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Work

'Controlling Boss' wants access to my calendar.... unreasonable or not?

18 replies

Legacy · 11/05/2005 10:09

Aargh - had a change of boss at the beginning of the year, and the new guy is SUCH a 'micro-manager' that it's beginning to wear me down.

Just to put it in context, I am one of about 5 senior managers who report to him, and we all, each manage our own teams of 5-10 people, so it's not as if we're junior staff or anything.

Anyway, he has requested full viewing access to our Outlook calendars, which none of my previous managers have ever requested, and quite frankly I feel pissed off about, so I haven't done it yet (keep 'forgetting')but I will have to address one way or another soon.

Both my PA and his PA have access to my calendar, so if he needs to find out where I am, or arrange a meeting he can do it through them.

The reason I don't want him to have access is because I have a PDA (Ipaq) which I use for everything (kids/ home/ work) and this syncronises with my Outlook - it's the only way I can keep an overview of everything in the same place and stay sane!
So for example I'll have reminders to take jamjars to school, when school photos are happening, if I need to leave early for a special school assembly, doctor/ dentist appts for all the family etc etc.
I don't want him to be able to trawl through all this stuff! He's a real traditionalist (wife at home with kids, he's in office 7-7... and I think secretly he beleives women shouldn't be working...)

I know I can make things private, but then my pa won't be able to see stuff and help me manage meetings around things etc!

Fundamentally though I think it runs deeper - I feel as if I'm being 'snooped on', as if there isn't any trust.....

Or am I just paranoid?

OP posts:

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101StressPuppy · 11/05/2005 10:13

Hiya, I don't think it is an unreasonable request. My boss has access to my outlook and so does my team. Purely for ease of arranging meetings etc

BUT (big but)

If you feel that this is an excuse for him to monitor your workload etc and you have concerns about him being professional with the information he sees then you should air your concern to the appropriate people.

I good way to put him off is by saying 'of course you can but be warned you will be able to see all my notes about taking jam jars to school ' He may well think it's not worth the hassle.

hth in someway.

Mothernature · 11/05/2005 10:14

just paranoid you maybe reading too much into it, if he complains just say well you did ask....hopefully he will get confused and never read it again...

mancmum · 11/05/2005 10:15

sounds like your manager is the paranoid one.... this is a tricky one as he does have the right to know what you are doing and if his PA can see your diary, he should be able to as well.. if you delay access much longer he will get suspicious and that will create more problems... I think you and you PA need to get a code going for personal things so that you both know what it meant by regular " Goal Review Meetings"!!

assumedname · 11/05/2005 10:18

Do you think he might use your personal stuff as ammunition against you in some way - ie, this woman's got jam jars on her mind when she should be thinking about work?

Can you run 2 diaries on your system?

Iklboo · 11/05/2005 10:32

I use outlook calendars. You can mark certain appointments & bookings (eg kids/home/family) as "private". There's a teeny tiny button on the bottom at the right which you click to "tick". You still have access to the contents. Just call the appointment "private" or "personal" or even just your name or something. Only you can open the appointment and see what the info box says. I use it all the time for my personal stuff.

Legacy · 11/05/2005 10:32

AssumedName - yes - I think that is my feeling - probably just that he'll 'box me' as a little woman worried about jamjars and then not consider me for promotion/opoprtunities.

He's already being a pain in other ways, so, e.g. always making pointed remarks about how he has 'done two hours work already' when we have a meeting at 9 am (he knows I can't get in before 9 due to school/ nursery run). Commenting on how a colleague, who is doing their job perfectly adequately is "Clearly not busting a gut..."....

I just feel as if I'm heading for a head-to-head with him where I end up saying 'look, don't you realise not everyon has the same sad values as you??"

OP posts:

Iklboo · 11/05/2005 10:33

oops - sorry - didn't read thread properly. Ignore me!

Caligula · 11/05/2005 10:34

Can you not give your PA access to your private appointments without boss having access? Is that possible?

flashingnose · 11/05/2005 10:34

Sounds reasonable to me, sorry. Different managers have different ways of doing things.

flashingnose · 11/05/2005 10:35

Just read your latest post - that puts a different slant on things...

WideWebWitch · 11/05/2005 10:39

I don't think you can deny him this, sorry. Can you keep 2 diaries to let your PA have access to the family arrangements? Bloody annoying and I HATE being micromanaged. Is there any way you can give him stuff before he even asks for it so he doesn't need to ask you at all? It might make him back off a bit. He sounds awful, sympathies.

Sponge · 11/05/2005 10:41

I do understand your concerns but equally I think his request is a reasonable one. I have access to all my groups' calendars and my boss and I have access to each others for ease of managing workloads and arranging meetings and just so we each know where the other is when we're not around. I think it's pretty normal business practice.
Unfortunately if he's the type of man who feels this way then he will find excuses to make his jibes, whether he can see your calendar or not.

blossom2 · 11/05/2005 10:43

I'm pretty sure you can set different access permissions for different people. Therefore you can set it that your boss is only able to view non-private items and you PA to view/amend everything.

Hope that makes sense & helps.

101StressPuppy · 11/05/2005 10:44

Your latest post makes it sound much more serious.

I would firstly try and address the subject with him and if that fails I'd approach somebody else.

Legacy · 11/05/2005 10:44

Aha! Have just looked more closely at the 'delegate options' and have discovered that I can let my PA view my private items by ticking a box.... hurrah!!

Thing is... I KNOW it will bug the hell out of him because he will see something marked as 'private', but won't be able to read /open it.

Think, as you say, StressPuppy, I'll just say to him "Oh, I've give you access to my calendar, but don't worry if you see lots of private items - I dodn't think you REALLY needed to know when I had my period, or was having a smear....and see what he says!!

OP posts:

assumedname · 11/05/2005 10:47

Brilliant!

Legacy · 11/05/2005 10:51

Just a thought - StressPuppy - when you say 'more serious' about his behaviour... I DID wonder if I should start to record all the examples of these sorts of comments/ 'digs' etc, beacause I've heard of situations (including on here) where a build up this sort of behaviour over time has been acknowledged as a form of 'bullying' really?

What do you think?

OP posts:

101StressPuppy · 11/05/2005 11:02

If you are concerned then keep a log - perhaps you could track it in your Outlook

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