But at the end of the day, it’s comes down to figuring out what you can and can NOT deal with.

It’s the old weigh-the-pros-and-the-cons game and determine whether enduring the stress of the job outweighs the option of looking for another one.

For some people, looking for another job is often way more stressful than sticking it out in a job that they hate.

Life is too short to stay stuck at a job that you hate. If, and when that time comes to leave that job, then make sure you’ve positioned yourself to succesfully step into your new career with confidence and a strong sense of what you bring to the table.

Excellent! I’m very glad to hear that you will be putting this person on formal and legal notice. You should be proud that you have the personal fortitude and integrity to do this. Courage on this level is rare, and you are to be commended.

If / when you do schedule a meeting with your supervisor, make sure you have some well thought-out options and a possible recommendation on one or two of the issues before you meet. Otherwise, it will look like a bitching session instead of what you are really trying to do (seeking advice and solutions).

Okay, TSDbloggers: What do you do when your gut feeling is “either that clown goes or I go”?

You know you’re a more valuable employee than “that clown” (who, amazingly enough, is your subordinate), but you work for a government bureaucracy, where getting quit of a clown requires you and everyone around you to go through the tortures of the d*mned and will most certainly harm your unit’s productivity and your staff’s morale. Not only that, but you are the incumbent in a job that a) is unique in North America and b) pays about three times more than you could earn in any job you are likely to land. Everything about the job, other than said “clown,” exceeds copacetic.

It took 12 of the 14 days of my Christmas-New Year’s vacation for me to come down off the ceiling and unwind. Today, my first day back on the job, I could feel the gut clench up as I was walking in from the parking to the office. The Gut Clencher’s antics consumed a mere hour or so of my time, only because I told her to take a flying F at the moon (well, not in quite those terms) while I caught up with two weeks’ worth of backlog. Tomorrow I will have to deal with her again; tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, to the last syllable of recorded time.

There’s no chance that I will find another job comparable to the one I have now. If I make a “her or me” threat and the dean calls me on it, I’ll be living on $12,000 or $14,000 a year, now and forever world without end, amen.

The dean is on my side, but our HR rep resists. My dean is not Zeus Thundering in the Clouds; she’s Deer in the Headlights. Her mouth may support me, but her clout may not.

So…?????????

And…years ago when I was young & pretty, I also found myself in Tanya’s predicament. My boss owned the company, and so there was no recourse to his boss or to corporate legal counsel.
Really, the only recourse was to walk. Don’t put up with that–you don’t have to!

This assumes the supervisor is reasonable and/or capable. Not hiring a System administrator and expecting a non systems administrator to fill the roll is not reasonable and does not show good management skills.

You also describe them as coming to him in a panic about things- again a sign that reasonable or capable may not be the reaction.

I’m not saying that there are a lot of supervisors who will want to work with good employees to improve things. But claiming “most of the time” this is the case is simply not true in my experience.

People have to pay attention to their specific situation and figure out the best thing to do based on their analysis of their situation and should be mindful if their supervisor is not capable of helping, there may be other angles to take. I have seen great supervisors and terrible. If you have a decent supervisor, it may be a waste of time to not try and work things out as you suggest. If you have a bad supervisor, it may be a waste of time to take your approach.

http://wyliemoney.blogspot.com/

The rational thing is to talk to my manager about it, but that’s easier said than done. It’s not so much a “me versus them” mentality, but I am afraid that I’d be tagged as a non-team player. Ah, corporate politics. One day I won’t have to play this game.

While I appreciate you being generous and open toward your bosses’ shortcomings. I must agree with Sarah. What you described IS sexual harrassment, whether you want to call it that or not. It falls under the category of Hostile Work Environment in a Sexual nature, as opposed to any quid pro quo harassment.

If you have told him to stop, and he hasn’t, it should go up the ladder. I would suggest, however, that you not go to his boss. Skip all the way to the top ranking legal counsel in the company, and put the complaint in writing. Stand up for yourself. If you’re not worried about yourself, stand up for the next female who might work for this bozo.

Had that not been the case, I likely would have gone the “hysterical” me vs. them route with some demands that wouldn’t have made things any better…

one small piece that makes me sick (literally)is the schedule. working in the graveyard shift non-stop for a year has definitely been bad for my health.

thank goodness the end is very near… =)