Dealing with co-workers and manager who have huge egos and their expectations?

[Instnat-replay-1]

For the past 6 weeks, work's been hell for me, it's down to my manager and my co-workers. I work for a small firm which has 25 employees, 2 of them male. I do graphic design and some promotional work for them (well, handling the technical side of it, not modelling promotional work).

 

It's a simple set-up; boss, manager, employees; no HR, the boss headhunts/recruits employees via networking events.

 

My manager's 45, and she's obsessed with the state of her ego, refuses to do certain things claiming "It's not good for my ego", demands I create phoney accounts to follow her on Instagram, said her 500 Instagram followers are not enough, insists she needs 5,000 by next year, and more recently, she asked me to buy bikinis for all the staff on the company credit card.

 

I said to her no, that's wrong, but she insisted it was for the good of everyone. I know the two guys would not wear bikinis even if you paid them. Mind you they're 45 and 60.

 

She's taken to wearing belly-baring shirts around the office, bright pink belly-baring blouses, showing off her "taut midriff" (as she calls it) and gets very egotistical. Despite this, she insists on a strict work uniform policy for us about blouses and skirts/trousers, is this hypocrisy?

 

My manager sometimes strips to her sports bra in the office when no-one's looking, insists I should do it, I've told her no, she yelled at me and said:

YOU WILL DO IT. OR, YOU'LL BE SUSPENDED, SO GET WITH THE PROGRAM, LADY. I WAS A COP FOR 20 YEARS, NOW I CAN DO WHAT I DID AS A TRAFFIC COP TO YOU. SHOW ME YOUR SPORTS BRA. FOR GOD'S SAKE WOMAN, DRESS LIKE ME, THE BELLY-BARING BLOUSES I HAVE, IT'S SO COOL.

 

The caps lock is only on to reflect the tone of voice she used; she yelled at me like this in her office. She'd invited me into her office to discuss a payrise but it ended up being the rant mentioned above.

 

She gets obsessive over sports bras, has used the company Internet to look them up.

 

I also have a problem affecting me, which concerns a co-worker, 23, she's obsessed with selfies, won't do any projects she's assigned to do (I work for a small firm) and strips to her sports bra in the office (and asks me to view her "hot abs") and takes selfies of herself in lingerie in the office toilets, posting them on her social media, once she even posted it to the firm's Twitter page. My co-worker demands I buy her new Adidas crop tops and sports bras, and has said unless I get her one for Christmas she'll never work with me again. Which is damn impossible, since there's only a small group of employees.

 

I tried to ask her why she does this, she just screamed, yelled at me, accused me of being "fuddy-duddy" and asked about the color of my underwear and whether I was wearing a sports bra today.

 

I would complain to the boss, except she's on vacation for 3 weeks, now, she can afford the long vacation.

 

What the hell do I do?

[MightyPen]

Assuming this is a real situation and not entirely fictional, I sorta want to work there.

[dispatch3d]

Obviously quit while the going is good.

[katiegrl]

My manager sometimes strips to her sports bra in the office when no-one's looking, insists I should do it, I've told her no, she yelled at me and said:

 

"YOU WILL DO IT. OR, YOU'LL BE SUSPENDED, SO GET WITH THE PROGRAM, LADY. I WAS A COP FOR 20 YEARS, NOW I CAN DO WHAT I DID AS A TRAFFIC COP TO YOU. SHOW ME YOUR SPORTS BRA. FOR GOD'S SAKE WOMAN, DRESS LIKE ME, THE BELLY-BARING BLOUSES I HAVE, IT'S SO COOL. "

 

The caps lock is only on to reflect the tone of voice she used; she yelled at me like this in her office. She'd invited me into her office to discuss a payrise but it ended up being the rant mentioned above.

 

 

What the hell do I do?

 

Sweetness, the above is grounds for a harassment (as well as other causes of action) lawsuit....so what I would do is document everything she says to you (I wish you had the above in writing!).... and go to your company's HR Manager and tell him/her what your manager from hell is saying/doing and tell your HR Manager that it's creating [what is known as a] "hostile work environment" for you... and if something doesn't stop, you will be filing a lawsuit....

 

There will be an internal investigation, other employees will be interviewed coorborating her behavior, and SHE will be interviewed also, and reprimanded!

 

If her behavior continues, talk to an employment lawyer. They usually take these cases on contingency, which means no cost to you, the lawyer will take a portion of the settlement or judgment.

 

You will win the case too because her behavior is so unprofessional, so hostile, so egregious.... that I am absolutely shocked that she has been allowed to get away with that CRAP for as long as he has been!

 

There are labor laws protecting employees from this type of shyt in the workplace.... don't be passive here, stand up for yourself and your rights!

 

You will be yourself and others are great disservice if you don't.

Edited November 25, 2015 by katiegrl

[anika99]

Lol....people yelling at you about sports bras? Demanding that you wear sports bras, demanding that you buy them sports bras, demanding that you strip down to your sports bra...lol. Does this company design sports bras?

 

If this story is true then find something better and quit.

[VeveCakes]

Assuming this is a real situation and not entirely fictional, I sorta want to work there.

 

thats what I was thinking too..... lol

 

Get it on video - the stripping and demands...BILL 168 happening here.

[GunslingerRoland]

Umm... this is the most blatant sexual harassment I've ever heard about.

 

 

She is demanding you strip to your underwear in the workplace? What kind of a firm is this anyway?

[GunslingerRoland]

Assuming this is a real situation and not entirely fictional, I sorta want to work there.

 

That is the absolute last place YOU should be working. lol