I used to hang with a guy who's since left and he would always talk shit about our manager, mainly accusing him of being a bully. From experience I've learnt it's not best to say anything and despite his comments, at the time I thought he was decent and my response was always hes been okay with me. He's my manager right? he's got a job to do and so do I, were not best friends. I get the dynamic.
We generally get on just fine and will sometimes talk about our personal lives and ill walk away thinking he's a nice guy, he's just doing his job.
Recently I was tasked with a project that stretched a little over 3 months were I was working non stop with 0 space to breathe. At the end of it after meeting all my deadlines, all I got was a “you did okay” but followed by a list of critique.
Later He comes over to me to dump a bunch of other work and to reiterate their deadlines. I told him I'd get it done but I'm currently helping a new colleague with his work as he's struggling.
In that colleagues presence he tells him how it's only a few days work and the task is easy, anyone can do it, he doesn't understand why it's not been done yet, “What dont you get? It's simple”, basically belittling him infront of Me.
My colleague said he's planning to put In a request for extra training but my manager said don't bother were not paying for it. He responded he was going to ask our company to pay for it. (Were outsourced staff who work for a client).
I tried to back my colleague by explaining it's not as simple as it seems and for someone with such little experience and it would be beneficial for someone like myself to guide him through the process.
But his response was to eseentially give me an ultimatum, “Mango, you can help him all you want but you've got your own deadlines to meet. “
I have never heard a manager speak to a colleague like that, it's genuinely put a bad taste in my mouth and I'm disappointed in him. I thought he was a decent guy but maybe I'm wrong?
Yeah it shouldn't take a week but that doesn't justify putting him on the spot and talking to him like he's an idiot.
I'm not sure if I'm over reacting but it's all clicked in place. I get why my last colleague left and why he was always Bitching about him, he's not the first either. 3 people have left and told me he's a bully but I never saw it first hand so I dismissed it.
Somehow I've dodged his Crosshairs but who knows, tomorrow it maybe me?
What do you guys think and how have you dealt with toxic colleagues/managers?
TLDR: ex colleagues called our manager a bully but I never believed them. Now I've seen it first hand, I'm disgusted and not sure what to do.