[Closed] The Best v The Worst. Person you have worked for. Why?

My boss managed to go the whole of 2017 without giving me any objectives or initiating a single work-related conversation. It was both liberating and annoying, especially as he was coining about 60K a year. I don't think he really knew (or cared) what I did/do

Robert Maxwell. He was a bullying, thieving ****.

Ive been lucky enough to have mostly a's with the addition of straight shooting and transparent.

Have once  ended up with a manager who was a b and would tell you what ever he thoughht you wanted to hear so you would help him in the quest to get to the next step. You could read it like a book if you had more than 20minutes work experiance. No one that bowed down to it ever got any furher up the tree, funny watching them though.

One and the same person and I'm not naming him ..

His style of management was master / slave ..and he completely owned you on a self employed basis ..unbelievably cruel but at the same time extraordinarily generous ..a poor week was 2k but I was regularly earning 3-5k pw..but the pressure to perform was enormous .

I lasted 2 years learnt everything I could then left to start my own business ..which went down like a lead balloon ..when I left ..and then again.. literally..two years later with the credit crunch..

Best-Me.Reason-I'm kind of awesome.

Worst-Me.Reason-I'm a bit of a @£$%

Best was my 1st ever gaffer as an apprentice vehicle/plant fitter, he was a great teacher & a right laugh!

My last & worst one (prison governor) who's only objective appeared to get rid of staff who were on the higher prison officers pay scale (therefore very very experienced & 'world wise) & replace them with very inexperienced & underpaid youngsters.

One of those who'll demoralise the staff so they leave anyway, run the place into the ground to save money & still get promoted.

****ing useless bint.

a) Rorschach. The guy was awesome; totally knew where I stood with him.

b) Rorschach. Complete @£$% with a multiple personality disorder. Stupid as **** name to try and type out too.

Worst- let's call her "Pauline". Because that's her name. Insecure incompetent power-gamer. I was hired to be her 2nd and deputy and from day one she decided she didn't like anyone else being able to do her job so she withheld information, lied, kept me out of key meetings, hid problems and when I found them blamed me, and went away on holiday for 3 weeks on the date of a project launch without ever telling any other member of the team how badly it was going so we came into work and everything was broken, then complained when I got it all fixed because "she was proving a point"... Also bullied 2 of the other staff into long term sickness. Absolutely rancid human being. On the plus side I helped get her sacked- and pretty much nobody gets sacked from my place, the only other one I can think of got caught sexually assaulting people.

Best was back in the Bank, a lovely chap called John, who was very tall and quite possibly the worst bank manager ever in terms of stuff the bank wanted done, but actually managed to keep us all from quitting for a very long time while everything else was falling apart.  I remember barging into his office and saying "If I had anyone else for a manager I'd be walking out right now, I just want you to know that!" I still have a Postman Pat bubble bath that he gave me one day for reasons that not even he knew.

My first boss was really good - encouraging and personable. I was fresh out of college and he moved me up the ladder pretty quick. Things went wrong when the company got bought out.. and he went weird and aggressive when I had to leave (they moved my job too far away and it was back in the 80s so I couldn't afford to relocate), so I find it hard to recall him as a good boss, but he was.

Worst! Jeez, I've had some terrible bosses. One who used to think the colour of your socks reflected your personality. I had a real urge to throw him out of a window once. 😆

Then the charlatan who bullshitted his way into a top IT job - he fooled the management, but couldn't fool the team working for him. All intelligent blokes who just saw straight through him. Took a while, but they got rid of him in the end. He once tried to tell us off for no one wanting to cover overtime. Took us in a room and started shouting and ranting! It was hilarious - I did my best subtle taking the piss, the others joined in until he was red in the face and left the room. Not a clue how to manage.

Ah, then there was the, I'm pretty sure autistic, bloke who had just got into a position of management because he'd been there the longest. No idea how to communicate, no personal skills, everything was straight out of management manuals. Sad really, but I found it impossible to work with him. His only way to talk to me was to say "Did you ride in today?" didn't matter what I was doing at the time! Became a standing joke in the office, especially because my response was usually just to sigh. 😆  He got a decent payout when they got rid of him anyway..

Ah yes, then the woman who was off sick about 100 days a year...

I have been really lucky I think -- some have been a bit B but mostly A and at least had many redeeming features. Even back working in local supermarket after school, our boss was a really respected manager, unusual in those days (late 70s).

I'm in my 4th or 5th job since graduating, kind of self employed now but my main client / boss is very good to deal with. Knows his stuff, and makes pretty clear decisions after a bit of deliberation. Can spring unexpected tasks occasionally but mostly good. I did end up working for nearly 20 years at the same place of work, on the whole good experience. Went downhill sharpish towards the end though. Should have left before I did ..

my first engineering job was in an SME. I reported to the directors, who were all called John, except for the MD. Each one of them  had the willingness and time to help me when I had a problem. Looking back, I regard the managers who have made themselves available to help their staff as being good managers.

The worst managers have either micromanaged me to a minute, or been completely absent like my PhD supervisor!

I've been lucky, very lucky. Either I've liked them and they've liked me or I've moved on, or they have.

First Job out of Uni, best Partners to work for.. Both polars apart, one chilled and the other driven like the wind in a gale. Complimented each other, gave me the best opportunity I could have taken with massive responsibility at such a young age. Plied with Company Cars, Bonuses that far exceeded any expectations, European travel, and pushed to breaking point on many many occasions.. all within the comfort of togetherness and humour. Sadly a catastrophic vehicle accident to one of the Partners family ended a fabulous buoyant company.. So I moved on into another fabulous environment where very senior management took kindly and favourably on me, again all the comforts of responsibility within a (this time) very structured and rigid environment. Took hold of a major restructure and transition into a very very large organisation and got paid and rewarded handsomely for it.

I've also been at the shitty end of some vile people with no clue, but I'm a quick learner and either am proactive in altering their perception or I move on.

The worst "boss" you can have IMO is the one who thinks they're "better" than you. Or you think you are better than them.

Most recently was the worst collection of bosses. I can't imagine anywhere else with so many tits in positions of power. Bullying, veiled threats about job security, lying, using procedures as a disciplinary tool when it suited but then completely ignoring them when it might mean the site didn't make shitloads of money quite as quickly, setting barely achievable short term goals even though trying to achieve them meant big problems with equipment failure in the long term - I'm talking millions in repair bills and millions in lost revenue, but they're just too short-sighted, focusing on the current month's targets only. I ended up having a shouting match with my direct line manager (who was a very good guy but getting the flak from the nitwits further up the ladder) where he got pretty personal and that sealed it for me.

Quit in December last year and I've never been so relaxed. Go back to full - time education in August, doing the odd job here and there in the meantime. It's great.

Best.

Captain Bob. Spent three years going to amazing places on his boat. Wouldn’t ask you to do anything he wouldn’t. A relentless piss taker and saved my life.

Worst.

Breif stint in banking. An utter bunch of greasy pole climbing unpleasant cants.

Hard to pick a best, I had a really good job, but I didn't think it at the time, frankly I was spoiled and institutionalised and I did me good leaving.

A) Current. Goals are fluid and based on company performance and not some arbitrary figure. It's good/bad thing as it makes it meaningful but equally sometimes you have to admit that despite working vary hard you can't do the impossible. 'Perks' are great, Car, latest iPhone with all-you-can-eat data etc, Van for weekend riding stuff, time off for kids, gaming PC for work so you can sack it off when it gets either very quiet or very stressful and shoot prostitutes in the face on GTA, hotel rooms for weekends away. Flexible working hours, home work Fridays. Downsides are a lot of responsibly far in excess of my job title but that's better than being bored, money isn't great, sometimes I have to remind myself of what all the perks add up to, they're worth about £5k - £10k a year to me.

The worst was easy.

B) Unrealistic targets based on 110% of total performance last year in a commission heavy role aka "I know you worked your arse off last year" please do the same this year for half the money or work twice as hard for the same. Payments withheld for no reason or justification. Directors were cowards who hid in an office within an office, doors closed and often locked. Stole £3.5k from me and made me redundant via e-mail over a weekend so they didn't have to see me, to save them paying me a 'bonus' I'd earned. Given the opportunity I'd ruin them.

Best - motivating, encouraging, takes reponsibility for their own *ups/provides guidance to avoid my future *ups.

Worst - Always trying to deflect blame onto others, never any time to give guidance, often contradicted his own instructions after the fact. I changed team when I realised the only way I could work effectively was to ignore him.

The worst boss I had for first 17 years of my working life, he was a bully & I eventually had a breakdown due to work pressure, was signed off work & they then sacked me.

The best boss was probably my last boss, he ultimately appreciated my work & was gutted to see me go, but had he treated me better during my days there I would've probably stayed.

Current boss have only met once, enjoying the relative anonymity that comes from working for a large company.

Ooookaaaay, don't get me started!

Currently a b, started as an a, but he's just gone to a b in the last 6 months or so. All of a sudden I'm not working hard enough, taking too many breaks, on the computer too much, not around when I'm needed. Been here 4 years and no complaints from anyone, he's been here coming up to 2 years. Said I wasn't entitled to any breaks in my day, I have to ask permission if I want to get a cup of tea or leave the department. I rarely take breaks, I'll get a tea and go back to work, never have my full lunch break, have to spend time on the PC to do spreadsheets, ordering, emails, cad drawings, update the budget, research stuff we need to order etc. Anyway, being micromanaged is not much fun, there's only 4 of us in the department and I know 2 are definitely looking to leave! We'r all in the same small office, the atmosphere really changes when he's not there, we all have a laugh.

In my earlier years I took a job that had huge scope for billing a lot of cash but was clearly working for someone who was as mad as a box of frogs.  I took cash over sense but was aware enough to bail early.

Warning signs:

2 people in the company, I was the third, but still called herself Global Managing Director

11 previous user codes on the system for my role in a company that was less than 2 years old

Completely anal about top button being done up constantly on your shirt, even though we were in a small rented office and not client facing, no phones on desk (because expecting a call from the garage is unprofessional), and generally being treated like a 3 year old.

etc, etc.

First Friday I had a meeting at 6am with the sensible company I turned down to take this job, grovelled, and they re-offered me the position.  Went to work - handed my notice in and was answered with the "no you can't, you're fired".  Erm, ok, whatever, you're hardly going on the CV for an odd as hell week and I have a new job that knows all about you, you weirdo.  Walked me down to reception and started telling the bemused Somalian security guard that I'd definitely been fired not quit.  He smiled at me, I smiled at him, walked off and didn't look back.

Pro tip:

Your boss is more important than money.

Nope ..not in all situations ..it all depends on how much money is sitting on the table in front of you ...then making a shitload of it before the pressure gets to you .

Nope ..not in all situations ..it all depends on how much money is sitting on the table in front of you …then making a shitload of it before the pressure gets to you .

Sort of agree with this. It’s most certainly prevalent in my working environment that’s for sure. People move frequently for better grades or salaries, are happy to be shat upon for a relatively short period of thier working life for the “enviable” kudos of working for “Organisation Xx, with xx reach” can often hear conversations in lifts or small cafes about XX being “like the worst, but it’s bonus rollup time and I’m exceeding expectations” then the merry go round starts in Jan and for another few months it’s all “meet so-and-so who will be joining as ****”

If you can, don’t sell yourself down. You may succeed in receiving a salary consomethinge to your skills, of not go find a role that will.

I think it all comes down generally to actually knowing in clear detail what your Boss expects of you.  Luckily, being in the Armed Forces myself, we're sat down on the first day of the job and given Terms of Reference prior to sitting down with your Line Manager and talking them through.  It makes things so much easier.

The exception being the inept blob who sat us down at the start of an exercise and said 'right lets cage this monkey and get it to the zoo'.  I switched off straight away and missed nothing.

Not much goes on in the way of line management for my job, which I guess is a feature. What that means, though, is that when you do need some help with strong management you can be on your own, as no one has a clue / is far too tragically self-absorbed in their own research to be any use. <span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">For me, though, I've needed my line manager to step in two times in 15 years and help me out with stuff I couldn't handle myself (one personnel, one H&S issue)  and he's delivered in spades. Bit like a goalkeeper for Barcelona - standing around with nothing to do for 90 mins, but springs into action to make a spectacular save when it counts.</span>

Bloke in question has a very CEO-like temperament which is uncommon in academics IME. Runs a large group and appears very disengaged and 'above the noise' most of the time, but has the ability to identify and absolutely laser the important stuff.

First proper job was selling BMW cars, back in the late 80's when they were in very short supply, didn't come with anything as standard, not even a radio. I was on the phone trying to close a sale, no discount, full profit. The boss came over to ask me something inconsequential and instead of waiting, took the phone out of my hand and hung up. Complete nutter, used to rant and rave at anyone who took his fancy, whether or not the showroom had customers in.

Other end of my working life I spent 2 1/2 years at Planet X which was a real rollercoaster, another eccentric boss who could occasionally be found sporting a gold tracksuit which was originally owned by one J Savile. Man management skills of Pol Pot.

Ah Planet X, that had to come up in a bosses thread.

I remember once said boss diving into a skip and triumphantly emerging, covered in shite, having recovered a brake caliper that had been binned in error.

Must have saved himself £20-30 that day!!

APF