Impeach your bosses! People will support you!

[RecordProducer]

Send your bosses to hell, report them to their supervisors, stand up to them... don't take their crap, don't get a heart attack because some piece of shyt enjoys messing with you. Read my story...

 

Last semester has been very hard because I had two supervisors who were jerks. One of them was a form of internship as part of my law school program (for credit) and started last semester. The other one was unrelated to the school and I began interning there 1.5 years ago.

 

Boss #1

 

So, the entire semester I was treated by this supervisor like I was stupid, doing everything wrong; I didn't understand what she was talking about 90% of the time; I did basic administrative work instead of what I was supposed to do, and she even criticized me for doing secretarial work - the work she gave me. She was also rude to me occasionally. Needless to say, I felt like a failure, like an idiot, I hated my twenty hours per week in that office. Finally, I decide I am not going to ruin my mental health anymore and I will tell my professor who coordinates this program that I am quitting and not doing it next semester.

 

The professor first gets defensive, like I made my choice so I gotta stick with it, blah-blah-blah, but quickly switches to admitting that they've had the same problems with the same supervisor before - and were promised things would change. The school is even cancelling that office from that program because it sucks - and I kept saying from day one to everyone that the whole thing was a waste of time, but my colleagues were happy to get an easy grade. Let's see how easily we get jobs with that useless thing on our resumes. In any case, I was happy to find out I was not crazy and the lady really sucked. I will be assigned to another supervisor and will do real work next semester, hopefully. Bingo!

 

Boss #2

 

The second place where I worked was much more of a problem. Unlike the lady from above who was just a pain in the ass, this guy is a major jerk with all the major psychiatric personality disorders one could possibly collect in one DNA. A young shyt in his late 20s who thought himself the big boss of the world. He is a judge's clerk whose reponsibilities are not much bigger than mine as a judicial intern. By the way, I was hired by the judge a few months before he came to the chambers. He intiminated me in a bunch of ways, but I always tried to endure the mental torture and show strength and indifference. Finally, I just couldn't take it anymore because I was depressed and felt like this was putting additional pressure on me. But, the truth is this shyt has contributed to my depression.

 

So, I call the judge's secretary to schedule an appointment with the judge and tell her I am quitting and she (the secretary) is like totally on my side. She knows where I'm coming from, he's given crap to her too (she's in her 60s, has worked there since forever and is a good friend of the judge). She tells me the jerk was never my boss; he was only supposed to assign me work, review it and guide me, but not boss me around. She says, "sometimes I don't know what's going on in his head, and I don't want to know 'cause it's a very dark place."

 

She said no one has applied for internship (she guesses because of him) this season and the judge really needs interns. She said she's noticed the tension in chambers ever since he came and he must have been doing this to all the other interns as well. She even said the judge's husband has noticed the jerk's been a jerk and has told the judge about it.

 

In any case, I am meeting with the judge next week and am bringing some emails from the jerk as proof of his bossy, condescending, hostile, arogant tone. It feels soooooooooooooooo good to know that others have seen and felt what I've experienced. No matter how good he may be as a clerk, he's just a clerk. And he doesn't know how to deal with people. He was in the top 15% of his generation and yet couldn't get a wellpaid job at a law firm - as he himself said, "It's all about whether they like you or not." So, he knows nobody likes him. His clerk position is only for two years after graduation (a few more months). He was rude to attorneys on the phone, people who have practiced for many years - obviously he's not thinking that he'll be sitting one day in front of these attorneys asking them for a job and they'll be saying "Oh, you were the clerk who was barking at me on the phone, huh?"

 

I've wanted to tell him for so long, "You piece of shyt, your career is doomed from the start!" But, life will tell him that.

Edited December 31, 2011 by RecordProducer

[RecordProducer]

Spoke to my Judge. Told her for a few minutes that he was mentally abusive, bossy, quarrelsome, and then gave her the nasty emails he sent to me as illustrative of the painful tension. Was told later by another employee that he was also a jerk to other interns, as well. The Judge read the emails carefully in front of me and said she understood and then offered to transfer me to another department, which is fantastic because it's a better place and I've professionally outgrown my previous department anyway. She said I did good work for her, gave me some tips on job search and offered to give me good recommendations. She rocks!

 

Of course, it may be easier to complain about injustice to a judge because judges becomes judges because they want to do justice. Another boss may have been different, but bottom line is if you feel abused by someone at work and you've done nothing wrong, and you've tried to be cooperative, and you've endured the crap for a while - feel free to report it.

 

I believe it sounds much better when you can describe a pattern of abuse and show some proof (like my emails) than if you go and complain each time someone insulted you and cry "He said to me this, he said to me that." According to all the long-term employees there, this guy was a major jerk who majorly failed to realize he's a nobody there with no authority to boss around. At the end of the day, it was clear that we, the interns, did nothing wrong and we were victims of his personality disorder(s).

 

It's so sad that a smart person in his late 20s couldn't keep his psychological issues hidden and that he pooped on his career before it even began. Despite the myth that lawyers are sharks, clients want likeable lawyers - and he may have a problem with that in his career.

[Dust]

Thats really sad that he had such a great person like you working under him who he probably could have made a friend for life out of but instead decided to disrespect you. I feel really bad for this guy.

[carhill]

The first deal sounded promising and sorry that it didn't go that way.

 

The second one...ha ha, hope his W busts his balls at home too

 

I fired my only boss about 25 years ago. Maybe that's why I didn't do so good as a husband. I forgot who was boss.

[Dust]

The first deal sounded promising and sorry that it didn't go that way.

 

The second one...ha ha, hope his W busts his balls at home too

 

I fired my only boss about 25 years ago. Maybe that's why I didn't do so good as a husband. I forgot who was boss.

 

I really find women like the man to be the boss. Heck the girls I go out with don't even like to pick the resteraunt we go to... they will from time to time make me play the guessing game. And you have to play the game because if you just flat out ask them where they want to go they will reply with "I don't know?"

[RecordProducer]

Thats really sad that he had such a great person like you working under him who he probably could have made a friend for life out of but instead decided to disrespect you. I feel really bad for this guy.

Aww, you're sweet.

 

I read somewhere that bad bosses are the reason number one for employees quitting their jobs and looking for new ones. If I ever have my own business, I will tell the employees that they will be evaluated by everyone else for their friendliness and cooperation skills. Hell, I'd put hidden cameras to monitor the environment (would that make me a creepy boss?). I think it's disastrous and unproductive for any business to poison the employees' morale with sociopathic supervisors. I would monitor it for the purpose of maintaining a harmonious interaction among the employees - not so I could fire the ones who don't adhere to my standards.

 

In my case, the Judge, who is the only big boss there, never acts bossy, she respects everyone around her. I wonder what she's going to tell the little pisher. She's probably going to just give him motherly advice on how to cooperate with people in order to succeed in life, cuz she's a really nice lady. I'd tell him, "When you ask me for arecommendation, I'll have the iterns write you one - and I'll sign it!"

[carhill]

I impeached the boss and she 'fired' me in divorce court. People gave support but no donations!

 

Seriously, knowing a fair amount of entrepreneurs, some people are destined to fire/impeach their bosses and some people are destined to play the game. In this job market, playing with the fire of a showdown with a boss is tenuous at best. I support the OP's perspective in this area, now and in the past, but the present reward of such challenge and impeachment outweighed the present risk. With a different boss, and a family's present livelihood at stake, the process might have gone very differently.

 

If the current strategy had failed, even if it burnt local bridges, her potential career is portable and she could leave such circumstances behind and build anew somewhere else with little downside risk. I have some friends with long corporate careers behind them and now looking at retirement with children currently in college who might have a completely different perspective on such an impeachment, even if warranted and with sound evidence. Each situation is unique.

 

Here's to the next and last semester being a positive and uplifting experience

[RecordProducer]

With a different boss, and a family's present livelihood at stake, the process might have gone very differently.

Very true! But it's still a choice one can make. The fact is no one has to put up with work place abuse and because it's so wrong, one can always find a way to fight it.

 

I was also re-assigned to another supervisor at the other office. She's really cool and laid back. I am so excited!

 

Here's to the next and last semester being a positive and uplifting experience

Yay!