need a little support - bad boss day

[drfuzzy]

Ok, I'm going to do it.  I need to whine about my boss to somebody safe. I think that's you guys. If you don't wanna hear about a library boss . . . it's ok with me if you give this a pass. 
     I'm in my mid-50's and so is my boss, and it's a two-woman operation. I had to make a midlife career change, she had some related experience, that's why she's the boss, and I'm good with that.  We both were new in this position last June . . . me, after over 2 years without a full-time job, so I NEED this job and I'm grateful for it.  I'm educated, relatively bright, I learn quickly and I work hard.  We get along passably well, or so I thought.  
     But today was six-month evaluation day.  I went in with absolutely zero worries.  I've had one sick day in the last 6 months, when I'm at work I WORK (except for making the occasional AF post).  I have learned the job well enough to run the place when the boss is out, and she has had no complaints.  The computer tracking system is an non-intuitive, glitchy, database-with-a-lot-of-modules beast, and there are no tutorials or manuals - - but I have made friends with the customer service techs.  When I make a mistake, I make a call and fix it. No worries.  But ah - - she HAD to be picky, you see.  It's her job.  

     Last week (Feb. 15) she was clearly in a mood.  She found an error in a record, and asked me about it.  I looked at it, and told her that it was not a record that I had created.  (In fact, that record has her name in the Properties - )  After I said that it wasn't mine, she left the office for a while.  I fixed the problem while she was gone.  
     She came to the evaluation with a list of the mistakes that I had made.  (I also fixed all of them, but she only noted that after running down the entire list.)  Sure, it was correct.  I'm working on a new computer system, and I reminded her that there are no manuals. Her response was "don't I know it! Yes, I make mistakes all the time too!"  -- But then, she told me that she had gone to talk to HR on the 15th about my attitude and continued errors on the system. 
      Attitude?  Errors?  On the 15th, she had gone to them furious over an error that SHE HAD MADE, and I FIXED.  Out of a 1-5 scale, with 5 being highest, she rated me a 2.5 on my evaluation.  2.5.  For an employee that has given her no trouble, has nearly perfect attendance, and runs the place in her absence. The teachers we work with LOVE me. There was a meeting a few weeks ago, and a group of them gave me flowers and told the boss I did a great job.  (I'm in charge of getting their textbooks and tools shipped to them.) I have never talked back or criticized, never even said a curse word. Attitude?  I ask a lot of questions . . . 

I need this job.  I can't risk losing it at my age.  I have to put in ten years here to be eligible for a pension.  I didn't give her any grief. No, I didn't even point out the error that I fixed.  It didn't seem like a good idea.  But I'm still mad.  For some reason she is holding me to a higher standard than she requires of herself.  Argh.      Thanks for listening.

[vorlon13]

You let the organization down, you failed to anticipate her error.


{I had a real bad boss back in the 80s, and that little jewel there is something he pulled on all his underlings whenever HE FUCKED UP}

[drfuzzy]

You let the organization down, you failed to anticipate her error.


{I had a real bad boss back in the 80s, and that little jewel there is something he pulled on all his underlings whenever HE FUCKED UP}

Oh great, Vor, thanks a bunch.     But seriously, you did make me chuckle.  Thanks.
I think that I know what I'm dealing with here.  The boss absolutely has to be TOP DOG.  (And yes, I meant dog.   )  Any challenge to her authority will be dealt with quickly.  I don't challenge, and I haven't, but just the fact that she reacts to questions of "why" with anger, I need to find instructive.  
   These people can be . . . managed (?) . . . if you see how they operate clearly enough.

[Minimalist]

[The Valkyrie]

Have axe.

Will travel.

Just say the word.

[ignoramus]

Fuzz, I was getting pissed just reading about the injustice!
A-holes...

[Aoi Magi]

Most of the time your immediate boss in the hierarchy would be an asshole to you if they feel you are too good of an employee that could threaten their position if the superiors noticed. It's pretty hard to deal with unless you find a way to make them think you are totally dependent on them..

[robvalue]

That is really disgusting, sorry to hear that

My immediate reaction is she has a bad case of jealousy because you're more competent than her. She's trying to keep you down lest you take her place. Or just to make herself feel better. I've seen this time and again.

Feel free to vent all you want, it's good to get it all out

Although 2.5 out of 5 is a gross under rating, I imagine it wouldn't be enough to fire you over. And clearly she has no case for dismissal; in fact, if you she did so and you made waves, she would come off way worse. She probably knows that.

So I would say your job is probably secure, but it comes down to whether you're prepared to take this shit from her. You know you're ace at the job, so does everyone else most likely. But she has to pretend to be the big dog. Are you wiling to let her live in this fantasy world, let the baby have its bottle and carry on? Or do you want to kick up a stink and get her to recognise just how good you are? Of course, the second option is more likely to lead to her trying to fire you, unfair though that is.

The fact that she's so badly misrepresent you and uses such faulty logic to support her conclusion tells me she already knows how good you are. So I wonder, does this rating have any effect further than it just being her opinion?

That may all be jumping to wild conclusions of course! I'm sure you will be fine, they can't afford to lose you. Replacing you sounds extremely hard.

[brewer]

I had/saw quite a few of these in the corporate world. They would rate based on subjective (emotion/fear/mood that day) and not objective work records/accomplishments. Some low balled employees to keep the department budget low (kept evaluation based raises low) so that they looked better.

Sounds like it might be CYA time. Start documenting your work. Like total records made, total errors made, time to fix errors, .............. Any other objective duties that you can track in your job. Ask if you can start a teacher (or other client) feedback report/rating to include things like accuracy, time service, attitude, understanding/helpful, would they use you again, what could you improve on, ..............  Come up with your own categories that best fit your duties. Make it a scale rating for the most part, they tend to be completed and returned more often.

Does the company give you the opportunity to rate your boss? That might be kind of tricky in a two woman department. When that situation occurred in corporate they instituted a "skip level" rate. The rate did not go to your boss from you, but to her boss or even her bosses boss. That protected the person doing the rating from reprisals and hopefully made the rating more honest.

I think you'll be fine. Don't let this give you a pissy attitude. Could always bake her a batch of chocolate exlax brownies to say thank you.

[MTL]

I've had managers like that and I dare not give advice
because I would hate to see a negative outcome for your if you took said advice.

I sympathize entirely, though, and I would love to slap your boss in the eye.

*hug*