'I'd let the repercussions happen': Boss sabotages employees' workflow and demands constant check-ins, employee sends '25 or more emails a day'

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Dec 2, 2023 11:00 AM EST

This boss claimed to be "old school," but in reality, he was just creating a toxic work environment. You'll probably encounter toxic bosses at some point in your career. You'd think to be a manager, you'd have to prove your communication skills are on point. But no. Instead, this boss manages to make every conversation and task as arduous as possible. 

Knowing what to prioritise at your job is a crucial aspect of it. As they say, you can juggle many balIs at once, but you have to know which ones are plastic and which are glass. As much as your boss would love for you to get through 15 hours of work in an 8 hour day, it's just not possible. That won't stop a manager from pushing their employees to their limits, like this boss did. 

U/Matsuri3-0 shared a story from a job they'd just left after realizing how toxic their former boss was. 

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  • For some managers who dislike their employees, a fun way to mess with their heads is to constantly move goalposts. At the OP's company, the manager enjoyed setting random deadlines, then halving them, making the OP have to complete the work under pressure. Not to mention that the OP was stuck doing extra work to complete the deadlines. 

    However, this dude didn't go out lightly. Instead, they insisted on an exit interview, where they completely let loose! 

    You can check out the whole story below. Then, read about one grandfather who tried to build a second story on his house… only to encounter a neighbor who strongly opposed his plans. 

  • 01
    'Everything is urgent all of the time, you have to prioritise everything'
    via Sebastian Herrmann on Unsplash
  • 02
    "Everything is urgent all of the time, you have to prioritise everything" LOC I recently left a job where i had a really toxic relationship with my boss. He was old school, and prioritised work over everything else, expecting everyone to do the same. His expectations were so high it disrupted my work life balance significantly, I have two young kids and at this point in my life im not doing late night meetings or weekend reports. The
    via u/Matsuri3-0
  • 03
    company worked from home 50%, except my boss "didn't believe in WFH" so we were 100% in the office, even when C was at its highest, and the city was flooded and the commute was dangerous. We were the only team of about 50 in the office.
    via u/Matsuri3-0
  • 04
    I told him I was overwhelmed, that I had too much work to meet all deadlines, and he told me that I have to prioritise everything, because everything is urgent. When I asked what is most urgent, what should I do first, he told me "everything". You get the idea of his approach.
    via u/Matsuri3-0
  • 05
    The company worked with flexitime, as long as your hours equal 37.5 each week, 7.5 hours per day average. It's all good to work anytime between 7am and 7pm, I could do a 10 hour day, then a 5 hour day, as long as it balanced out. My boss however demanded those hours be worked between 9am and 5pm, and if on any day I was to work 15 minutes over that 7.25 hours then he wanted to be told what i was using that time for
    via u/Matsuri3-0
  • 06
    and to have his approval first. I used to start work at 7am, hit the gym in the morning around 9:30am for 45 minutes. When I joined his team he didn't like this. He set up a meeting with me every morning at 9:30am, which he mostly didn't show up to, but certainly put an end to my morning sessions. I told him I found it detrimental to my mental health, he told me I needed to find
    via u/Matsuri3-0
  • 07
    another time (the reason I went in this time is that I have two young kids and my wife works shifts). My boss, meanwhile, has fantastic work life balance, would often start at 9:30- 10:00am, and finish early, or randomly decide to work from home.
    via u/Matsuri3-0
  • 08
    He then asked that I send him multiple emails, throughout the day, every day, telling him what I'm working on and seeking his approval for stuff, stuff that has never required approval previously. I obliged. I sent him 5 emails a day, every day, waffling on about what I was doing, I'd also ask questions in those emails, forcing him to read and respond to them all, after a while I start to make the
    via u/Matsuri3-0
  • 09
    questions more subtle, not dot pointing them, but sneaking them into the body of the text. I'd ask the same question multiple times, knowing by this point he's bored of reading my emails, and then when he didn't give me the answer I'd let the repercussions happen, the repercussions that didn't exist until he demanded I seek approval. These repercussions were usually raised by my
    via u/Matsuri3-0
  • 10
    boss's boss, I knew they were happening, but I let it happen. I'd then respond to the group emails where my boss would blame me, and include the emails I sent him seeking approval as he'd requested. This became a fairly frequent occurrence since I was sending 25 or more emails a day, which seriously
    via u/Matsuri3-0
  • 11
    was a huge chore on top of my high pressure (about $200m of contracts annually) role. I had a really good reputation in the office for my work, everyone seemed to respect me but him. His manner with people wasn't always appreciated.
    via u/Matsuri3-0
  • 12
    He would set arbitrary deadlines, and then half them for seemingly no reason, when I refused to enact those (I often had to hand those deadlines on) citing anti-bullying policy, he'd tell me to just get it done. I understand that I wasn't the best most obedient employee, but he made me this way with his micro management.
    via u/Matsuri3-0
  • 13
    explained Eventually, I found a new role elsewhere. I demanded an exit interview where I how I don't believe he managed his team in accordance with the company's intentions, how I'd expressed a concern for my mental health and he offered no compromise, how he purposely booked meetings to
    via u/Matsuri3-0
  • 14
    disrupt my day and how he demanded I email him over and over, and asked approval for 15 minutes of flexibility on start and finish times. The lady from HR had revently encountered my boss, and it wasn't pleasant, he was abusive to her and she already had his cross-hairs on him.
    via u/Matsuri3-0
  • 15
    I recently met up with a colleague from that team, a week after I left my now ex- boss was demoted, no longer manages anybody, and has a much stricter schedule himself, now that he reports to someone. My old team are now much happier, and much more productive. I'm thinking about applying for the now vacant role as his boss.
    via u/Matsuri3-0
  • 16
    KermitJFrog5916 You should absolutely apply to be his boss
    via u/KermitJFrog5916
  • 17
    ironicmirror. For some people the worst thing that could happen to them is they get promoted to manager. However I also think that to be a good manager you need to experience working for a bad manager. I think the op would make a good manager.
    via u/ironicmirror
  • 18
    Matsuri3-0 OP Thank you friend, I find I do lead from within and soon enough I hope I'll be managing a team of my own. I'm happy to lead with respect, not fear, manipulation or sheer force. It's just not the way these days, and any boss (or colleagues) will get more from me if there's mutual respect.
    via u/Matsuri3-0

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boss workplace-stories remote work jobs toxic-workplace job malicious compliance bosses work coworkers malicious-compliance-reddit toxic-boss priorities workplace malicious compliance reddit toxic-work-environment
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