90s kid Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 I'm having an issue with my immediate supervisor. When I go to my boss with questions, he acts bothered and irritated. I know I'm a smart person and I only go to him with difficult issues that i can't figure out on my own. His body language is aggressive and he doesn't make me feel welcome to asking questions or seeking advice, although that's a HUGE part of his job. He literally told me recently that it was my problem and I needed to figure it out. The higher ups would be pretty upset about that considering most of what he's paid for is leading the team, assisting us, and resolving issues. I feel like he's extremely lazy and I also suspect he gets irritated because he doesn't know the answers to my questions. I'm considering emailing him with my concerns. Or do you think I should go over his head and complain to the higher ups? 1 Link to post Share on other sites
AMJ Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 Well 90s kid...every workplace has a different culture. I don't think there is a clear-cut answer to your situation. How long have you been in this job? Can you describe the types of questions you have? Were you not trained for your position at all, or are you being asked to take on new assignments? How do you approach him with your questions? Do you have a regularly scheduled meeting or do you interrupt him whenever you have an immediate question? In my experience, a supervisor is not always required or responsible to train subordinates. Sometimes they really do want you to figure things out on your own. That's what they mean when they say they're looking for a "self-starter with initiative". If you work at a larger company, there may be SOPs you can read and other documents stored on a server that explain certain procedures and practices, and may have answers to your questions. Or maybe he'd prefer you to direct your specific questions to staff in other departments- for example, data issues and IT issues to those departments, finance and purchasing issues to those departments, etc. One suggestion, if you don't already, is to log all of your questions and take several questions to him at once, rather than interrupting him for a single question at various points of the day. That is distracting and honestly would bother anyone. He is your boss, but he also has his own work to do. Managing you is just one item on his to-do list. Its not like his sole purpose is to answer your questions and help you get your work done. What types of questions do you feel he doesn't know the answer to? I would think twice before going over his head. Again, how long have you been working at this company? There's a good chance that his superiors would likely side with him, despite what you seem to think, and then you will look like, for lack of a better word, a cry-baby. Unprofessional. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Satu Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 Keep a diary of incidents, giving the exact detail, and dates/times of what happened. Do this for at least two months. If you go to senior management without those exact details, you won't be taken seriously. You might even be rebuked. In the meantime, be very clear about what you're asking for when you bring an issue to your supervisor. Take care. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Author 90s kid Posted June 2, 2016 Author Share Posted June 2, 2016 How long have you been in this job? Can you describe the types of questions you have? Were you not trained for your position at all, or are you being asked to take on new assignments? How do you approach him with your questions? Do you have a regularly scheduled meeting or do you interrupt him whenever you have an immediate question? One suggestion, if you don't already, is to log all of your questions and take several questions to him at once, rather than interrupting him for a single question at various points of the day. That is distracting and honestly would bother anyone. I've been working here for several years. I'm very well trained. However, occasionally I do have questions and it is literally his job as my supervisor to answer them. I rarely go to him (maybe once a week) with questions because of his attitude. I only go if I was unable to figure out the issue after reviewing company policy. He is well known in the office for being moody and I feel uncomfortable asking him anything because he always seems so agitated. I'm a very independent worker. Trust me, I am not taking up much of his time. Link to post Share on other sites
AMJ Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 My suggestion is to try to resolve the problem with him first before going over his head. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Buddhist Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 (edited) I'm considering emailing him with my concerns. Or do you think I should go over his head and complain to the higher ups? Only ever do this is you have no interest in working there any further. People get into management positions by being connected. You do not know who he is connected to. Burn him to his boss and you may find yourself on the end of a managing out process. As a supervisor myself, I am constantly interrupted and annoyed by lazy coworkers who can and should figure things out for themselves but much prefer to palm off responsibility by going to the supervisor. It is very irritating in that position. Not saying that's you, but it could be other people and hence his general demeanour of being irritated when approached. Perhaps when you approach you should present to him not only the problem but also what you've done to try and fix it. Edited June 3, 2016 by Buddhist 1 Link to post Share on other sites
OpenBook Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 Ask for a regularly scheduled meeting with him (some companies call it a One-On-One) once or twice a week. Same day and time each week. No longer than a half-hour per meeting. Offer to set it up for him, put it on his calendar. Collect your questions and ask them during these regular meetings. Make sure the questions are as specific as possible. Research as much as you can before you meet with him, so you'll at least have something to work with. Make it clear to him you're just looking for him for guidance, to point you in the right direction - you'll do all the heavy lifting. And whenever you have a chance to make him look good, do it (regardless of how you feel about him). You wouldn't believe how that greases the wheels in your favor. You don't really know what he goes through in his daily job, he might be getting beat up every day from the higher-ups. I'm a strong believer that an essential part of any job is to make your boss look good. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
AMJ Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 Absolutely- making your boss look good always makes you look good. Even if you cannot stand and despise your boss on a personal level, on a professional level, you need to make that relationship work in their favor. If I had a dollar for every supervisor I've had who couldn't answer my questions and honestly avoided my questions...lol. OP if you could provide more details about what types of questions or problems you're having, maybe we could be more helpful. But at first you made it sound like a major issue and now you're saying you rarely even have a question to ask him... Link to post Share on other sites
Author 90s kid Posted June 3, 2016 Author Share Posted June 3, 2016 Absolutely- making your boss look good always makes you look good. Even if you cannot stand and despise your boss on a personal level, on a professional level, you need to make that relationship work in their favor. If I had a dollar for every supervisor I've had who couldn't answer my questions and honestly avoided my questions...lol. OP if you could provide more details about what types of questions or problems you're having, maybe we could be more helpful. But at first you made it sound like a major issue and now you're saying you rarely even have a question to ask him... Otherwise we get along fine, because I keep quiet about how much I actually dislike him. I'm great at my job and he recently gave me a great evaluation. As far as work ethic, I don't think there's much more I can do to be a better employee. At my office, we work mostly independently. But sometimes I have questions about policies or processes. Before going to him, I usually try to find the answer by reviewing guidance documents or asking my other coworkers. I only go to him for difficult or important questions. The other supervisors I've had in the past have been very patient and kind towards their employees. I want to emphasize that assisting, educating, and trouble shooting is part of his job. I honestly think he"s just a moody and impatient person. I worked with him in the past before he became a supervisor and he was the same way. Link to post Share on other sites
Author 90s kid Posted June 3, 2016 Author Share Posted June 3, 2016 How would you feel if you came to your supervisor for help and his response was, "figure it out, its not my problem." In my office, its expected that you go to your direct supervisor with questions and figure it out as a team. That's hard to do with someone who's not interested in assisting his own staff. In any case, I decided not to go over his head. I wrote him an email saying that I need more direction and more education when i come to him with questions. I tried to make it about me and what I need to do a good job. Link to post Share on other sites
AMJ Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 How would I feel? It sucks- I hear you. I'm saying that it's a very common reality. You seem to have been very lucky with patient past supervisors. In my last job, my boss was hired one month before I was. Her predecessor had quit and moved far away so she was trained by my predecessor. And then she was supposed to train me. Unfortunately for me- and everyone else who had to work with her- she was a complete idiot and did not learn anything she was taught. Not only did she not have any information to help me learn my job (when I went to her with questions she literally said "I don't know, ask someone else" not just once but every single time and I am not exaggerating...and this was when I was days and weeks into my job, not years), she actually gave me INCORRECT information quite often that made me look dumb but also caused some pretty serious problems. I spent most of my time cleaning up her messes. People in the division were well aware that she was completely incompetent and incapable of handling her position. She had no prior management experience. I had more experience and education than she did. That was only one bad experience I've had in my career. I've had several and close to many. Maybe it is the case your manager doesn't know how to answer your questions. You've been there for years, I'm assuming your questions are a bit complex. If that is the case, there's not much you can do. Managers typically feel that if they admit they don't know things they lose credibility and subordinates will respect them less, which weakens their ability to manage. So he may never admit he doesn't know the answer. You'll need to get creative to find your answers if thats the case. Link to post Share on other sites
anika99 Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 What does aggressive body language look like? Link to post Share on other sites
Author 90s kid Posted June 3, 2016 Author Share Posted June 3, 2016 What does aggressive body language look like? I meant to say that his body language seems agitated. Rolling his eyes, sighing loudly, his tone is very curt, things like that. Link to post Share on other sites
Nowty V Posted June 5, 2016 Share Posted June 5, 2016 I have a view, it's a different perspective. Do you really need all the stress wrapped up in this whole thing? I'm reminded of something my therapist said. "You may be right, but do you want to be right or do you want to be Happy?" You say "I only go if I was unable to figure out the issue after reviewing company policy.[sIZE=2][/sIZE]" Have you been relying on them instead of using the Quality & Codes of Practice manual? If they are being unhelpful and discourteous stuff them! If you like working there and see a progression, bide your time and keep your head down. Do something for your own continuing Professional Development, take the manual home and learn it by rote. Diffuse any implied tension with your supervisor and enjoy your career. You obviously intimidate with your professionalism... So keep it up Link to post Share on other sites
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