Guest Posted January 5, 2004 Share Posted January 5, 2004 I have been working as a temporary secretary for the last few months. I'm not a secretary by trade but thats the only work I can find. I can't not work - I support myself and I'm certainly old enough to stand up for myself. Today I'm sitting at someone elses desk since I don't have my own logon yet and I found this website. I've been reading it all morning and want to post a question. I just accepted a long-term temporary position so I can relax about money for a little while -- no more of the week to week stuff and I'm counting my blessings that I have a place to go each week while I'm looking for a permanent job. However, I want to kill someone at this job. He treats me like an uneducated, ignorant slave. I'm surprised he doesn't want me to wipe his butt for him or even squeeze the s*** out of him so he doesn't have to expend any energy tigthenting his spincters! Everyone has voice mail. A new system was just put in place. He came over and "asked" me to set his up. I said I didn't even have my own ID yet (I started right before Christmas) but I handed him the instructions and asked if this would help--I thought he was just having trouble because its a new system. He yelled (and I do mean raised his voice so all could hear, said in an extremely derrogatory and demeaning manner) that he wanted me to do it because he doesn't want his voice on the machine. He slapped away the papers I was holding and said "I want YOU to DO it and never mind this stuff" Everyone in the office heard him and I was furious. Another person came over and told me that the reason the last two people in my spot were fired was because they argued with this guy over something this stupid. He has a lot of clout and in my spot there is no one to back me up. I've already been called "just a temp" as though I have less value and am a necessary evil--or a slave. Everyone else sends their own faxes, gets their own coffee, etc. He sits right next to the fax machine for cripes sake but he would rather type me a long detailed email and have me complete a fax cover and fax his document. I refuse to bring his coffee to him every day and he is pissed about that. I'm only making $18/hour and am just supposed to be the administrative assistant on this special project. I'm not a maid or baby-sitter. If I speak up for myself (like I normally would) I'll be booted out the door -- I've already been told that. But I HATE putting up with someone who treats me like dirt. I am too old for this. I'm 45 not some 19 year old who doesn't know what they are doing. It's getting difficult for me to stay focused and stay positive. I'm going backwards in my career and can't seem to get ahead. A lot of people are going through that I know. Its hard not to get depressed though no matter how many others are experiencing the same thing. I find myself gritting my teeth whenever I see him walking by. He NEVER smiles and always looks like hes in a very bad mood and ready to snap. Since I now have his logon ID for his voice mail I will change his greetings again on the day that I leave this place. What kind of horrid messages would you suggest if it were you? I don't want something filthy but something a little sinister would be nice. He's about 900 years old (probably in his late 50's but looks and acts a LOT older) white guy, married (Yikes - poor woman) and is loud, obnoxious, and rude. He seems to think that all decent women are married and those that work are poor trash unless they are in nursing or teachers (I've heard him say something to this effect to someone else right before Christmas. I thought maybe I walked in on the end of a conversation but now I think he is serious)His name is Frank. Link to post Share on other sites
dyermaker Posted January 5, 2004 Share Posted January 5, 2004 I would recommend no sinister messages at all, remain proffessional, in the end you'll be glad that you took the high road. Does your place of business have a human resources department? Make the problem him, not you. Link to post Share on other sites
moimeme Posted January 5, 2004 Share Posted January 5, 2004 The sad fact of worklife is that you have to put up with idiots. If you are low man on the pole - and there is NOTHING lower than a temp - you have to suck it up. Do NOT ruin his message. It will ruin your relationship with your temp agency and wreck your chances of getting better assignments. Assign him to the 'idiot' corner of your mind. Ignore him and thank your lucky stars that you won't be there forever or, even worse to contemplate, that you're not married to this idiot. It's a pity that morons like this never get fired. It puts the lie to the 'merit principle'. Worst of all, you'd have to do only a tiny thing to lose your job where he's Teflon. Which is why, if the gods are kind, I'll one day win a lottery and never again have to deal with jerks like that, since I've had my fill and then some. For you, however, maintain your professional conduct and do NOT burn any bridges. You should, however, report the situation to your temp agency and suggest they warn any future employees they assign to that place. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted January 5, 2004 Share Posted January 5, 2004 I am a temporary - I have no rights at all, except basic civil rights and he has not violated those at all. I don't really care about the "professional" aspect of this -- its not like I would ever get a reference from him. He still calls me by the name of the first temp they had over a year ago. Apparently he calls all temporary secretaries "Kim" and doesn't bother to learn their/our names because we don't rate for anything. While I am here I certainly will conduct myself professionally and he is certainly a great motivator to find a new position, but I still want to change his voice mail greeting when I leave. I don't want something that I could be arrested for -- just some sarcasm or something really rude that I could say. I'm still too angry to think up anything on my own. Link to post Share on other sites
moimeme Posted January 5, 2004 Share Posted January 5, 2004 its not like I would ever get a reference from him. No, but he will report you to your agency and they will not be impressed by your unprofessional behaviour. It's your choice, but it would be a stupid thing to do. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted January 5, 2004 Share Posted January 5, 2004 I did talk to the agency about him and they knew and did not tell me. He calls the agency frequently to complain about the temporaries that are sent out. I don't work for him and he has complained to the man I do work for -- who told me to ignore him if I can thats "just the way he is" and that I just had to do what he asked. The agency totally disregards this man -- they investigated the first couple of times but when he has the same complaints about different people and doesn't even know their names the agency pays no attention to them. I have excellent and verifiable references and I'm sure I will receive one from this position too. Frank is a contract person (everyone on this project is on contract) and this is Frank's last project before retirement in February 2005. The agency understands and they are grateful that I'm willing to stay here. Apparently the two before me were fired, but before them there were others that worked a few weeks and quit. I don't have that luxury - I can't quit unless I have someplace else to go. I am determined to have the last word -- and that will be a shift in his voice mail message. Thanks anyway. My agency told me to just be honest, but I can say it in a sarcastic way. "This is Frank XXXXX'x voice mail. He refused to record his own message. Leave a message at the beep" But I'd like something a little more creative. Link to post Share on other sites
cdn Posted January 5, 2004 Share Posted January 5, 2004 Don't do it. You never know when it will come back to haunt you. Very early on in my career I worked with a woman who was a real jerk. Nearly 15 years and several states later, her name came up in conversation with a friend of mine who worked for another company. The "jerk" was interviewing for a position with my friend's department. You know the rest. Link to post Share on other sites
dyermaker Posted January 5, 2004 Share Posted January 5, 2004 You're a big girl, you can do whatever you want, but it doesn't look like anyone wants to help you, which should illustrate what a bad decision it is that you're choosing to make. Link to post Share on other sites
quankanne Posted January 5, 2004 Share Posted January 5, 2004 my suggestion? just kill him with kindness. Don't ingratiate yourself, but be overwhelmingly polite. That usually drives people nuts when they're being a jerk -- and believe me, people will see HIM making an ass of himself, not YOU. as for the voicemail, still kill him with kindness. Of course that doesn't mean to say that you can't re-record his message in a dipsy-chick, over-bubbly and breathless voice ... with lots of giggling thrown in! heh-heh, people would get much more of a laugh from that (can you imagine a guy named Frank who sounds like a bimbo?) than any sarcastic bent you could add to a message. Link to post Share on other sites
brashgal Posted January 5, 2004 Share Posted January 5, 2004 Many voicemail systems have just a generic greeting (you know, the machine generated one) - you could just let it default to that so that callers wouldn't be sure they were reaching the right place. Some of them have the option "this extension is not accepting messages" and will hang up on the caller or transfer them somewhere - also an option - he might not ever get messages. Unfortunately anything you do in your own voice leaves you vulnerable - you don't know how it could come back to haunt you. Since these are computerized switches, they track which phone the greeting is changed from (computers track everything), make sure you make the change from HIS phone. That way he appears to be the stupid one, somehow he screwed up his voice mail. And you still might get caught. Fun to think about though - hopefully by the time you leave you'll realize that he screws up his life quite well for himself, he doesn't need any help and you won't care enough to do anything but say "buh-bye!". Link to post Share on other sites
Revenge=good Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 "Hello, you've reached the office of Frank XXXXX. I am currently away from my desk. At this very moment I am probably either being a total dick to my admin or putting more cream on my immense hemmorhoids. Please your name, phone number and a brief message and I will call you back after I wash my hands." OR you could always put a little x-lax in his coffee..... Link to post Share on other sites
shortbus74 Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 I agree with quack...kill with kindness..... (it is so hard but it does pay off) good luck with mr.crabbypants Link to post Share on other sites
tiki Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 I think that the best thing to do is to leave the message on his v-mail recorder saying, "Hi, this is Frank, leave a message." The message will be in your voice (a woman's) and will make the message sound questionable. May even get a laugh or two. People will poke fun of him with the female voice on the recorder saying she's him. He might then decide he needs his own voice on there? Link to post Share on other sites
shortbus74 Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 tiki.....good point...it is so strange when you call someone and it is not them on voice mail.... Link to post Share on other sites
tiki Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 ESPECIALLY if she is saying "Hi, this is Frank". He'll get picked on BIG TIME. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 Gosh, this is old. I've been around the board for a long time now (in various forms!) I left a sharp-toned voice mail on his machine: You have reached Frank XXX's voice mail. That's all I said and it you could hear me gritting my teeth. A few people did remark on it, but could find no legal or unprofessional errors in it. I'm still at this company as a temp, although I have taken on a lot more responsibility -- mainly Frank's because I complained and threatened an harrassment law suit and Frank has been gone for a long time now & they haven't replaced him---just split up his work amongst the rest of us! I got a raise out of it and earned a LOT of respect. I even have an assistant now---another temp of course! She is treated with respect by almost everyone (there will always be a few ignoramouses around!) Link to post Share on other sites
tiki Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 OMG I feel stoopid. WHO DUG THIS SH*T UP?!? I hate that! Sorry. Link to post Share on other sites
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