your boss's approach. You won't teach him to treat people differently. You'll just be miserable there.

You honestly cannot do anything to change these people. Get out.

I second this.

Life's too short to be miserable at work.

Keep your head down, grit your teeth and look for another job.

DKLS

Agree with Mojisola, get out as fast as you can for the sake of your own health.

Its worth working out whether the fight is worth it or not to you.