I've just complained about my Line Manager...:-/

[PriorityOne]

Hi folks...

 

I made a complaint today, but have hesitated in making a formal complaint because I'm hoping for a resolution of some kind.

 

Very long story, but I feel harrassed in the role I've had since September this year. My Line Manager has 15 years experience of the job and is very good, but is not very articulate and has zero people skills. She's upset a number of people and already has one formal complaint against her.

 

I'm not out to cause trouble, but cannot work under her "control" any longer and have said the same in writing today. She tells me things that are dramatised to the hilt re. deadlines and scrutiny checks, etc. and tries to create a constant state of anxiety in all who work with her. I have supported several members of staff who have worked for her before I got my current role and actually went to see someone before I started because I sensed what could erupt between us. She has already made 5 members of staff quit over the years, but unlike other people before me I defend myself, which frustrates her further. This week, I've had enough and put the entire history of my dealings with her in writing. I'm fed up with her behaviour and attitude and am not prepared to put up with it any longer.

 

In my (email) letter, I have requested a different Line Manager or alternatively, a go-between to monitor the requests that she makes to me in future and her general behaviour as Head of Dept. The person I've written to has not got back to me as yet... so I assume that she's leaving me alone over the week-end to cool off.

 

Is there anything else I should be doing... or should have done... at this stage? The letter (email) has only gone to one individual in Management (who I trust) and I've printed "Private & Confidential" in large letters across the top. I've asked for her to discuss the content with me when she has the time.

 

My Line Manager knows nothing about this, but is well aware that she's p*ssed me off and gone too far.... so she's treading very carefully at the moment.

 

Thanks in advance for any replies....

[Conniff]

You have posed a difficult one here P1. As she treats all the same, there can be no suggestion of victimisation, so would you class her as bullying?

 

If that's her manner and it gets the job done, I can't see that without being able to put a title to her manner I don't know what the complaint could be.

[PriorityOne]

Her personality is bullying, yes. She's not someone I can approach to teach me aspects of the role that I do.... which is what she's meant to be doing; supporting. She's supposed to be teaching me the role...not chucking me in, expecting me to be psychic and work at home until 2am doing pointless tasks by hand (I kid you not). There's also issues about info. that should be passed onto me that's not, which means I can't do my job properly and risk looking incompetent. She's also being passing things to me that she should be doing herself and this is holding me back. Being "set up to fail" is the best way to describe it.

 

The complaint is not official and I don't wish to go down that road, but I'm no longer prepared to have meetings with her which involve pointless individuals who are only there for an audience for her to play to. They have no relevance to me or my role and they have a lesser role than both of us. They are invited to spectate, so to speak....

 

Difficult maybe.... but I'm not prepared to work with those levels of anxiety day in and day out on H&S grounds, if nothing else. She likes to "break" people. I've stood my ground and refused to take some of the sh*t she's tried to chuck at me this week.... so it's intensified as the week's gone on. After yesterday however, she realised that she'd gone a step too far and tried to creep this morning, but it's too late. If she falls out with me, her department will crumble because I'm holding up one end of it.

 

I'll have to see what happens next week.... I can't work like this and won't.

 

Thanks for replying.... it's good to get an outsider's point of view.

 

[PriorityOne]

Well.... had a meeting with Senior Management following my long email and I laid my cards on the table, so to speak. I asked what level of interference was acceptable. I also said that I wasn't prepared to work with such high levels of anxiety for no reason.

 

SM were very supportive and agreed to sit in on meetings between us so that her demands can be monitored against the facts of what actually needs to be done and when; as opposed to when she wants things done and why. I know that they're fully aware of what she's like (from previous complaints from different members of staff).

 

She is unaware that I've been to SM and that's fine. We fell out at the beginning of the week and didn't speak all day Tuesday, so I felt that I needed to speak to SM directly. She made the mistake of tackling me again today about an issue in a packed room and I shot her right down today because I'm now armed with the facts. Her face was a picture!... lol

 

Things are looking up.

[Conniff]

Ask her directly 'have you got a problem with me?'.

 

Well done anyway, makes you feel good I bet.

[PriorityOne]

Ask her directly 'have you got a problem with me?'.

 

Well done anyway, makes you feel good I bet.

 

I've tried that one.... she's too childish to get into any direct chat about it.

 

Her need is to feel important in her job.... but she doesn't need to. People see that she's good at her job. Unfortunately, they also think she's a complete prat because of how she flounces about. She's a fool to herself... because her role is only for a year to see how she goes. At the end of this academic year (school), they will be looking for someone to run the Dept. across 2 sites but her people skills are cack.... which means they could advertise it out.

[Conniff]

Make a walking away quip like 'obviously you didn't get your leg over again last night'

 

If she starts to cry you know the truth

[PriorityOne]

Make a walking away quip like 'obviously you didn't get your leg over again last night'

 

If she starts to cry you know the truth

 

I think that's half the problem actually...

[Conniff]

Shame - I'm not laughing honestly.

[PriorityOne]

Hmmm... I bet.... lol

[skonk]

This person sounds exactly like my girlfriends old manageress! If you look back to some of my threads, you'll see what i mean! All the staff had sent letters of grievance to head office, but she has friends in head office, and these letters all mysteriously vanished. Everyone thinks she has something over certain people in HO.

 

One time, the two trainee managers and the deputy manageress got together and put an official complaint in about this woman, about her constant bullying, screaming and swearing on the shop floor, and believe it or not, throwing things at members of staff! The area manager turned up, got them in the office and made them all burst into tears, shouting,"How dare you write such lies about this woman! Never do it again, or you'll be out"

 

Now, this area manager has left the company, a new guy is in, and can't stand this woman at all! Says she is a bully and straight away got her moved to another store. It seems that karma is now in effect, as her new staff in the new store are taking no sh*t from her. 6 of them have put a grievance in about her swearing and screaming at them in front of customers. Customers have even complained about the way she acts in the shop towards staff and customers.

 

Everyone thinks she has mental problems, and she even confessed to a member of staff who has left that she was on medication. The staff think the company are now scared to get rid of her if she does have mental issues. It does look though, that now all them greivances, etc. are being put together, to build up a case against her, and to cover themselves, and eventually sack her.

 

I can't even put into words how horrible this woman is! She threw a chair at a pregnant meber of staff, a stapler at a member of staffs head. A staff member was in hospital, rushed in with a collapsed lung, and the nurse called the staff members work to inform this manageress what had happened, and the manageress called the nurse a f'n liar, said she was full of sh*t, and told the nurse to tell that"f'n lying b*tch to get into work now or she's sacked! This girl is now working in my girlfriends store, after a meeting with her solicitor and head office! Company are running scared and I think they've had enough of her!

 

Really sorry to hijack this thread, but once I start typing abuot this woman, i can't stop!

 

Back to the OP though! It's really good to see you haven't jumped in, shouting the odds. You've stood up to her, and done it all the right way. If only more people had the courage to do so in many jobs now, the bullies wouldn't win. I hope it all goes well for you!

[Conniff]

If you have any contact with others in this store skonk then you should suggest that they mutiny. There is nothing she or anyone else can do it they all stick together.

You say they are taking no sh*t, but it is assault and the police should be called if she again throws something at another staff member.

 

If she balls out one of them in front of customers, they should all walk out. This sort of person can be beaten.

[skonk]

Conniff, what I put in my post is just a small example of what this woman is like! When she was manageress in my gf's store, they did get together and the deputy manageress spoke for everyone, and was instantly roared at and flipped on. Just after this horrible woman was moved, we found out the deputy manageress had a meeting with HO, went above the people she was meant to speak to, the same people this horrible manageress was friends with, and told them that the staff are all threatening to leave unless something is doen. That's why she got moved.

 

Unfortunately, instead of solving the problem, they've simply shifted it to another store. Although, as I put above, everyone thinks they've put her there while they gather their evidence against her. She makes MArgaret Thatcher look like an angel!

 

The other staff are always in touch with my gf's store, and they've said that if she throws one object at anyone, they're going to the police, and to be honest, they have the feeling this is what the company want so they can get shut of her.

[PriorityOne]

Skonk.... this sounds like a completely different ball game to the one I'm dealing with.

 

I have never experienced any form of assault by my Line Manager... all she does is come out with verbal cr*p, dosed up with a big pile of drama. I now know that I need to go to someone higher up to get proper clarification about what she's on about and I've also learned to tell her to keep her nose out of my room....

 

We're both teachers.... but we go about the job in polar opposite ways. She's erratic; I'm calm. She's a drama queen; I do the job without fuss. I can cut her down to size in one comment, but was reluctant to do it until last week because I believed there was a lot she could teach me (we were both promoted to new positions in September). I'm now in a position where I don't need her to teach me aspects of the job anymore and things are changing because of it. Yesterday I cut her down to size in front of the class.... but in a non-rude way, if you know what I mean. I now feel comfortable about telling her to butt out of my room; whereas before I thought I could lose out by doing it.

 

She's avoided me today, but taken it out on her class instead (unfortunately).. It was the last day of term today and she hounded the kids to work all day right to the end... and I mean hounded. No sweets were brought in, no films were watched, no games were played.... just solid written slog. Many people commented that it bordered on cruelty when everywhere else was chilled and relaxed. In my room they saw that I'd brought in party food, non-fizzy drinks, games and a selection of films to watch on the overhead projector. The kids deserved it.... they'd worked hard and I have an excellent relationship with them, which isn't easy as they are 15-yr-old low achievers with a range of special needs.

 

She will either crack up because the role she's taken on will prove too much... or, someone will put in an official complaint about the way she treats people. I already know there is another complaint pending for the New Year....

 

I've not worked in retail Skonk, so the procedure may be different... but there is absolutely no way I would tolerate things being thrown in any place where I work.... and verbal abuse in a public place is another no-no. If you get no joy from the Area Manager, then a group of you might want to think about going to the Head of HR with your concerns.... copying the MD into it.

 

People don't like it when you go above their heads. They certainly don't expect you to do it and it knocks them off balance for a while.... however, I believe that everyone is entitled to work in an environment without such high levels of anxiety day in and day out as a result of someone else's unresolved complexes and issues.

[elpulpo]

It is difficult to work with such people.

I always try to just pity them. People who have such emotional and interpersonal issues often suffer from Borderline Personality Disorder, or such like.

I've worked with a number of classic bullying threatening head chefs.

 

I just look at the situation as an interactive version of 'I'm Alan Partridge'.

They're comedy characters.

[PriorityOne]

It is difficult to work with such people.

I always try to just pity them. People who have such emotional and interpersonal issues often suffer from Borderline Personality Disorder, or such like.

I've worked with a number of classic bullying threatening head chefs.

 

I just look at the situation as an interactive version of 'I'm Alan Partridge'.

They're comedy characters.

 

It's easier to look at it this way from a distance... I can remember taking this attitude last year when she was working her magic on some other sucker.

 

The last few weeks have been difficult..... but my sense of humour is well and truly back now...

[PriorityOne]

Went out for the staff Xmas do last night. Line Manager was so p*ssed before we even sat down to eat that she couldn't stand up, fell asleep in a chair and missed her dinner!

 

I took photos.... lol .... before her son was called to pick her up and take her home....

 

Pwahahahahaha....

[Conniff]

They will look good on the office noticeboard.

[PriorityOne]

They will look good on the office noticeboard.

 

Oh Yes!!!....

 

Revenge is so sweet.... ....

[PriorityOne]

Thought I would update this thread to give hope to anyone else working for a naff Line Manager....

 

Karma is such a wonderful thing....

 

My Line Manager will be losing her power base later this year!! After several complaints from various sources, management have decided to re-structure the entire dept. and she'll now have about 3-4 individuals over her telling her what to do..... and who she'll be answerable to!!

 

My role will now be dictated by a different person and all of the sh*t that I always thought was pointless will be taken away because management have now realised that the structure she created isn't working and most of it is a waste of time!!!

 

Pwahahahaha..... she's not a happy lady at all!!

[Mr lex]

Your having a good week P1

 

Well done, I'm sure the others that have complained have just been following your example.

 

Lex

[PriorityOne]

I am having a good week... yes!!

 

About blinking time though....

[Mr lex]

[honeybee13]

I'm very pleased for you P1. Hopefully, your worklife will soon be peaceful. Good to hear the system can work.

 

HB

[ravesafe]

Hi p1,

 

i prosume you havnt posted this on the tes website like my post about supply teaching contracts.

 

if not, check out the workplace dilemas forum on the site.

 

bullying and harrasment in schools is rife as well as a 'pass the buck culture'. im bricking it starting my first job in a school in 2 years because of that.

 

the previous school i worked at as a at had me workin 8 - 5:30 with no break for 47 pounds a day on the promise of a job that did not exist.

 

schools are full of vindictive teachers who would ruin a persons career because of a personality class so please be careful

 

it always suprises me that schools use so much resources on anti/cyber bullying campaigns yet SOME teachers are worse than children.

 

best of luck