Bad Boss: I told him to "F-Off!"
Sep 20, 2023
"I told my boss to F-OFF"...
..."and I’d do it again".
The spectacular final words of a client pushed to the edge before quitting her job on the spot. But let me back up a little.
How did it come to this?
My client (who doesn't want to be named) was working as an Analyst for a well-known electrical company in Melbourne.
This boss had been harassing her for months. What started out as a friendly relationship a year earlier had turned nasty.
Small mistakes, if she made them, became big deals. He threatened to performance manage her without clear guidance on what areas to improve.
He would mock her in front of her colleagues and call it “making a joke”. Talk about her behind her back and call it “constructive criticism”. He gave her the crap work that no one else wanted.
On top of that he would block her from every opportunity without a real reason why.
Talk about a grade A bully.
She was stuck, unhappy and couldn’t see a way out. She felt her reputation was tarnished. She was miserable, not only at work but with friends and family.
The turning point
"It was getting worse every week, and especially in the days before I lost my best friend, my adorable dog 'Mia'. It's no excuse, but it was a difficult time.
Then, during a team meeting, he decided to make an example of me. He accused me of writing a terrible report, the worst he'd seen. The crazy thing is, I hadn't even given him that report - he totally made it up.
I didn't even know how to respond... a surge came over me and right in front of everyone I told him...
F-off, I'm sick of this - I quit!"
Then what?
"I should've thrown a bunch of papers, like in the movie, but really what I said just came out.
It was totally unbelievable, scary, but incredibly liberating! I went back to my desk, grabbed my bag, and I was out of there".
That’s when I met her, when she joined our Career Accelerator Program in June.
Since then, she's gone onto a much better role, still as an Analyst but one that has an incredibly supportive leadership team, where she is putting more focus on herself.
It pains me every time I hear a story like this because it’s all too common.
If you feel like this, just know you're not alone. Put yourself first, create a plan to exit and get the support you need to rebuild your confidence.
Your amazing next role, where you feel totally valued, is just around the corner!
