Boss Etiquette 101

Being a rebellious girl, I used to think I have problems with authority figures. But now that I really think about it, I only have problems with authority figures who don’t know shit about their respective jobs and/or go out of their way to make their subordinates’ working lives a living hell.

I have worked on both sides of the equation. I have been employed in both supervisory and rank and file positions, so I speak from experience when I say I know how each one feels like. Ironically enough, I worked as a supervisor prior to my current office job. No, I did not get demoted; I just switched fields and applied for this plain-vanilla job because it’s close to home so I can be with my daughter. So yes, you could say I gave up my career in favor of my daughter. But I digress.

I quit my first job because of my immediate supervisor. She’s a bitch and was out to get me right from the get-go. What makes it more insulting is she doesn’t even know what she’s talking about to order me to do things that I know were not even right. I made a coupla mistakes at work, I admit. But instead of going with protocol, she went all personal and apparently held a vendetta against me. I was never one to quit, but I know enough to sense a futile fight so I just left with my dignity intact. Apparently it so made her happy that she treated the whole office for snacks for three consecutive days after I left. Beat that, huh? 😉

My next job was supervisory as an Engineer in a manufacturing plant. I was assigned to the second largest group and I handled around 70-90 people, including the Line Leaders. Perhaps because of my experience on my first job, I was a bit too soft on my group. It doesn’t really help that my Senior Engineer was on the laid back side too, but at least he knew his shit and I could rely on him (and his working knowledge) to help me out if I got a bit over my head in our work. I was “reasonable” to a fault and between the Management and my group, I always make sure that no one gets the better of the other inasmuch as I could do something about it. That’s probably why I was one of the most liked Engineers at that time. 😛 I left when I got pregnant, because (1) my area/process is hazardous and I didn’t want to get transferred to another, albeit safer one just because of my delicate condition, and (2) I was living in a boarding house then and I wanted to stay home and be with my child after giving birth.

More than a year after Francine was born, I went looking for another job in a location near home. Needless to say there were no engineering jobs so I just applied to whichever company would hire me. I ended up working for a retail store as a Section Supervisor. I initially applied for an IT-related position but they were looking only for male applicants (boo!) but since I had experience handling people they put me in Store Operations instead. So there you go. Again, I was one of the more laid back supervisors (see a pattern emerging?). Then again, I was put in charge of good workers. I figured, as long as they’re doing their work well (which I regularly check) there’s no need to be all strict and antagonize them needlessly. It worked both ways, I got good productivity out of them and they in turn gave me no headaches. 🙂 On the other hand, those other supervisors who were more than a little strict got the work done alright but had to deal with surly subordinates. Still I left after my contract expired because the work and shifting hours were not for me.

So here I am now at my current job, which has nothing to do with my Bachelor’s degree. But it’s okay. I earn enough and only work until 5:00 P.M. during weekdays (unless something needs to be finished and I have to work overtime). I have the weekends to myself to spend with Francine and do whatever I want.

Anywho. From my experiences as both supervisor and subordinate, there are a few things I learned that are a must for those in supervisory positions:

• You can only win your people’s respect if you respect them first. People are people, no matter that you outrank them at work. At the end of the day after work, they are just the same as your own family or friends. They have feelings and intellect too.
• Learn to listen/read thoroughly before reacting. This seems a no-brainer, but trust me, I have met my share of bull-headed bosses who shoot first and question later. Not cool. A lot of miscommunication and clashes could be avoided by simply going through the whole of the message or explanation instead of reacting at the first word.
• Conflicts can and must be resolved in a civilized manner. Mistakes are inevitable at work, but there’s no need to chew out the concerned person/s. Especially not in front of their other colleagues. That is one surefire way to make all your people hate you. The thinking is, if you could do it to one person, you could do it to anyone, right?
• Know your limits, professionally and otherwise. Power-tripping is so not cool. Delegating extra work (not personal errands) beyond an employee’s job description can be tolerable sometimes–depending on the situation (like maybe there’s no one else who could do it on short notice) and how you do it. She may be already be reluctant about doing extra work, but forcing it with matching Boss attitude could result in her doing sloppy work just to spite you. It happens. No, you don’t have to grovel either. Just speaking professionally/diplomatically/politely/nicely and explaining why the extra work is needed should suffice. Just don’t do it all the time.
• KNOW. YOUR. SHIT. Really. I mean, who doesn’t hate a boss who only knows how to bark out commands at every turn but doesn’t even know what he’s supposed to know? You know the kind, the one who relies on his people to do all the heavy lifting while reaping the fruits of their efforts for himself. All air and bravado with nothing to back it up is a lethal combination, trust me. You’ll not only be hated by the staff, on top of that you’ll secretly be their laughingstock as well. Pathetic.

So it would seem I expect a lot from my superiors. Yes, just as they expect a lot from me so they have to do their part too. Healthy working relations are not a one-sided affair. Each must do his or her own part, and mutual respect is at the core.

What do you think? Do you share my views or not? Do let me know in the comments section. 😉