In their own words, Stanleybing.com readers talk about the bullies, narcissists and other crazy bosses they spend their working days with.
A reader in Tucson writes:
My former attorney boss was pretty much a workman’s compensation claim crazy. Fox six years I worked for this 70-something narcisstic attorney who will tell you, and literally believe it, that “I am the smartest man in the world”. I limped off of that job in Sept. 2003, closing the office, placing my key on the desk, with a note saying if you call me to discuss this I will file a restraining order.
For years, he would call me at 7am in the morning while I am trying to get ready for work; when I arrived at the office at 8:30 am, there were voice messages telling me the same thing he said to me at 7am; then he hounded me all day about his paranoid suspicions regarding his partner or wanting me to do some personal assignments until I would eventually put aside valuable priority legal work to do his personal, dumb c**p just to shut him up.
When I got home from work around 6pm, there were voice messages about the same stuff we discussed at 7am, 8:30am and all day; then he would call me again around 7pm to discuss it all again. One time I actually had to tell him (right before the Labor Day weekend) that I needed a break from work for a few days, so please don’t call me. He did leave me alone, for two whole days!
During the 6 years I worked for him, he would insult me, tell me he didn’t know if he liked me, tell me that I was “a bright woman, so please don’t disappoint him.” When in the office he would walk around with his shoes off, come up behind me, just to see what I was doing. He was so neurotic and paranoid, he would not allow anyone other than employees into the office for fear somebody would go back into his office and riffle through his drawers. That included clients! Thank goodness he worked mostly out-of-town.
Why did I stay? I was a single woman raising two daughters and he paid very well. He knew that he was a difficult, crazy man and he paid a high salary so that he could “trap” somebody who really needed the cash.
What do you think? Is this boss crazy?