Surviving a Toxic Work Environment

[Snarky Oracle!]

How evil! It sounds like the movie "In the Company of Men." Cruelty for the sake of cruelty

Only sometimes they're women.

 

[Avery Merry Christmas]

I saw that very sort of behavior at multiple places, with varying level of "skill" (or malevolence, if you prefer). People who get too comfortable in their long-term roles often lapse into these things to entertain themselves, since they believe they're bulletproof. I've also been on hand to see a couple of them get their asses handed to them, which is of course a crowd-pleaser. What warms my cold, dead heart most, however, is when one of those "serfs" manages to out-wit them and expose them for the awful people they really are.

Storytime:
An early job I had was in a Kroger supermarket. The area manager decided he wanted to hire his friend's daughter-in-law, so he started being really awful to Betty (not her real name), the Deli Manager. They wanted to force out Betty and move the DIL (Susan, not her real name) into the job. Betty decided to play four-dimensional chess with them. She claimed to have pulled a muscle in her back and went on short-term disability.....on the week before Thanksgiving. In a supermarket Deli department. I have no idea if Betty really hurt her back, but the holiday was a total dumpster fire without her there to coordinate everything. She extended her "leave" through Christmas and into February. Susan, now the "acting" Deli Manager, was proven to be totally inept and unsuited for such a pivotal job, and no one wanted her to succeed due to the tacky way she'd acquired the job. But as long as Betty was on "leave" they could not officially give Susan the job--the union would have had a fit, and Betty would have had a great Americans With Disabilities Act lawsuit. So Susan was doing the Deli Manager duties but only getting paid the Assistant Manager salary (per union rules), working 50+ hours but not getting preferred overtime (just time and a half). Betty let the "clock" run out and resigned in March when the union steward said she had to return or resign. Meanwhile Susan had been such a sh--show (with a staff that resented her) that she was only in the job "officially" for a month before she quit without notice, leaving them in the lurch once again in time for Easter.

 

[Jolly Jimmy Tinsel Todd]

Only sometimes they're women.

True. Cruelty knows no gender.

 

[Rove]

Funny how this thread has been bumped as I'm currently in another toxic environment. New management with no knowledge of technology...where do they find these people? I'm having a blast because as soon it gets busy I'm on the earpiece requesting additional assistance in technology. New managers arrive and have no clue. I've had the best time this last week watching how dumb and out of depth they really are and to add icing to the cake one of the managers was balling her eyes out as I was leaving this afternoon. Hey honey? You applied for the job...suck it up!

To add to my enjoyment I'm on holidays next week and they have no clue what's coming their way. Another team member is going to call in sick all week with stress leave due to how he has been treated by new management. All stress leave now has to be escalated to Head Office due to 30% of the workforce leaving the business in the last 12 months. Another team member requested a holiday next week and was approved back in May. Our dopey store manager has rostered the team member all next week. This team member has booked a holiday on a cruise liner. I asked him today if management know they've rostered him. Obviously not and he isn't going to tell them.

The sh#t is going to hit the fan next week and I'm loving it.

 

[ClassyCo]

My workplace is at least semi-toxic. Sometimes we have good days, sometimes we have bad days.

Basically, I'm just out of the clique. My manager and co-workers like me, it's just I don't share any interests with them and don't ramble on and on about stuff that just doesn't matter. I'm also not afraid to share an opposing opinion or say how I really feel when asked about my stand on certain subjects.

Granted, our office is a small one. There's only five of us and I'm the only guy. So, by default, I guess I'm out of the loop because of my gender. Which, in all seriousness, is fine with me.

But there's one thing that's bothered me recently. I've been in banking since October 2018, and I've been at my current bank two years come March 2025.

I've had lots of teller line and customer service experience during my six years working in financial institutions. At my current job, I've been back-up to the lead teller practically since I've been there. You know, in the absence of our lead teller, I would balance the vault, buy or sell money to the Federal Reserve, supervise the teller line, make decisions concerning certains deposits and things like that.

My manager has said numerous times that she'd love for me to take over as lead teller one day. She's said she's even said such things to our regional managers.

But things have changed. Our lead teller found another job almost two months ago. I assumed I'd be a shoo-in as the replacement. Not really, it appears. My manager has a buddy that floats between our office and another to provide support when needed. She's pushing for this woman, who has half the experience I do for the job. She's even downplayed my help in the past to our regional managers.

I did get the interview for the job, but my manager is clearly not in my corner anymore. I'm being pushed aside for someone she'd rather have in the job.

Our regional managers actually show interest in two other candidates from another office. They're two ladies that have been with the back for 15+ years and have a lot of experience. Either of these ladies deserve the job. They've paid their time and are due for a step up the corporate ladder.

I'm honestly over wanting the job. I hope one of the ladies with longer tenure gets the job.

Banking, it's all about who you know and who is in your corner.

 

[Soaplover]

To me, a manager that is toxic and/or a micro-manager has one defining trait... insecurity.

 

[ClassyCo]

To me, a manager that is toxic and/or a micro-manager has one defining trait... insecurity.

Here's my problem. Our manager doesn't manage. The previous manager we had in our office had been with our bank for more than 25 years. She had started as a part-time teller and worked her way up the ladder.

The current manager we have is young (which does matter sometimes) and had no previous banking experience. She came from managing insurance offices.

You can definitely the difference in someone that's worked their way up the ladder over someone hired from the outside. The former manager knew how to run a banking office and how to utilize people to their strengths. Our new manager (well, she's been with us since July 2023) is just simply lazy. She wants enough people on the teller and customer service side of the office so she doesn't have to do anything. She literally shuts her door for hours a day and scrolls on her cell phone, but says she's working on reports.

On a positive note, this new manager is very approachable and puts family first. If you have a family emergency come up, she's all for you seeing about it. But she's a lazy manager when it comes to her job and our jobs.

She definitely has her favorites in the office (no matter what she says) and bats more for them (she favors one lady in particular) than she does for anybody else.

But, yeah, that's a little rundown on our manager and how she does things.

 

[Soaplover]

Here's my problem. Our manager doesn't manage. The previous manager we had in our office had been with our bank for more than 25 years. She had started as a part-time teller and worked her way up the ladder.

The current manager we have is young (which does matter sometimes) and had no previous banking experience. She came from managing insurance offices.

You can definitely the difference in someone that's worked their way up the ladder over someone hired from the outside. The former manager knew how to run a banking office and how to utilize people to their strengths. Our new manager (well, she's been with us since July 2023) is just simply lazy. She wants enough people on the teller and customer service side of the office so she doesn't have to do anything. She literally shuts her door for hours a day and scrolls on her cell phone, but says she's working on reports.

On a positive note, this new manager is very approachable and puts family first. If you have a family emergency come up, she's all for you seeing about it. But she's a lazy manager when it comes to her job and our jobs.

She definitely has her favorites in the office (no matter what she says) and bats more for them (she favors one lady in particular) than she does for anybody else.

But, yeah, that's a little rundown on our manager and how she does things.

There are more young females that get promoted that are exactly like that.

My theory is because they would be inept if they were tasked with doing the actual work.. that higher ups promote them so they're out of the way. I see it all the time.

 

[ClassyCo]

There are more young females that get promoted that are exactly like that.

My theory is because they would be inept if they were tasked with doing the actual work.. that higher ups promote them so they're out of the way. I see it all the time.

The laziness of our current manager is actually baffling sometimes. She huffs and puffs and says things like "the other managers don't have to do what I do" and yeah -- I guess they don't, but we're a small office. Everyone has to do double duty sometimes, from the management down. Larger offices can get away from management actually working the floor, but ours just isn't staffed that way.