Unbearable boss!!!

wobatkicker23

Hi there, I have been having a real problem at work recently. I work in an office with ten others, 8 of which are male. I have only been in the job since October yet the manager/supervisor is really making my time there a living hell.

He is very loud and brash and talks incessantly about himself. He tries so hard to be 'one of the boys' and often makes crude jokes within earshot ( and he knows this too).

He really fancies himself as a comedian and doesn't realize we all can't stand his narcissism and selfishness. He often proclaims to be laid back and a 'fun' manager yet doesn't know how to manage properly.

Some examples of his behavior

1. Brought a football into the office and was running around after it for half the day. He actually ended up running into another woman that works in the office knocking her over. He didn't even apologize for this, instead exclaiming that it was a mans game and laughing it off!!

2. I am a woman of colour and he can use very casual and loose language around me. He keeps asking me if I know different rappers and hip hop artists who are African American( which I have no clue of!) which I can only take as his form of relating to me. Also makes constant allusions to my colour.

3. He somehow won some management award a couple of years ago and never stops bringing it up completely randomly. For example I was talking about a cousins wedding being a great occasion and he had to relate this to his own great experience at the awards ceremony.

I know I probably sound like a total whine but he is doing my head in!! The thing is I love the job and the team around me, just not him.

Any ideas on how to cope/approach him?

troyzer

Is this David Brent?

givyjoe

wobatkicker23 wrote: »

Hi there, I have been having a real problem at work recently. I work in an office with ten others, 8 of which are male. I have only been in the job since October yet the manager/supervisor is really making my time there a living hell.

He is very loud and brash and talks incessantly about himself. He tries so hard to be 'one of the boys' and often makes crude jokes within earshot ( and he knows this too).

He really fancies himself as a comedian and doesn't realize we all can't stand his narcissism and selfishness. He often proclaims to be laid back and a 'fun' manager yet doesn't know how to manage properly.

Some examples of his behavior

1. Brought a football into the office and was running around after it for half the day. He actually ended up running into another woman that works in the office knocking her over. He didn't even apologize for this, instead exclaiming that it was a mans game and laughing it off!!

2. I am a woman of colour and he can use very casual and loose language around me. He keeps asking me if I know different rappers and hip hop artists who are African American( which I have no clue of!) which I can only take as his form of relating to me. Also makes constant allusions to my colour.

3. He somehow won some management award a couple of years ago and never stops bringing it up completely randomly. For example I was talking about a cousins wedding being a great occasion and he had to relate this to his own great experience at the awards ceremony.

I know I probably sound like a total whine but he is doing my head in!! The thing is I love the job and the team around me, just not him.

Any ideas on how to cope/approach him?

Do you work for David Brent?!

wobatkicker23

David Brent? Not sure what you mean?

troyzer

wobatkicker23 wrote: »

David Brent? Not sure what you mean?

He's the boss in the Office played by Ricky Gervais.

You've just described him perfectly.

December2012

Can you ignore him?

He sounds very difficult.

road_high

Dear god. No advice I’m afraid but that sounds dreadful. Why can’t people just be fcuking normal?

wobatkicker23

December2012 wrote: »

Can you ignore him?

He sounds very difficult.

He is! The worst part is that his assistant in the office just serves to back him up at all costs and inflate his ego!

givyjoe

wobatkicker23 wrote: »

He is! The worst part is that his assistant in the office just serves to back him up at all costs and inflate his ego!

Dwight?

wobatkicker23

givyjoe wrote: »

Dwight?

I don't follow?

troyzer

givyjoe wrote: »

wobatkicker23 wrote: »

He is! The worst part is that his assistant in the office just serves to back him up at all costs and inflate his ego!

Dwight?

Gareth. If we're sticking with the UK office theme.

Rikand

wobatkicker23 wrote: »

I don't follow?

Its another The Office reference

Heat_Wave

These comments have me in stitches!

OP these managers are not everyone's cup of tea. But trust me, your manager sounds a dream compared to mine! If these are his only flaws then you are doing well.

wobatkicker23

Sorry I've never seen it.

Look I kind of see him as harmless to be honest, just annoying.

What gets to me is that he has his favorites especially this one guy who is quite a bully. He will talk over everyone else and make crude jokes which the manager just laughs at. I think the manager is kind of intimidated by the bully.

Guy:Incognito

givyjoe wrote: »

Dwight?

Gareth.

givyjoe

In all seriousness, there is no advice. The lad is literally a parody.

Guy:Incognito

wobatkicker23 wrote: »

.

What gets to me is that he has his favorites especially this one guy who is quite a bully. He will talk over everyone else and make crude jokes which the manager just laughs at. I think the manager is kind of intimidated by the bully.

Finchy?

troyzer

wobatkicker23 wrote: »

Sorry I've never seen it.

Look I kind of see him as harmless to be honest, just annoying.

What gets to me is that he has his favorites especially this one guy who is quite a bully. He will talk over everyone else and make crude jokes which the manager just laughs at. I think the manager is kind of intimidated by the bully.

Finchy?

wobatkicker23

Im guessing that's another character?

troyzer

wobatkicker23 wrote: »

Im guessing that's another character?

So are you.

Shelli2

He sounds awful.

You should watch the office....you then might just find it hilarious instead of annoying ..you won't be able to stop picturing David Brent every time he pulls some silly stunt.

wobatkicker23

Shelli2 wrote: »

He sounds awful.

You should watch the office....you then might just find it hilarious instead of annoying ..you won't be able to stop picturing David Brent every time he pulls some silly stunt.

I think I need to!

troyzer

wobatkicker23 wrote: »

Shelli2 wrote: »

He sounds awful.

You should watch the office....you then might just find it hilarious instead of annoying ..you won't be able to stop picturing David Brent every time he pulls some silly stunt.

I think I need to!

Is the receptionist a budding artist who struggles with a job she hates and a boyfriend who takes her for granted?

gobo99

Wobatkicker23 you will never work in a place like this again. This is brilliant. Fact! Yeah. And you’ll never have another boss like him. Someone who's basically a chilled-out entertainer, yeah...

Tell me how

Best advice I would give is that you actually sit down and watch the Office.
The original UK version is available on Netflix and the US version is currently been shown on Comedy Central.

In the meantime, just look at him and learn how with limited talent anyone can climb the ladder (Look to the white house for another example in this respect) but that there is more than just having a title to filling a role.

If you have any aspirations about advancement towards such a role yourself, learn from this idiot about things which are in no way conducive to having a happy and productive team.