Why is new boss being such a knob?

[Buggeroffboss]

Our old boss took ill suddenly in December last year and died shortly after. They been the boss for 20+ years, so appreciate we were all very used to them.

Following their illness I became interim boss. In April I was offered the role permanently but declined as it would mean returning to full time work. I'm bitterly regretting not taking it due to new boss!

We're a remote team, have been since many years before COVID. New boss clearly hates remote working. We do have an office, but it seats 10 people and us open to the whole business (approx 300 people) not just our department (40 people). New boss wants everyone in the office 2 days a week. HR have told him to go whistle - we are all on remote contracts and live across the whole of the UK, including channel Islands and 2 in France!

New boss is now insisting we schedule any "coffee breaks" (you know, where you brew up between meetings) and that under no circumstances are we to appear on screen with tea/ coffee if it isn't adjacent to our scheduled break. In addition he's put an embargo on lunch time errands, such as laundry, popping to the post office or collecting the car from the garage. All time is to be accounted for.

As you can imagine, morale has gone down the pan. We're a high performing department, there is 0 issues with productivity. Our work is largely invisible most of the time, lots of thinking time and idea generation which makes monitoring our day to day workloads difficult, but we always exceed our targets at quarter and year ends - so people are clearly working. In the 6 weeks he's been in there's been a noticeable change in how people are working, fewer people on early or late, most just working to their hours.

AIBU to think he's being a bit of a dick and just needs to chill the fuck out?

Make large flasks of drinks, or not tea just something you pour in the cup, and appear constantly without having it entered in the diary because there is nothing to enter. He will have to constantly check the diary. Make it clear when he asks, sometimes you will have brewed sometimes you will have a flask and if he wants to know he will have to check.

Not helpful to anything else. Silly and petty. But I would still be doing it, because it is also harmless and completely compliant.

You have a responsibility to all your reports to progress this with HR if they have come to you and expressed unhappiness at how the new boss is behaving. You seem very focussed on how it’s impacting you but if I were you, as his second in command so to speak, i would be more focussed on my team not being happy

Is he still on his probationary period? Doesn't sound like he's a good fit. If enough of you complain constructively and evidence a drop in morale and productivity, they might throw this one back?

What if you do a large insulated hot drink that stays warm for 2hrs+?

He sounds unhinged.

Fucking hell, what control freakery!

What you do in your lunch break is nothing to do with your employer unless it impacts on your work. They're not paying you for that time, so it's fuck all to do with them.

The not making a drink rule is just ludicrous too. I drink about 10 mugs of tea during the day, I'd go into withdrawal if I was only allowed to make a cuppa at set breaks.

I'd definitely raise it with HR.

No, not call centres (that I'm aware of, he's not exactly open about his work history).

That's a good idea.

Get yourself a massive thermos flask, OP and fill it up before you start and again at lunchtime.

I've been able to mitigate the impact on my reports but basically saying ignore it until I have more info. I'm gathering info/ evidence and will then speak to someone about it (HR or senior management). I'm also not 100% certain it isn't coming from senior management yet, so I'm currently just making a list.

What more do you need? He’s actually put all this nonsense requests in writing you say.

I would have a large flask. To show if he wanted to see why my coffee is warm. Just for show and then show if he questions it. what a ridiculous rule-as if working in an office would stop you getting a brew when needed, it’s not like you’re going to do it at inappropriate times, just like you wouldn’t in the office. Is he questioning toilet breaks too?!

you have been telling the team to ignore him? And there’s no consequences for ignoring him?

I’m sure it has been said above more than once, but this is a show of power. He’s come into a team with a proven track record and where a previous acting manager is still present. He wants to create an impression with his managers, show your team that his way is better than the manager you’ve lost, and show you that he’s the boss. He’s asserting his authority.

If you’re lunch break is unpaid, they have no right to tell you what to do in it, I feel for you. I had a power hungry boss that just pissed everybody off and it became a really unhappy office until she left.

I’d have no tolerance for this - I’d ignore him and carry on making myself a coffee or going to the toilet etc. would love to see him justify to HR a disciplinary for me drinking a cuppa FFS.

Scottishskifun
He sounds out of his depth so is trying to throw his weight around.

Exactly this. He's the sort that doesn't have any actual management skills but can talk a good game to his management, and thanks to watching too much of The Apprentice thinks the way to get ahead is by being a bolshy overbearing twat. Hopefully he won't last long; it doesn't sound like he will.

Ignore his email about brews, working hours, correspondence stuff and lunch break stuff yes. I told them I'd get more info and look at the new policies etc and then have individual discussions with them on how the changes impact them. For some of them or would constitute a contractual change so requires more than just an email. I told them if he brings it up with them to direct him to me. Whilst he can formally discipline my reports, it's very bad form and HR would seek my comments on it before it went further. I'll happily tell them I told them to ignore it and if there's consequences for me, then fair enough, that's part of my role as line manager. So far nothing but he's had minimal interaction with my team without me there. He has had more interaction with one of the other teams and with me and the other heads of.

So far no formal consequences for me, just threats of "I'll have to take this further" etc. When I talked to him about the lunch break stuff and refused to take a half days leave, he responded with "I'll be looking into that policy then" and don't do it again, in future health appointments will require formal notice for leave in advance etc (which we do, but you can't give more notice of a same day or next day appointment than you have).

Sacking me would either be proving gross misconduct or putting me on a PIP and me failing, so I have time. Same for my reports, though I'd be managing the PIP.

But someone else could have made that drink for them!

When we were both working from home during lockdown, my DP would often make me a cup of tea if I was stuck on a long call.

Maybe there had been an issue with people arriving back late at the office.

And he doesn’t monitor and pull them up on ignoring him?

At his previous office you mean?

You said he seems to pick a group a week to monitor
he has pulled people up on making drinks…and then has taken 2 people aside after they were on a meeting with drinks and he had checked their diary and they didn't have a tea break scheduled. He's since advised that if people do have drinks in meetings he will be checking their schedules.
etc

and you have told them to just ignore him?

it may be an idea to collectively raise this with both their manager and HR.

think of it another way - they are still on probation.

and yes they sound like a complete knob!

He hasn't honed in on my team ignoring him yet. He's on a call a week with my team, and one call a week with all 40 of us, unless he chooses to call them or sit in on a call, which he's so far done once. He sees other teams more frequently and me and the heads of at least daily.

So I suspect he hasn't noticed them ignoring him - he isn't copied in to their emails and any long lunches he's noticed he's asked me about, though they've definitely tightened up on their work hours - taking a full hour at lunch and finishing bang on time etc. comments like "I've done my hours", something we've never previously said (it was always, I'll just send this email or I just want to finish X).

He's clearly very unhappy with me and other heads of who are refusing to mindlessly go along with his orders and are questioning him before insisting our reports do the same.

If he said "HQ have said we need to tighten up on people's working hours" I'd understand and I have asked him, but all I've got is "do I need a reason" and "I'll run the team as I see fit". He clearly doesn't want us brought onboard with his new ways of working.

I've been at the company almost 15 years, worked in 3 departments and had 4 managers and never anything like this. If it were just me, I'd understand a bit more or at least wonder if there was an issue with my performance or something but it's all of us. And my appraisal, pay rise and bonus this year were all excellent which leads me to think it's a him problem not a me problem.

I just feel sorry for the whole team, it was such a nice place to work and he's really started to ruin it.

Yes I have. They of course can choose to ignore me if they prefer. Up to them - I've made that clear to them. I'm also ignoring him fwiw.

He’s been there since April and he hasn’t noticed your team have been ignoring him? How many are in your team?

But he seems to be focussing most of his attention on you if he’s calling you at the end of every lunchtime to check on you, and hauling you up for having a tea during a meeting?