Well, at least you got rid of the long commute. <g>

Dan


>Dear Dr. Phil <g>,
>
>Funny you should mention that. My new job is now my former job, all in the space of two weeks. I quit yesterday. Do you mind if I vent a little? Good, I knew you wouldn't <g>.
>
>It wasn't really a boss issue, since mine was on vacation all but my first day. I heard plenty of things about him that concerned me but can't very well blame him for the rapid departure. It was more the overall atmosphere. I have never been in an environment where employees were so routinely abused and intimidated. The atmosphere is one of fear. I didn't catch any of it atdirectly but saw and heard more than enough. There are about 150 employees, of whom six (6) are management. The rest are treated like serfs, in direct proportion to their job position. A handful can do no wrong, the salaried employees -- about a dozen -- are treated decently enough if they can handle high pressure and expectations, and the rest are regarded as detritus. That sucks to begin with, but it gets worse. The biggest group of employees are nurses, which I consider a profession. They aren't treated like that there. They have to badge in and out at the beginning and end of day, beginning and end
>of lunch (30 minutes), beginning and end of breaks (10 minutes). Badge in more than 7 minutes early or more than 7 minutes late, or take more than a 10 minute break, and you are automatically written up. Get written up 3 times and you are subject to termination.
>
>You should see how fast I typed all that. I am still angry. People shouldn't be treated that way. The straw that broke the camel's back was yesterday when the owner/CEO came into the office I shared with the other two developers (not counting our boss, who was in many ways a developer himself). He put his hand up on Brian's credenza -- right word? the thingamabobber at the top of a workstation where you put books and so forth) and snatched it back in apparent horror when he detected dust. He immediately grabbed Brian's phone and ordered his admin to fire the cleaning lady. She was a 60ish Polish lady, pleasant to everyone, who was on the payroll, not an outside contractor. Gone. I hate that crap. Life is too short. I think the way people treat the powerless says something about the kind of person they are themselves.
>
>So I'm a free agent again, way sooner than I expected. That's no fun -- you wouldn't believe the sigh of relief I breathed when a new job came along so quickly -- but we have to be able to look at ourselves in the mirror.
>
>
>>I've come to recognize over many years that my bosses were being driven by their bosses and sometimes pushed stuff down my throat that made them look bad but was merely inadequately explained.
>>
>>What I have found that works (somewhat) is to have closed-door meetings with your boss and find out what the bigger concerns are. Most people don't enjoy the stress of being a hard-ass and are only doing it because of pressure from above.
>>
>>Your "functional boss" should be facilitating your work towards goals. Try to form a partnership with her to achieve results that are win-win for both.
>>
>>Doggone it, I sound like Dr. Phil now :-)
>>
>>>I know that I'm a hard person to have working under someone, but I am so tired of dealing with the idiocyncrasies of bosses that I just want to quit and count clover in some far-off field. My current "functional" boss - meaning she gives me my work, but someone else has the admin duties - is killing me. I never know what mood she's going to be in when I have to deal with her. Is it the nice, caring one, or the moody, stressed one? Never know. It's like we're dating. And not the cool first third of the relationship, but rather the last "what are you doing here" third. I like what I do, but I swear I have got to find somewhere else to go. Yeah, I know, but I really don't care if they read this or not. What about others? Is it the same everywhere and it's just my problem with authority, or are there really good bosses out there to work for?