My boss is a bully

Last week I received my recognition. Pay increase of 12,000 per annum on top of what I lready earn. Courtesy of the general tax-payer of course.

Interpreter for the Police. Well, you will keep immigrants coming into the country and they do like to pick fights at silly hours of the morning.

I always knew my language training would come in handy.

Today I received my recognition, after 5 years of working for my firm. Yes I have been recognised as a "Star" employee. I've got an award, a metal star-shaped paperweight with a symbol of being a member of the enterprise's top 50 club.

Yep, I'm in the top 50. Value of this paperweight = £7.50p. Use to me = Zero: we work in a paperless office. Mention of a proper promotion with payrise significantly greater than inflation = No. I am earning less in real terms than when I started 5 years ago. I am a "star" sukker.

Prize of £7-50p on offer what to do with this award.

Mate below,

Promotion means more money, you haven't really been promoted at all.

Promoted in what sense? I don't think your boss understands the meaning of the word.

On January first this year I was told I had been "promoted" from bottlewasher to senior dogsbody, at least that was what told to me by my manager over the 'phone. I have been with the firm for over 5 years now, and was really looking forward to this promotion!

Did I get a payrise because of the promotion? - No.

Were my colleagues told of my promotion? - No.

Did I get a written letter confirming my promotion? - No.

Did I get a list of my new duties and responsibilites in my new post? No.

What kind of promotion was that? The cheap lies that pervade organisations today. I dare not tell my partner about this "promotion" as I cannot afford the celebration that will not result - two pints down the pub. I cannot even take my colleagues out for a drink- how mean.

What a sham life is today! What a liar my boss is. What a shabby firm I work for. It all really disgusts me. I want to give back my "promotion", as it is completely meaningless. What should I do?

My firm [an IT firm] deliberately employs bullies. They want to demotivate us with no payrises for 3 years and with an employee care programme that sucks. They want us out. They want us to leave, but they don't want to have to pay redundancy. Employees in the far east are so cheap that the firm wants to move its operations there. We suffer. The European Union has let us down as it doesn't protect us from this.

Our downfall will lead to our bosses' downfalls, but they don't realise that. They're stupid. Bullies are stupid.

This seems to be a common problem.Check out www.mybossisatosser.co.uk for more information..

For years I had what I considered to be the perfect job. The boss I had before the one I have now just let us on with the work, and if there was any difficulty with a customer, the organisation, he would take it up with whosoever required. He was somewhat lazy, but eventually something got done. That boss left and was replaced with a monster.

My new boss is a liar. He is a weakling and next to useless. He has never done anything to earn a day's crust. He adds no value whatsoever to the work that is done. He just gets in the way, interferes with everything you do, never leaves you alone to do the job you are better trained and skilled to do than he. He is nothing but a waste of space. Why do I have to have boss like him.

If I challenge his authority or question his orders he pulls rank threatening me. He tries to shut me up if I try to discuss our work and its methodology with my colleagues. He wants to censor me at every opportunity.

I try to avoid him at every opportunity. We I see him I feel nauseous. He adds stress to my everyday life and work. He is nothing but a nobody who by kissing people's backsides has risen in the ranks. I dare not challenge him fully he has caused others to leave or lose their jobs.

As for discussions about pay and job rewards he lies and cheats and prevaricates. No one has ever enjoyed a proper payrise or bonus since he was taken on.

Is there a lawa against this type of inhuman monster?

I have been working for a company for nearly 4 years. During the first year the PA informed me of her and the CEO's having an affair. Since her telling me of this when she was drunk she has been nasty to me and trying to turn my boss against me to which is working. I have been working with my new boss for about a year whom I asked for more work the other week to which he turned the whole situation around and told me I was no good at my job. I have clear evidence that I have been doing a good job and him even praising me. When I appealed this it was rejected by the CEO even though the evidence was there. My boss brought up things from 6 months ago to which he never told me at the time there was something wrong. I am so sick of being here but I like everyone else I work with, but everyone is just so scared of this PA they say nothing. I don't want to leave as the money is good and would be taking a decrease if left, but I cannot cope with her lies to my boss anymore.

Bullying can get your boss sacked. Bullying can be mental or physical and is usually carried out by people who are in secure. The law is on your side. See here >>> http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/DiscriminationAtWork/DG_10026670

Use it, be assertive, register a formal complaint. It will be a career limiting black mark on the bully - limiting their future promotion and managerial prospects. Go bite some ankles Grrrrrr,,,

I had a boss once that used to ridicule me at every opportunity possible. When I left the job, I super-glued 1 Penny pieces all over his brand new Porsche, paintwork windows the lot.

I hung around covertly and when he approached his car, the scene was legendary as he began to uncover the extent of the damage but, this was no way near the damage her had done to myself.

Anyone that is prepared to upset me in the future, I'll make sure you put your hand in your pocket.

I work for a utility company and hate the fact that when my manager is having a bad day she resorts to speaking to her team members like dirt and always infront of other work collegues except management of course.

Doris Doormat,

Reading your gripe, the impression I got is that you have the 'Why me?' syndrome so I ask "Why not you?". Though it's wrong, bullying occurs in most working environments. What's important is how you deal with it. Sometimes an employee labels a manager as a bully when the problem actually is the employee.

There are two options: find another job or stand up to the bully. Finding another job is easier and less hassle. If you don't want to find another job, then I would suggest approaching the bully and telling her that you find her behaviour towards you disrespectful (give examples). If you feel uncomfortable doing this, get an objective manager to mediate. If mediation does not work and you end up making a complaint, don't rely on colleagues for supporting evidence because they will be too worried about any repercusions. In cases of a complaint, make sure you have ample documented evidence to back your claim or you are stuffed because you will be labelled as a difficult employee.

If your boss ignores you then use that time and get some work done so you can leave the office on time. The office environment is not a friendship circle. If your boss yells at you, request that she speaks to you in a respectful manner and follow this up with a polite email confirming the facts of the events. If your boss is not giving you information to do your job, send her a polite email asking if she can do so in future. Keep notes and copies of any such emails in a safe place. They usually come in handy if it comes to making a complaint. Whatever you do, make you don't get emotional.

Unless you've become the director of the company (which you obviously haven't) or the company is owned by your family, there's no reason why anyone should stay in the same job for 18 years. Tough may have been harsh but he/she has a point.