My boss reprimanded me in front of the office

[yankeeyosh]

As some of you know, I have experienced a shortage of work on my job. There are days where I literally do nothing. I asked my boss over and over again for work, and 9 times out of 10 he said there wasn't work, and he really hasn't made much effort to go out of his way to look for work for me. So, I have tried to take the bull by the horn and asked people in different areas if they need help with anything. At 5 PM today, my boss came up to me and told me I should not do that anymore since it makes him look bad, and everything must go through him. And on top of that, he said it in front of everyone still in the office. It was a very depressing situation, very demoralizing, and I wonder if my job (whatever job it is) might be on the line now. :cry:

[wordsmith]

For what it's worth, when I got unfairly reprimanded and spoken to abusively in front of my entire team, I got another job and quit, and had the support of the majority of my coworkers in doing so. When given the opportunity to leave an environment where I wasn't being treated with the respect I was giving, the choice was easy. I did request an audience with the CEO and HR prior to leaving, but my mind was already made up to leave, so it wasn't so much seeking counsel as it was airing my grievances. Do you have any upper level or HR advocacy?

[yankeeyosh]

For what it's worth, when I got unfairly reprimanded and spoken to abusively in front of my entire team, I got another job and quit, and had the support of the majority of my coworkers in doing so. When given the opportunity to leave an environment where I wasn't being treated with the respect I was giving, the choice was easy. I did request an audience with the CEO and HR prior to leaving, but my mind was already made up to leave, so it wasn't so much seeking counsel as it was airing my grievances. Do you have any upper level or HR advocacy?

Not really. This company is a complete top-down bureaucracy where everyone knows everything and the manager is always right. I spoke to my mom, and she said that he was correct, and that I should shut my mouth.

The problem is that I can't leave this job till the end of March or else I have to pay back the company $5,000. And if I get fired, I still owe $5,000.

[gemma-dahl]

I really don't think you did anything wrong. Perhaps the only thing you could do different next time is to space apart the times you ask for work, and try different formats (via e-mail, face-to-face, telephone) of message delivery.

Unfortunately, many, many companies have their pick of job candidates right now, and needn't approach employee relations with the sort of care that is imperative in a job-seeker's economy.

Like you, yankeeyosh, I am working in a position where I am not given duties or responsibilities. Unlike you, I was recently spoken to abusively and publicly not by my manager, but by a fellow cubicle jockey around my age who has taken it upon himself to run the department. (My manager is apathetic and is therefore permitting this behavior.) This fellow also took it upon himself to cut my hours. Furthermore, I learned that I am earning 30 percent less than male employees in my job class (which is entry-level for its pay grade...the pay scale is all kinds of bureaucratic).

I plan to go to Human Resources to discuss my options, because I prefer rational planning to quitting in a huff. I think that is the best recourse for you as well.

[LilGuillermo]

okay, you said you have days where you don't do anything...well do you get reprimanded for that? (at my job if the boss doesn't give us anything to do then we don't do anything and consequently get yelled at for that!) if not then enjoy yourself and play soliataire or something, I preferably like "helicopter game", I mean yeah,.. it may not be your cup of tea, but things could be worse...now if you do get reprimanded for that, then maybe there's something legal you could work with (I'm not johnny cochran, so I can't really give too much advice on that part) It's like your boss reprimanded you in front of WITNESSES for trying to show initiative! I mean the company is putting you in a position where you can't win, that's not fair to you, they should let you go if you ask so...

[Honey418]

Not really. This company is a complete top-down bureaucracy where everyone knows everything and the manager is always right. I spoke to my mom, and she said that he was correct, and that I should shut my mouth.

The problem is that I can't leave this job till the end of March or else I have to pay back the company $5,000. And if I get fired, I still owe $5,000.


Your mom is absolutely right. Maybe you can slow down how fast you do your work and try to space projects out. When there is not enough to do it is frustrating but there is nothing your boss can do about it. Maybe you can start thinking of projects for yourself to do and present them to your boss. It is actually extra work for your boss to have to think of work for you to do if there is no work to be done. If I was your boss I would have reprimanded you too.

[hop2it22]

It's always upsetting when the boss says something harsh in front of the rest of the team; unfortunately, if you quit, the only one who loses is you--the job, benefits, and $5000.

I hear your frustration and hate being slow myself--know that this job will certainly not be your last, but for now it probably makes more sense to hang in there for the few months and start looking for new opportunities.

Although your boss makes the rules, do not take it personally--you were just trying to be helpful by asking for work, the same way your boss was just trying to follow the rules when he reprimanded you. I'm sure you're a hard worker, and if you keep up the good work, something much better will eventually come your way, and you will be appreciative for having something to do again. Best of luck to you.

[sam handwich]

Given the description of your boss, how he deals with things, and the work environment, it sounds like the company needs to hire an industrial/organizational psychologist or consulting firm. I bet you are not the only one working there who has that low morale.

[wordsmith]

Exactly. The psycho office I left has a humongous morale problem, and insane turnover. Def. not just me.