I recently left my job. The main reason I left was my manager. He is, I thought at least, a decent bloke, but he’s a terrible manager. Doesn’t want to ‘manage’. He’ll tell everyone what he thinks they want to hear but won’t actually do anything.
There are about 40 employees. Working shifts. Mostly days, rotating lates and nights. Not everyone does the shifts.
Far too many things to go into as to why he’s a terrible manager, but a few are, we haven’t had a staff meeting for over 3 years. He’s paranoid that people are talking and will do everything he can to keep different grades apart, he never acts on complaints, just says he will, basically he’s terrible.
So. I came back to work in the summer after a long period of sick, it became obvious after a few days that the boss was having an affair with one of the employees. They were being very furtive, shutting themselves in his office, turning up together, leaving together, they were seen kissing in the car park, seen together on days they were both supposed to be off sick etc. In addition there were the ‘looks’, the ‘secret’ touches, the ‘accidental’ glances and brushing past each other etc.
Both parties are married.
It caused a lot of problems, people felt unsafe to speak about the boss because it was obvious that info was being relayed back to him. The atmosphere at work was terrible.
So, I started looking for another post. And found one.
The boss didn’t even bother forwarding my reference request to HR -literally all he had to do was forward an email- for about 2 weeks, he stalled and stalled, made everything difficult. By this point I was finding it hard to even speak to him.
My leaving date finally came around, after a ridiculously long notice period, and I had an exit interview with the ‘big boss’ my boss’s manager.
So I was truthful, I told him about how awful a manager my boss is. About the affair, about how it made us all feel and how damaging it is.
But. Here’s the thing. About 3 weeks before I left, my boss’s wife became very ill, and about a week later, very sadly died. So by the time
I had my interview I was really in two minds whether to say anything. But I did, because I was taking about the past, not the present.
I kept saying that obviously if the big boss was going to do anything he’d have to be very tactful and maybe leave it a while.
Somehow the woman the boss is having the affair with found out I’d been to see the big boss, and instantly told him.
My last week was last week, I only saw my manager on one day but he was vile to me, gave me the most filthy glare for ages in the canteen, avoided me all day and then when I was going home, barged me out of the way and called me a ‘fat cunt’. No witnesses to that so I didn’t respond or report it.
The woman has done this before, a few years ago she was ‘accused’ of having an affair with another member of staff, again, seen kissing etc, but he was a lower grade and couldn’t influence work matters.
He later left.
So, my ex manager thinks I’m an utter arsehole, most of the staff think I did the right thing but of course the timing is terrible.
So. Did I do the right thing? What do you think?