“I want you to sit in on this conference call,” my boss said on my first day. “You don’t need to say anything just listen.”
Famous last words.
“I’m John,” my fellow coworker introduced himself as he dialed the conference number. “It’s just going to be you and me in here.” He continued.
The meeting started pleasant enough and then storm clouds began gathering on the horizon. (Figuratively, not literally.)
“Are you stupid?” a voice on the other end of the phone yelled at John, as he tried to explain the system limitations for the third time.
“The constraints of the hardware won’t allow for …” John said, before he was interrupted yet again.
“I don’t care about the hardware constraints, you idiot. Just make it work. I have no problem coming over there in person. … You are going to do it my way. If you weren’t such a stupid moron …”
After several minutes of this tirade, John quietly closed his computer, got up and walked out, leaving me sitting alone with the still screaming voice on the other end of the phone.
The yelling continued for another five minutes when the voice said, “Do you understand me, John?”
I took the phone off of mute. What should I say?
“Hi. My name’s Deidra. John had to leave a while ago. Something must have come up.”
Silence.
“It’s my first day, so I can’t really answer any questions. Do you need me to give John any messages?”
More silence.
“Okay, then well I look forward to working with you all. I guess the meeting is adjourned.”
I returned to my desk thinking, I am not in Kansas anymore Toto and the house missed the wicked witch of the west this time.
Nice one!
You can change a setting in reading so that readers have to click to your site.
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I used some code from survey monkey. I don’t really code anything myself. Thanks.
Dee
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As soon as someone starts with: “You don’t have to do anything…” you know you’re up for it anyway.
Good save, btw. I’d probably have freaked out, haha!
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At the time I thought it was hysterical that I was left alone with the crazy folks. And I put my resume out again. Dee
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Sounds like a good move to me, that last bit.
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Interesting event to start first day of work. I can feel the awkwardness.
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Yeah and no one on the other end of the phone said a word. Thanks. Dee
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Nice boss…
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This was a colleague who prides herself on the number of people list her as the reason they quit. Dee
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I would fire her for that alone…
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Wow. Your boss.
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Luckily it wasn’t my boss but a colleague I had to work closely with for several years. Dee
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ouch.
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Yipes! Unless they are paying you a crap-ton of money, I’d get the hell out of there immediately!
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It sounds like John did!
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John stayed for about 7 more years until her retired. (And he was her favorite.) Dee
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There wasn’t any ton crap over here. Dee
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A metric crap-ton?
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Agreed with Simon and tahenryauthoress
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Run, run!!!
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Haha! Good one. Been there, done all that. In fact, check out my office story (mostly true, names changed to protect the guilty!) https://michelesabad.wordpress.com/2016/05/27/ottawa-public-servants/
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That’s super, Thanks Michele. Dee
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Yikes. Good response, though. I’m hoping the person on the other end was embarrassed. Maybe he won’t treat John like that again. Maybe.
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That is a wish that didn’t happen. Dee
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I’ve taken demoralizing bosses before and they are rarely worth the money.
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She was the B that bounded the team. Dee
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The guy on the other end would be dead in the water career wise in the UK, we may be crap in many ways but we don’t take crap at work from anyone, no way!
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It’s that way in some companies, but not all. Dee
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Wow! I would’ve politely returned to my desk too. That was awkward!
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No kidding that story made the rounds of the office and was laughed at for the two years I was there. Dee
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Reminds me of when I first started teaching
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You handled that with grace and style. (Did you join your boss in the bar later?)
Nothing like a screamer on the other end of the phone yelling at someone who isn’t even there.
Can’t wait to see if there’s a Cowardly Lion, and the other two hiding in that office somewhere
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Funny. We met in conference room 114 (doesn’t exist and was secret code for the bar next door). Dee
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Wow! Xp
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Tell me about it. Thanks. Dee
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I hope this was a tale and not real life?
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Oh, it was real unfortunately. Dee
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So sorry, Dee.
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Ye gods . . . if this story is true, I’d start looking for a new job immediately. No amount of money is worth putting up with that kind of abuse. It sounds like the kind of environment where someone’s likely to go “postal.”
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Funny thing is everyone else was great and she was the butt of many jokes and tweets. Dee
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BTDT with idiot supervisors and co-workers who think they’re the cream… Best to make it your last day and save yourself the stress. And the stress eating. Hey, I’m down to my goal weight now and I don’t even miss the cubicle from hell. So – yeah, basically, I am with simonreadbooks on this one. ttfn foul-mouthed conference leader. (Too bad the house missed the wicked witch!)
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I know and I really wanted those ruby slippers too. Dee
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Hope it gets better!
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It did, I quit. Dee
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😨
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Exactly. Dee
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Yeeeesh. Nobody needs that!
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Hi Casie,
You are so right. At the time I had been out of work for 18 months and was just happy to have a job.
Thanks.
Dee
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