advice on dealing, with insecure manager

[troyandabed]

Originally Posted by isjjj1

Please guide me and give me advice, please on this sensitive issue. My manager seems to be trying to be 'keeping me at bay'. For instance, I emailed the person to get data, etc. My manger was very upset and told me to 'never...' do this again....

Things like that..like trying to ask me to do very menial things to keep me busy so I am not threat, etc. Do you guys know? Help me so I can deal with this well and survive...

Sounds to me like your boss is overreacting - there might be a completely unrelated reason for that. Lay low and let it blow over. Some people will always try to suppress you - tell the truth, document everything, and do good work. You can actively look for new work if things deteriorate, but it wouldn't hurt to see what else is out there now.

[AAABBBCCC]

This whole story makes me laugh. I really hope OP didnt email some person to get data and then try to do his boss's job. That would be a big faux pas. If that is the case then his days are numbered. NOw if OP is a good employee and has been doing menial tasks for too long then he can either talk to his boss about it or he can move to a new job. But you know what? Your boss probably isnt dumb and he knows (even more after the stunt you pulled) that you are looking for something more interesting to do. It really is time to move on, bro.

[DoctorNo]

Originally Posted by isjjj1

Please guide me and give me advice, please on this sensitive issue. My manager seems to be trying to be 'keeping me at bay'. For instance, I emailed the person to get data, etc. My manger was very upset and told me to 'never...' do this again....

I haven't seen a good answer to this question yet (and the answer matters):

Who is "the person" in the above sentence? I assume that it's not the manager, because otherwise you would have used your words differently.

[Hydraskull]

Originally Posted by DoctorNo

I haven't seen a good answer to this question yet (and the answer matters):

Who is "the person" in the above sentence? I assume that it's not the manager, because otherwise you would have used your words differently.

Yeah I was wondering this too.

[Brad Gile]

Most managers are good. Otherwise, lots of companies would go down the tubes. That said, there may be some bad ones who are entrenched and can drive you nuts over time if you let them.

Sometimes you just have to say "WTF?" and make your move to save your sanity and career.

[asdfasdf]

Did the manager point out errors in your email request?

Not sure how new OP is, but many jobs start doing menial tasks, gotta just suck that up.

How do other people in your group feel about the manager? Be very cautious feeling them out, don't ask "Hey manager guy really sucks doesn't he!", but if they think the manager is great and you're the outlier, then you may want to re-assess.

[Dr T Non-Fan]

Just deal as you normally would: two cards for hold 'em, four cards for Omaha, two down and one up for Stud games....

[Interrogative Statement]

Originally Posted by Brad Gile

Most managers are good. Otherwise, lots of companies would go down the tubes. That said, there may be some bad ones who are entrenched and can drive you nuts over time if you let them.

Sometimes you just have to say "WTF?" and make your move to save your sanity and career.

I don't mean to , but I have kind of a follow-up to this to anyone who's ever tried to use a non-actuarial position as leverage to get into an actuarial role.

I was formerly at an insurance company where I took a position with the intent of then transferring into the actuarial department. I was obviously very unhappy in that role and my performance suffered, which led to some hard feelings on both sides. However, my boss was also extremely unsupportive of the endeavor, and cared only about how my work would relate to his specific job as opposed to the good of the company. I wound up leaving on bad terms.

Anyone have any experiences such as this, or advice on how to avoid something like this?

[Sleepy Head]

Originally Posted by Carnifex

Some guidelines & general laws in no particular order:

1.) If your boss thinks your more talented then they are and/or are outperforming them, they will try to get you fired.

2.) Relationships with your superiors are critical. It's important you understand you are NOT friends, yet need to maintain a very friendly relationship (not ass kissing) and work well together and can talk freely (in a professional manner).

3.) Never correct your boss in open office space. If you suspect they are wrong, convey this politely in an email and/or behind closed doors.

4.) Don't say "Im sorry" or appolgize. First this automaticaly admitts guilt. Second it means absolutely nothing since people in the business world only care about solutions. Always discuss how you intend on resolving problems instead of "Wah,, I'm so sorry".

5.) Other posters continue this list as I'm going out for drinks. Speaking of which , alcohol always helps work related stress.

1 is not always true. I've had employees who I don't mind working for in the future. I've talked to a lot of managers who said the same thing. There's a difference between being a great employee and being a threat to your boss. Nobody wants to work with someone who doesn't have his or her back. A great employee is someone who focuses on helping his boss, and the team, succeed. In doing so, he makes himself look good and promotable. When he gets promoted, it will be obvious to everybody that he deserves it.

I agree with 2, 3, and 4, especially 2. People here tell stories about how their boss documented their "offenses". None of this would have happened if they had a good relationship with their boss. When someone starts documenting stuff, that means they are ready to fire you. I'm not saying that the boss was not at fault (sometimes it's not possible to build a good relationship with someone). All I'm saying is that people don't fire someone they like, no matter what the company's policy says. Bottom line: if you have a bad relationship with your boss, get out ASAP, before you get fired.

[Amy7]

Originally Posted by isjjj1

Please guide me and give me advice, please on this sensitive issue. My manager seems to be trying to be 'keeping me at bay'. For instance, I emailed the person to get data, etc. My manger was very upset and told me to 'never...' do this again....

Things like that..like trying to ask me to do very menial things to keep me busy so I am not threat, etc. Do you guys know? Help me so I can deal with this well and survive...

Anything is possible, but it's pretty unlikely that as an entry level worker, you would be "a threat" to your boss if he didn't keep you busy doing menial tasks. If you don't understand how the menial tasks contribute to the team's work, then ask your boss if he has time to help you understand how your work fits in to the bigger picture so you know why you are doing it. If you understand how it is useful but just think it's boring, suck it up for a while, someone has to do it and right now you're the low man on the totem pole. If you didn't do it, someone with more experience would have to do it, so it makes more sense for you to do it. Unless you have an idea for how the boss could accomplish the same objective more efficiently? In some cases (for instance, Excel work that can be automated) you can make improvements which make your job more interesting and make your boss happy at the same time.