Tell us about bosses you have had - from the sublime, to the ridiculous...

[KateMumsnet]

Hello all

With Workfest only days away, we've been mulling the subject of bosses - the good, the bad, and the startlingly inept - here at MNHQ. Have you encountered a bounder - or conversely, a bit of a gem who makes the daily grind more bearable? Do share your tales of alarming habits and unreasonable demands here - as well as examples of bosses who, actually, are really rather lovely.

And if you haven't yet booked your ticket to Workfest - hurry, it's this Saturday!

I worked for one senior manager who claimed to shoot fish with a bow and arrow and to be able to kill a man with a single blow.
We were all very, very cautious around him...just in case.

Worst boss was when I worked in a video rental store (yes, it was a long time ago!). Previous boss in that job was a lovely bloke promoted against his will and this woman was promoted to shop manager in his place, as the rest of us (3, two of us had young families, the other was a student) were all pt.

She made all sorts of last minute changes to shifts (most picked up by the student) claiming she was a lone parent and had childcare problems; I'd have been more sympathetic if she wasn't still living with her own parents and several adult siblings. She lied routinely about the most astonishing bollox, and capped it all by telling me one evening as I arrived for work that my shifts had changed to hours she knew I couldn't do. She then made the tactical error of going to the loo before going home, so I walked out... I had an interview already lined up a few days later for a far better job, and got it, so ner ner ner ner ner. When I spoke to my co-workers, neither of them knew anything about shift changes, and the other mother, who had been picking up some of the manager's childcare, refused to do so any more, so a bit of a shoot-yourself-in-the-foot moment there.

Best boss was probably in the job I took after that, she was sympathetic and supportive and wrote me the loveliest reference when I left (because we were moving across country). It was a totally different work culture.

After many quite mixed experiences I had a wonderful female manager who actually wanted to develop my skills and encouraged me to do things I thought I couldn't. Not surprisingly it was my best job ever and we are still v good friends.

I also once worked with a lovely man who gave me an opportunity to do a much coveted task that would normally have been his. Our manager called me in to ask if he was 'coping'! A truly sad reflection of my industry!

The worst:

Back in my media days. Total power hungry lunatic eho ruled by fear and intimidation. A horrible bully, made numerous competent, capable staff members cry/go off sick/leave.... also a raging mosigynist and top letch . Nobody was sorry when he was marched out of the building by security for downloading porn at work

Have had a few awful managers in the education sector, too. People with no management or people skills whatsoever, who had just hung on in there somehow for ten or twenty years, through redundancies and restructures, and ended up with management positions. The worst was just completely and utterly workshy and filled her diary with imaginary meetings so she could go shopping or hide in her office talking to her mates on the phone. Everyone knew she did nothing, but she sucked up to the senior managers big time, so there was really nothing anyone could do about it.

The best managers I have had (can think of two) have been genuinely great people managers - personable, interested in developing staff, very clear about what they want you to achieve, and then hands off about letting you get on with it, but with an open door policy if you need more guidance.

Scooz typos

Am intrigued as to how LtEve got her own back.

The worst manager - had set the office up so she was at the back and we all sat in front of her so she could monitor us all day. We weren't allowed to speak to each other except for good morning & good night - anything else had to be work related & she would stop & listen to what we were saying. Wearing a top that came below your collarbone or a skirt above the knee or heels meant being taken outside & given a warning. At lunch we had to all eat together in the canteen & she would tell you off if she didn't approve of your food.

My worst one once spent two hours in my annual review telling me how shit I was.
I had to leave the room twice to get more tissue because I was crying so much and he kept on going

He then sent me an email about an hour later apologising for miscommunication.

I was so wet behind the ears I stayed on for another one of those.

My worst - started work as a pot wash in a very popular pizza Restaraunt when I was 18. When I arrived for my first shift on a Friday night there was no uniform for me so the manager found an old filthy top under the chair in the staff room. I was expected to do the pot washing and the cleaning on my own with no training and all night she kept telling me to speed up because she didn't want to be here until 1 in the morning. She stood around doing nothing and complained about the other new staff being shit, totally unprofessional. I was not offered a break or even a glass of water, the manager was drinking wine. I ended up leaving an hour and a half late and missed my last bus home, it is safe to say that i didn't bother going back and I have never eaten there again either.

Worst bosses were both managers / supervisors for Insurance brokering call centers. First one, nicknamed Boris, liked to slap the bottoms of female colleagues, I doubt he acted like that in front of his wifey, He also liked a liquid lunch and mocked my southern drawl. He was regularly late in after his liquid lunch, I was late back once, for a pre arranged Drs appointment that he was aware of, I got a disciplinary.

The other worst bosses were working also for an insurance broker, Bunch of flag waving tory loons, referred to lower members of staff as worms, Proud of the fact that they were let off by hmrc for not paying vat (they keep it, it adds to their profits), turned a blind eye to topless ladies sunbathing as screensavers and male members of staff discussing lewd sexual acts and practices, but got really pissed off when I changed my screensaver to a picture of two police men kissing. I could go on but wont.

When I was much younger I worked in a gift shop on weekends and in school holidays. The owner managed the shop and worked with us on the shop floor all day. She was amazing! She taught me so much about customer service, how to speak to customers and sell the products in-store etc. But she also taught me about managing other people. We were an all-female staff and that has a very special dynamic but she handled many awkward situations really well and I've used management techniques I learnt from her later in life.

She was also kind and thoughtful and really encouraging. The shop (and everything in it) was hers so she put her heart and soul into the business and made me want to work hard for her. No matter what the job - from dusting the display cabinets to cashing up at the end of the day she explained to everyone individually how it should be done and why. I took so much pride in my role there and I genuinely believe that boss taught me skills for life. In fact, I now have a sales role where I still implement lessons I learnt from her 20 years ago!

Worst boss ever..a woman.

Who used to ring me every 20 mins asking where I was and what I was doing. Pain the backside!

Still working in the 'fashion' world so I believe. Awful bleached blonde hair and leather trousers. Probably still rocking these 15 yrs on!

One of the first "proper" jobs I had involved me staying away for three nights. My boss was a middle aged man, recently divorced who was obviously having difficulties (however he'd covered them well in the interview).

It was just me and him working in a field all day carrying out a survey, the first night we went for dinner in the hotel restaurant were he told me about his messy divorce and began crying, I was only about 18 at the time and had no idea what to do.

The next evening he did the same, and on the final night he got really drunk and kept trying to get into my room, he freaked me right out. Our rooms had those connector doors and I pushed a wardrobe against it just in case and asked the security man to keep an eye on my room. I was so glad it was the final night.

Then when we got home and I quit, he refused to pay me even though I had endured his crying and creepiness and carried out a good job! I eventually got paid by taking my BIG friend with me to collect the cheque!

Thankfully most of my bosses since haven't been that bad!

Best boss was a civil servant - he was an incredible mentor, a man of vision who seemed to understand all of the obstacles to being a young woman in an old male environment. He provided many avenues for continuous personal development, saw me as the hard worker I was and saw that I got promoted twice. I met him after he retired and told him he had been a pivotal "good person" in my life, said it was nothing, he'd have done the same for whoever, but appreciated being told. Some people are "nice" forever...

Worst was also a civil servant, when I first joined as a trainee in a specialist machine repair shop - the full works... nude calendars, the Sun Page3 of the day discussed every morning, "get the coffee love - you'll know how to do that won't you?" I endured my time there knowing it was only 6 months - I counted off the days on his nude calender...

A boss of mine congratulated my husband on the birth of our dd and completely ignored my presence. But then again he also doesn't think women can talk about sport and gets the receipts from his nights away with his ow sent to work. So an all round gem really.

My current one told me that they never would have hired me had they known how much time I would need off due to my epileptic seizures. I was so upset and offended that I cried but she said it when we were alone together so has always denied it. For the record, I have been in my job for three years in July and have had approx 20 days off which I don't think is too bad and, apart from two of them, they are all epilepsy related.

I used to work as a nanny and I once had a boss who seemed to genuinely think it was my job to do whatever she pleased!

List of unusual tasks included:
Driving her parents to hospital appointments
Baking 3 pecan pies for her thanksgiving party
Measuring all the windows in the house for new curtains
Buying her tampons for her
Repainting the kitchen
Cleaning her car

Needless to say, I didn't stay long.

I find most bosses have strengths and blind spots.

I had a wonderful boss, who I remember as the best I ever had, who was exceptionally good at spotting when we were struggling as individuals, and giving us a bit of encouragement. He also left the office bang on time every night and had no truck with presenteeism. However, he had reduced boundaries on sharing inappropriate personal information with us all, which was uncomfortable.

I have a boss at the moment who is great at setting boundaries and very good 1:1 but is poor at leading meetings (and WILL not delegate) and I am surprised that no pregnant staff member has taken out a grievance at the way they handle maternity leave.

I worked in a nursery that had 3 staff for the amount of children we had in. We were in ratio. The nursery had 3 rooms and a garden. We were told children needed to access all areas so we needed to have a member of staff in each of the 4 areas. Any suggestion that it might be tricky was met with "it's up to you how you do it!".

Another boss assured us that the ratio of one staff to eight children was a maximum not a minimum: That it was illegal to have too many staff.

Great boss - totally shielded me from a batshit crazy woman who wanted to sue the company that we worked for. I only realised later how much he stood in front of the bullets for me. Was also just an all round lovely bloke.

Best boss- my 1st job back off maternity leave having been promoted to a higher grade. I was lacking confidence and worrying about leaving DD but she was so kind and supportive. She gave me just the right amount of responsibility and trusted my decisions. She always kept a box of tissues in her office to mop up the tears of all the trainees who cried on her shoulder over the years. She is a great inspiration having made it to a high level in a tough career with 3 kids at a time when successful women were not accepted. I admire pretty much everything about her from her dress sense to her masterful chairing of meetings. She carried on supporting me and putting in a good word for me long after I'd switched posts. I still seek out her advice on tough stuff 10 years later. I shall be bereft when she finally retires.

Worst boss- terrible judgement, blamed me for his mistakes, went AWOL frequently, showed up to work dishevelled and incoherent and was prone to spectacular fits of rage. The whole team hated him and suspected him of being a drinker. When I complained about him I was told it was 'character forming' to work for him! He was later struck off by the GMC.

He may not have been quite the worst though I will save that accolade for the 2 male bosses who sexually assaulted me in my early 20s. The pub landlord where I had a bar job who offered me a lift home one night after closing, locked me in his car and groped me and the GP who kissed me and groped my breasts whilst I was on placement as a medical student. Never reported either of them as I was so ashamed and somehow believed it was my fault or I'd get in trouble. Bitterly regret it now. Both the pub and the GP surgery have now closed so perhaps karma does exist.

Best boss I had was a few months from retirement and just didn't care about the rules any more. He was a dyed in the wool Carry On boss who would chase me round his office and try to get me to sit on his knee. Luckily he was happy for me to fanny around with a great job title and plots of salary so I forgave his indiscretions. We still go for coffee and naughty cake 15 years later.

Worst boss was a multimillionaire who sold his company and was starting another. Except that was 20 years on and all his old marketing strategies were exactly that. Old. He was a bully and not doing it any other way than his despite having brought me in to build the company. A thoroughly unpleasant man only made more palatable by taking a chunk of his money as settlement to leave without a law suit.

Best, I'm currently working with, trained by our previous supervisor, also fabulous. There are only two of us working in our office. Our work is challenging and hectic. She does not expect more of me than she does of herself. She has clear expectations but leaves me alone to complete my tasks. She has trained me well enough to take over for her in her absence, which I do several times a month.

Worst, Head nurse in private women's practice. She was vicious. She had her chosen inner group. She made life hellish for me and my staff. Oddly, she often came to my office to unburden herself over her evil deeds ( affairs with doctors, swinging parties at certain vacation spots ) One day she was so undone, she came into my office and self harmed with a surgical implement...in front of me. I handed in my notice the next day.

My best boss. I was working on an assembly line in a fish plant and my boss was was absolutely lovely. She didn't pretend or ask us to pretend that it was a wonderful job. She never asked anyone to do anything that she wouldn't do herself. When the machinery broke down and we couldn't work, she didn't ask us to pretend to work, as so often is the case.

My worst boss, where do I start, there have been so many. I had one who always said no to any request. We had these dull-as-ditchwater motivational meetings once a week and sometimes I really needed to be elsewhere because of the work I was doing and, like a fool, I would ask permission to miss the meeting, he never gave it to me, but come the meeting all kinds of people were missing because more intelligently they didn't ask. He put passwords on all the computers and then after Christmas didn't arrive back at work because he was in prison for paedaphilia.