So, I’m an operations manager at a small drafting and design firm. For the most part I work with the same four people. Our office is small, and unless a private contractor comes in for the day it’s just us four. But, today we had a somewhat unimportant in-person client meeting to discuss construction plans. It really could have been a short virtual meeting but my boss insisted it be held at the firm. So I made the arrangements last week, and assigned the meeting to Kathy. She did all the prep by the end of Tuesday and loaded it onto the share drive per my request. She is smart, kind, and great at her job.
Anyhow, it snowed near my house last night. Not a lot mind you, but a few inches of show with freezing rain to coat the roads can be dangerous. After I got into work I got a call from Kathy letting me know she won’t be coming in because she can’t safely get out of her neighborhood. I told her not to worry at all, her safety is more important than whatever we have going on today. She was happy to take a day off (she needed it. She’s been really overwhelmed with family lately), and just rest at home. We hung up and I told the other two that it’s just us and we all moved on to prep for the day. Then my boss/the owner comes in. Let’s call her Pat.
Pat is a difficult person to be around. She is troglodyte by every sense of the word, she yells and throws fits, but today….today was just…
Pat: Where is Kathy?
Me: She got snowed in. I told her not to worry about it and we have her covered. Besides, if she has to stay home again I can bing her laptop to her later today.
Pat: (Walking towards me) NO!!!
Me: What? Why? Her car can’t make it in the snow, and mine can. It’s not a problem, and she can work from home tomorrow if the roads aren’t clear.
Now at this point I should have just caught on that this was going to go further downhill, but I was a bit surprised at her response. I shit you not my 60 year old boss started stomping her feet, crying, and screaming “I write the checks! I’m the boss” 2-3 times.
I just turned and walked away to my office, but she followed me all the way to my chair screaming about how she is the boss and how I never CC her on any emails (I don’t know…it’s what I could gather through the incoherent ranting). When she was good and tuckered out I said “is that it?” To which I received a head nod.
I swiveled my chair to my computer and began the benign neglect of this situation. Fuck me…
It was a couple hours later that Kathy texted me to let me know that Pat had called her five times before noon, and either yelled at her, tried to gaslight her, or guilt her into coming in.
Also, about two hours later, Pat walked into my office and told me I needed to contact the bank and get the per diem money back from Kathy following her conference a couple weeks ago. I told her no. That’s illegal and I won’t have any part of it…..more yelling….I try to explain that she can’t demand that money back, take it from her check, etc….more yelling….
She avoided me until the end of the day when I got an unwanted surprise hug from the side. She never acknowledged how she was acting, hell she didn’t seem like anything happened at all. It was all just praise of my work, how thankful she is for me, etc.
Fuck me…I’m looking for a new job.