Being berated in front of others

[Iamnotagoddess]

My manager asked me to get something deleted from a database (it was nothing major). I emailed IT they emailed me and cc’d in my manager to authorise.

Manager they sends about 3 more emails to me about this amongst about 20 emails about other things. These are always very wordy and she over complicates things (and often contradicts herself in the same sentance).

IT email me again today asking for authorisation I email them back ccing in my manager saying I thought this had been authorised. Manager then replies to all telling me (off basically) as she has given me some complicated instruction other than just authorising it.

She writes a note to me in bold and then a note to IT person.

She does this a lot, to everyone (to me and people I line manage and other managers) and I think it’s bloody poor.

Aibu?

...she does it verbally too

YANBU!

It makes me feel like absolute shit.

I might find a way to ask her to stop

It's poor - yanbu.

But if you know she's like that then maybe you need to bear that in mind when you ask her to do something. Don't copy her in saying you thought it was authorised, for instance - send her a direct and simple email saying "IT tell me X hasn't been authorised. Please authorise X by emailing them direct" or whatever. That way she is less likely to overcomplicate. I doubt it will cure the problem but it might help a bit.

This is it - everything is over complicated.

You ask a question and the answer is complicated - why?

she has a very muddled brain, maybe?

Or doesn't know what she's doing and is trying to cover it up?!?

We suspect the latter.

Am I missing something or did you just not read your managers email and missed that she gave you instructions. Surely if you know what she's like you read her emails and do what she asks.

She sends so many emails - I don’t always have time tbh - I line manage people too and have my own job to do.

I just skim read them - she could have just done it herself without all the ccing as she had to authorise it anyway.

Even if I was in the wrong she shouldn’t be emailing me telling me off in a group email.

I think UABU.

"Manager then sends about 3 more emails about this amongst about 20 emails about other things."

So are you basically saying that you failed to read her complicated instructions about this because you had too many lengthy emails to read from her?
Does she not write in the 'Subject' line on her email so you would know which emails referred to this matter?

When the IT dept contacted you about about this, you should have checked through the emails from her. You would then have known something else needed to be done prior to it being authorised.

Emailing IT and cc-ing your boss saying you thought it had been authorised (by her) is the same as your boss emailing you and cc-ing others in. She wouldn't have appreciated your email to IT as it infers you have done your bit and, if it hasn't been authorised it's your boss' fault which wasn't the case. Your boss copied others in because she wanted to point out the oversight was not hers. (Sounds like a bit of 'tit for tat').

"I might find a way of asking her to stop."
Stop what? What you need to do is to read your boss' emails to you irrespective of whether you consider them wordy or over-complicated so that you carry out her instructions. She is your boss and requires you to do your job properly.

I don’t have time to read all her emails, they are constant, evenings weekends she sends them. I manage a team and have a huge caseload too - and the way I worded the email was something like “I was under the impression boss had authorised this but tbf I could be mistaken apologies if I am”.