Dealing with an Irritating Boss: Strategies for Managing Workplace Dynamics

Hi All,

My boss is asking me to sit at the reception and I don't want to do it as it will degrade my profile. Kindly help me out with a way wherein I can deny him in a decent manner. Please help.

Regards,
Priya

Hi all,

My boss is asking me to sit at the reception and I don't want to do it as it will degrade my profile. Kindly help me out with a way wherein I can deny him in a decent way. Please help.

Regards,
Priya

Attribution: https://www.citehr.com/454672-irrita...#ixzz2NsiFV3xe

Hi Priya,

Before I can give you a useful answer, please provide more details about your job profile and what makes you think that sitting at a reception desk is degrading.

Regards,
Harsh

Hi Priya,

What is your job profile and what is your current designation? Are you too qualified for the post? As Harsh suggested, please give more information so that we can guide you.

Regards,
Anita

Hi Harsh and Anita,

I am working as an HR in this organization and have done B.Com, M.Com, and pursuing an MBA in HR. I have to look after recruitment, payroll, admin work, and other tasks as well. I already have too much work, and on top of it, he does this.

I always agree and do the work assigned by him. So, I feel like he is taking me for granted. Seriously, he is too much. He never appreciates the good work done but always criticizes for the same.

What should I do now?

Please suggest.

Regards,
Priya

Hi Priya,

My first thoughts are:

It does not matter what your academic qualifications are; they only mattered when you applied for the job. Now, please don't dismiss your boss as irritating (this is so that YOU are in a clear frame of mind). I suggest you take a close look at your actual workload (as opposed to any perception of the workload he probably has); write it all down and then ask for an informal meeting. Produce your workload synopsis at the meeting and suggest to him that the quality of your output will suffer if you relocate to the reception desk because of all the interruptions. That should do the trick. If he still insists, then agree to a trial period and record all interruptions to prove your point. Sometimes, one has to educate the boss!!

Regards,
Harsh

Hi Harsh,

I like the way you said... really true and the best way to go ahead, but my only concern is he will ask and start expecting more and more. This is not the first time. There are many other things that I have done which I am not supposed to do. So as the saying goes in Hindi, "ungli di toh pura haath pakad liya." He always does this. Sick and tired now...

Regards,
Priya

Hi Priya,

Please don't despair!

There are always two actions you can take:
1) Leave
2) Stay

If you leave, then it's over and done with. But then what about the new boss?

But if you stay, then you have the ability to change not only the boss but also contribute to a better workplace. As they say, "Better the devil you know, than the one you don't."

If this boss is persistent in his demands, then you MUST (for your own sake) consider if he thinks that you have the ability. If you have the ability, then take the extra work and prove your worth. However, I urge you to keep a running record of all the extra work so that you can produce it for two reasons:
1) if anything ever goes wrong
2) it will help at your next appraisal or salary review.

Sow the seeds now and harvest the rewards later. But in doing so, never lose your respect or dignity. Always treat your boss with kid gloves and slowly win him over. After all, he is your best weapon for your progression.

I hope this helps.

Dear Priya,

There's an unwritten rule in contemporary management (note how I didn't use the word 'leadership') which says that:

'If you want something done, then go to the busiest person'.

Having read your exchange with Harsh, I'm convinced that your boss finds you to be the jewel in his business. Else, why would he volunteer you for such varied works?

Now, again going back to Harsh, you have a choice - Leave or Stay.

But, before you make this choice, I want to introduce a concept to you.

Regardless of what choice you make, you MUST understand that you are making that choice for YOU. And, not just for this situation, but for all others that will arise in your career hereafter.

What I mean is that if your boss has identified you as an achiever, there can only be 1 of 2 possibilities.

First, you really are an achiever with a high work ethic and productivity, as well as a high standard of work completion. As you can understand, each of these are significant traits for any 1 person to possess. And, these very traits are what each employer looks for when they're hiring. In this sense, your boss is truly fortunate and from what you write, I think he knows it too. But, like most Indian bosses, he's been trained very hard to not express that praise. Which is really sad, because in all that you write, genuine praise and acknowledgment are 2 outcomes you really seek!

Second, you are an achiever, but not in the real sense. That is, your colleagues' baseline is so low that even an average performer shines as an achiever. Again, reading your posts, I am not convinced that you are in this category. So, we won't discuss this category further.

So, now, if you truly are an achiever, then I'm afraid that you'll have this situation with every employer. And, as unfortunate as it sounds, it's achievers like yourself who make it really hard for yourself - without even realizing it.

How?

Quite simple really!

You volunteer for work that others won't stick their hands up for. You make sure you finish the work on or before the deadline. You spend extra time researching ways to do that work better, more efficiently, at a lesser cost, etc. Your work is of a much higher standard than others, but each time you take another assignment, you increase that standard yet higher. And, so on and so forth!

Thus, in a nutshell:

YOU have trained your boss to EXPECT the unexpected from you

That is, you've made him habituated to expect a much higher workload and a far higher work standard and work ethic from you than from your colleagues!

But now, when he's gotten used to your training, you're probably at a point where you want some room to breathe!

This situation is very common with achievers. And, like all situations, it can be made into an opportunity or be perceived as a roadblock!

And, that choice is entirely yours!

Here again I go back to Harsh's post where he asks you to educate your boss! I totally agree with him.

There's another significant dimension to your dilemma Priya! YOU!

Because, Priya, the truth is that you will be caught in this situation anywhere you work. So, you too need to take a step back, assess how you do things, weigh them against your personal values and priorities, and then take a decision moving forward.

All in all, I would love to have one of my staff have your dilemma. Why?

Because then I'll know that I've got a real winner in my team.

But, I'll also expect them to be totally open and transparent with me when they feel how you're feeling right now, as well as have the patience to educate me. Why?

Because while I may be their boss and know a lot of things, I'm NOT that person. And, I'm definitely NOT a mind reader!

If I was, I'd be very rich and won't need to post in this forum. There'd be a long queue outside my door every morning...

You get the idea...

All the best!

So, more than training your boss, you also need to train yourself

It's time to do a reality check.

Your qualifications are BCom, MCom.

Basically, you are just a graduate (MCom is nothing but a waste of time, and the industry knows it).

The fact that you are studying for a part-time MBA is of little consequence, especially if you are doing a correspondence course; it's not given any credence.

After you qualify, if you have done a part-time MBA (not correspondence), then you get a bit of leverage, but not much. Again, the industry does not consider part-time MBA as serious study. The courses, in any case (except a select few), lack quality.

What matters more is your experience and exposure.

I do not know the size of your company or its reputation, so I can't tell more about your profile. You will be the best judge. If the company is small and HR is not a separate function, then admin comes under your purview. In that case, how does sitting in the reception downgrade your performance? Or how does it adversely affect work quality? How large is the volume of visitors that it will prevent you from working?

If you go to an interview, are they going to know you sit in the reception? Or are you worried about your friends and colleagues looking down on you?

In our office, the girl who handles admin and HR sits in the reception. She does all of what you said, plus manages the office boys, and also the junior accountant reports to her. Just because it's convenient for her to sit at the reception does not reduce the importance of the work she does.

In the end, there is no single right answer to the original query.

If you are clear that you do not want to sit in reception, clearly tell your boss that you would not. Tell him it downgrades you and distracts from work.

If he is not willing to listen, then you have to look for a new job.

Hi Priya,

Please remember it is your life and no one can actually advise you. The only thing others can do is guide you. You know the actual difficulty you are facing and can see you are really fed up with your current boss and job. Why don't you tell your boss you are overloaded with work and, moreover, not comfortable working at the reception?

Meanwhile, start looking for a change because it seems he is trying to exploit you. But just a request, don't leave the job until you get another opening because you will have greater bargaining power when you are going for an interview.

All the best,
Anita

Ask anyone. In 9 out of 10 cases, they will tell you what you tell about your boss - that the boss does not understand, does not appreciate, flogs the running horse, etc. That is the reality.

But the post of Mr. Saswatbanerjee sums the position up nicely. It is worth pondering about that.

Hi Priya,

In order to get good impression you might obey all his orders initially, but now as per your words you are not able to take it. So don’t worry. For every problem there was a solution,

If you follow few things u can easily escape from that situation.

1) Being your boss it is his responsibility to describe your KRAs and KPIs, so ask for that then he will get a clear picture on HR roles and Responsibilities. Henceforth whenever he wants to assign such tasks he will think.

2) Send a daily report to him ,what all you have done in your shift. He will understand your work pressure.

3) Never trash on your boss directly or indirectly, which creates negative impression on you.

4) Do your boss know that you are pursuing MBA, if not let him know that first, then he will understand the career that what exactly you are looking for, and he will try to assign HR related work.

5) Last but not least take each and every problem as an opportunity for learning, Remember, you need to be more stronger enough to face and solve your problems, then only you can solve employee problems ….

Dear Ms. Trivedi,

For your kind information, sometimes our higher authorities test our attitude. So, I can simply explain to you that this is a part of testing your attitude levels. You just need to observe for a few days without any rush.

Thank you.

Dear Priya,

I understand your problem as an HR professional. I do not agree with others. They are all giving goody-goody impractical lectures. Today your boss is asking you to sit at the reception; tomorrow he will ask you to stand at the gate as a security guard. This is just not acceptable.

You are a postgraduate-qualified person and have mentioned that you are looking after HR functions like recruitment, payroll, and administration. These are important HR functions. Someone dealing with these functions should not sit at the reception. That is the job of a receptionist, which is a completely different job profile and can even be done by a matriculate. An HR professional has some dignity.

Please tell him politely that with your qualifications and the job responsibilities you are handling, you should not be made to sit at the reception. They should identify somebody else with lesser qualifications for the receptionist job. If he insists, you may do the job under protest until you find another job. With your qualifications and experience, I am sure you can find another job.

One thing I have observed is that you need to improve your English.

I wish you all the best.

Shiladitya

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. My English is good enough; it's just that I had posted this in a hurry, thus there are some typing errors. I have corrected it. Kindly check the first comment.

Regards,
Priya

This is, in fact, a very interesting and pertinent discussion on an issue into which an achiever may unknowingly slip.

Harsh, you have given excellent clues on how to deal with the situation.

Gaurav, you, in fact, hit the nail on the head with your wonderful analysis.

Saswatabenerjee's reality check will be of help to Priya in making up her mind.

Gaurav and other members, here we do not know whether the boss of Priya is a shining jewel in the business who is merely a professional, or a shrewd jewel in the business who is out to exploit an achiever to the hilt at no extra cost to him as Shiladitya apprehended, or it is the limiting beliefs of Priya about meeting challenges that make her complain about her boss.

In the first case, there may not be a problem to deal with the issue, and here Harsh's clues will come in handy. A truly professional boss will definitely understand the difficulties as he does not want to improve one function at the cost of a key function like HR. In the last case i.e., case no. (3), it does not appear to be the case with Priya, given her capabilities. If she harbors any such beliefs, she has to do a reality check by herself and change them.

The real problem is with the second case where the boss is a shrewd jewel who is exploitative. He may ask the performing employee to walk the extra mile every day, and if the employee consents every time to walk, he or she may, after a lapse of time, have to walk not one mile but many miles barefoot and may collapse, being tired. How to preempt such circumstances?

1) Whether the talented employee should not raise expectations in his/her boss?

2) If raised expectations in the boss about her competencies unknowingly in the initial stages of employment, how to set a finishing line to stop the extra mile walk?

Trust the enlightened members will respond for the general benefit of aspiring young professionals.

B. Saikumar

Mumbai

Hi Priya,

I just read all the above comments and conversations made by you. Please note that whatever you are told by your boss and you do it in minimum time with maximum satisfaction, he is going to expect more. So, what do you want? Do you want him to expect more, or do you only want recognition for your work?

Regards,
Ravi Khatri

Dear Priya,

Each and every response to your query is indeed valuable, and I hope by now you have figured out the direction you needed!

All the best.

Best regards,
PD

Dear Priya,

Each and every response to your query is indeed valuable, and I hope by now you have figured out the direction you needed!

All the best.

Warm regards,
PD

Hi Priya,

Having gone through the entire discussion, you have received really good advice from our seniors. As you mentioned that the problem has been resolved, could you kindly share how you actually resolved the issue? I'm asking this because we are all here on this site to learn from each other's knowledge and experience. There might be someone else who could face the same issue later, so it would be beneficial for all of us to know the different approaches that can be taken.

You initiated by seeking help, and it would be great if you could also share your experience in resolving the issue.