Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:47:38 -0500WeeblyThu, 27 May 2010 20:17:16 -0500http://bossflakes.com/2/post/2010/05/a-typical.htmlMy boss insists on introductory meeting with each new staff person.  The first time I scheduled one of these I put it down for an hour.  She scoffed, saying she didn't need to spend that much time on it.  Since then, I only schedule these types of meeting for :30. 

She had two of these meeting yesterday; StafferA at 11 and StafferB at 11:30.  She was then supposed to take a call from California at noon and leave by 12:45 to meet someone for lunch at 1:00.  Here's what actually happened... 

My boss walks in at 11:25 and says she's ready for StafferA.  I point out the time and mention StafferB.  Boss seems shocked that I only scheduled them for 30 minutes each, then in the next breath claims she really only needs 15 minutes.  I send in StafferA and tell StafferB I'll come get her in 20.  Boss keeps StafferA until noon.  She tells me her noon call will be quick and she'll meet with StafferB from 12:15 to 12:45, then head to her lunch on time. I update StafferB.  

Well, the noon call didn't come in until 12:15.  I update StafferB again.  Then I get a call from her 1:00 lunch asking to delay until 1:30.  So helpful, I think.  At 12:25 I have to leave so I give my boss a note telling her about the later lunch.  On my way out, I update StafferB one last time, instructing her to knock on the boss's door at 12:30 and stick her head in the door to see if she gets a wave in or a wave off.   

When I return from lunch I discover that StafferB only got 5 minutes of hallway conversation with Boss as she was running out the door ...late to her 1:30 lunch.  I wish I could say I was surprised.
]]>Thu, 27 May 2010 19:57:19 -0500http://bossflakes.com/2/post/2010/05/post-title-click-and-type-to-edit2.htmlBoss: Did you get the packet from (her)?
Me: No, I asked but she didn't know what you were talking about.
Boss: Yes she does!!]]>Wed, 12 May 2010 19:49:05 -0500http://bossflakes.com/2/post/2010/05/here-today-gone-yesterday.htmlExec: I need the letter I gave you yesterday.
Assistant: I wasn't here yesterday.
Exec: I know, but where is it?
]]>Wed, 12 May 2010 19:42:57 -0500http://bossflakes.com/2/post/2010/05/thats-not-what-schedule-means.htmlSaid to me when my boss called in at 10:30...

"Yeah, I saw that (you were on my schedule for 10:00a). That's why I knew I didn't have to be in at 10:00a."]]>Sun, 09 May 2010 10:12:28 -0500http://bossflakes.com/2/post/2010/05/the-corner-of-forgetful-and-illiterate.htmlMy boss was looking for some notes that were sent to her as an attachment via email from an admin named Heidi. She was having trouble locating the email and asked me to look for it. The following is a chain of email between her and I (for reference, Tina and Heidi are admins at another company). 

Boss @4:48 PM 
Did you find the notes from the April meeting? 

Me @4:54 PM 
Still nothing. I can find no sign of an email received by either of us from Heidi. She is not in today, but I can call her in the morning to follow up on this. 

Boss @4:58 PM 
Can you call Heidi? 

Me @4:59 PM 
As I said, she's not in today and I'll call her in the morning. 

Boss @5:00 PM 
Ok...but I meant Tina not Heidi, did you call her? 

Me @5:08 PM 
Tina is on vacation and doesn't return to the office until tomorrow. I had left a message with (their boss), who I was told was in today. 

Boss @5:09 PM 
And what about Heidi?]]>Sun, 09 May 2010 09:51:14 -0500http://bossflakes.com/2/post/2010/05/the-high-price-of-success.htmlIn the wake of a big event I designed, organized and ran, my boss was reviewing my expenses and came to ask about the incentives I'd used to encourage people to attend. "Do you think that was a good idea?" she asked.  Even after explaining that doing so had resulted in the most well-attended event we've run in the two years I've been here, she only grudgingly resigned herself to reimbursing me for them.
]]>Sun, 09 May 2010 09:42:05 -0500http://bossflakes.com/2/post/2010/05/toilet-talk-two.htmlI've performed various tasks in the line of duty, some really banal, others really bizarre, most caused by her penchant for forgetfulness. On occasion after the telling of one of these tales, I’ve had people ask "Dear god, do you wipe her ass too?!" As of last week, I can now retort with "No, but I sometimes have to flush her toilet."
]]>Thu, 29 Apr 2010 21:00:28 -0500http://bossflakes.com/2/post/2010/04/alphabetical-acusations.htmlBoss-Remember I asked for X and Y? Well, you didn't give it to me. 
Me-Yes I did.  
Boss-Well, it wasn't in the box! 

She had insisted on packing the box herself.  So I left a stack of materials on her desk, including the disputed items, and an empty box on the chair.  If everything else in pile A made it in to box B, then whose fault are missing items X and Z?
]]>Thu, 29 Apr 2010 20:16:10 -0500http://bossflakes.com/2/post/2010/04/computers-101.htmlMy boss asked me today for "that thing that flashes pictures on my computer. I don't know what it is."  She meant the screensaver.
]]>Wed, 28 Apr 2010 18:23:56 -0500http://bossflakes.com/2/post/2010/04/turn-the-page.htmlI gave my boss three resumes to review. All three documents were in the same format, a two page resume with the cover letter stapled to the back.  (The boss tends to prioritize documents based on quick visual scan. I needed to be sure these scanned immediately as resumes. That’s why the letter was the last page and not the first.)  The first one came back with the note “Schedule ASAP.” The other two both had the same note; “cover letter?”.
*shakes head*
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