It’s “where are you now?” month at Ask a Manager, and all December I’m running updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past.
There will be more posts than usual this week, so keep checking back throughout the day.
He’s GONE, fired a couple of weeks ago!
It took much longer than it should have and we still don’t have a satisfactory reason why the boss wouldn’t cut him loose.
It got much worse before it came to a head. The guy has extreme anger issues, problems with authority, possible female authority, and was incapable of getting along with anyone who worked here. He is just an awful person who is in need of deep counseling.
I continued to get reports over the last year from a couple of the guys about his hatred for me. Quotes attributed to him:
a. “What f****** idiot made THAT decision ?” (in reply to my scheduling a job, which is part of my job; apparently he disagreed)
b. “Let me make this clear, that b**** isn’t in charge of ANYTHING!”
c. “I wish that b**** would die.”
Recently he decided to pick out a fellow worker who he knew had an excellent working relationship with me and made passive-aggressive threats to another employee, saying charming things like, “I’ll go all workplace violence on him.” This was reported to boss and the target of his threat told the boss that was enough for him and he needed to do something. That got the ball rolling.
I finally had heard enough and was very tired of being afraid to come to work. If by some last minute change in scheduling, he and I were to be in the building alone together, I just left for my own safety. Two of the guys really had my back and watched out for me. They stayed later than they had to just to make sure I was OK and not left alone with him. It was exhausting and I hated that I had to be afraid of this world-class turd.
I sat down with my boss and said that I felt unsafe coming to work and that it was his responsibility to keep me safe and that he was failing miserably. No ultimatum was given, as I think those often backfire miserably. He finally understood!
I don’t think I will ever understand why he was so hesitant to fire the guy, maybe someday we will have that talk. I don’t want to make excuses for boss and this is what I still find so confusing: he is one of the best people I have ever known. He is an exceptional person and (other than this) treats all of us extremely well.
So my boss asked for a couple of weeks before firing the guy. A holiday was coming up and we were swamped. I wholeheartedly agreed as I was just happy he understood.
The next day, my boss walks into my office, says he’s firing the guy right now, and did I want to leave? Answer: yes.
10 minutes later, he called me and said he was gone.
Turns out the boss had heard the guy saying something derogatory about the company (maybe me?) and that he had a job interview the next day. I am befuddled to think that was the first time he’d ever heard the guy say awful things, and that wasn’t bad at all!
I waited a couple of weeks before updating as I wanted to see if there was any fallout.
First, we replaced him with a much better person already, and that was extremely easy and painless. Second, EVERYONE who works here is relieved! Everyone is happy, relaxed and we were almost immediately back to the excellent company we used to be. It truly is like night and day. I love my job again, and the boss and I are back to our normal selves, working hard but laughing and joking all day.
Thank you, Alison, for publishing my question/problem and thank you to the commentariat for all your advice!
Welcome to the comprehensive guide to remote work, your trusted source for all things related to working from home. At Workfromhomejobsforyou.com/ we’ve been at the forefront of the remote work revolution since 2006. With years of experience and a wealth of knowledge, we’re dedicated to sharing invaluable insights to help you make the most of your remote work journey.