'How do you expect me to work if I'm not remote': Micromanaging CEO flip flops between calling programmer's job ‘remote’, leading to employee turning off alarm clock and staying home following ‘remote work' instructions

Author image for Eleonora Bader
Eleonora Bader
Feb 20, 2024 9:00 AM EST

Tsk, tsk, CEOs and their antics.

On the one hand, you're remote because it suits the needs of upper management. On the other hand, you're not remote because of the same reason. Well, which one is it? You can't have your cake and eat it, too.

This micromanaging CEO was the type of human I stay away from. Anxious and suspicious of his employees and unable to make an informed decision or directly say what he wants. Always flip-flopping back and forth. The programmer who was working under him had had enough of this grey area and decided to get back at the CEO for being unable to decide if his job description was 'remote' or not. One day the weather was so bad that the CEO told everyone who worked remotely that they could work from home instead of coming into the office. But hey, the programmer wasn't remote, right? So maybe they should just get the day off? Scroll down to read what ensued.

Then check out this woman who didn't know how to approach a strange situation with her roommate who kept eating all of her frozen dinners.

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  • 01
    "How do you expect me to work if I'm not remote?"
    via Canva
  • 02
    Am I remote or not? LOC I live in a 4 season state and work in manufacturing.
    via u/FuccWork
  • 03
    So this story begins when I got this job a couple years ago. I felt bored at my old job as a machine operator and wanted a challenge so I took a job as a programmer for industrial manufacturing machine at a prototype shop. I had a bit of experience doing fabrication and prototypes but no experience programming. This company promised me training, self management, and the ability to work remotely when needed. I've been trained and have some
    via u/FuccWork
  • 04
    good experience under my belt but still a lot to learn. No one else at the company does what I do, therefore no one knows the amount of computer work there is. From designing parts or fixtures, quoting, picking tools, designing the process, programming, research and development, etc. "We wear a lot of hats" so my job is a little bit of everything. Technically, i work in the back "warehouse" under two supervisors, my direct supervisor and the his supervisor/Co-
    via u/FuccWork
  • 05
    CEO. Since I'm back there part time and in my office on the computer part time, I have two supervisors, i guess. It's kind of a weird dynamic and hard to explain but just know, its poorly managed (micro managed) and my supervisor and I hate it. Fast forward to a couple weeks ago. There was a snow storm and the office had a half day. I live about an hour north from the office and usually
    via u/FuccWork
  • 06
    get more snow than they do. I decided to work remotely for the day rest of the day instead of going into the office. I got a lot of work done and I was proud of my accomplishments for the day. I brief my supervisor on what i did for the day and he said great work. The next few days, my supervisor is trying to implement a "progress tracker" since we have no way of tracking projects other than me
    via u/FuccWork
  • 07
    saying how far i got. Just a simple spreadsheet, no problem, i get it. We are a small company and the CEO is a busy guy, he doesnt always know the status, and since we all wear many hats, the rest of the team should know the status also. A few days ago, I had to rush home for an emergency, something was going on at my house, not that important to the story. I
    via u/FuccWork
  • 08
    mentioned to my supervisor that I will be working remotely the rest of the day. He said. something along the lines of "Well, some people didnt like that you worked remote last time. Your job isnt really a remote job" I was a little taken back, since its probably 75% computer work and I've been slow in the shop while waiting on tools to ship. I defended myself "It's not like I don't do anything, theres still plenty to do. The office was closed and everyone else in
    via u/FuccWork
  • 09
    the back got a snow day while I worked remotely, and someone got mad at that?!" He agreed with me, it's silly and we both know. I ended up rushing home, getting there late because I was talking about what i should do the rest of the day and how to fill out the tracker spreadsheet so I can prove to the Micromanaging CEO that I work. I told him "Ive never had to prove to anyone that I am working before" I went home and ended up taking the rest of the day off anyway to deal with the issues
    via u/FuccWork
  • 10
    at home and not make anyone upset or question if i worked or not. So Yesterday, I got at email that we are "Closed tomorrow due to weather, work remote if possible" I asked my supervisor, what do i do? he said well do this or that blah blah... i said "No, i mean, 'my jobs not really remote' and everyone else that isnt capable of remote work get the day off. You expect me to work tomorrow?" ... he gave me a look as if to say "really?" I spoke to
    via u/FuccWork
  • 11
    some other coworkers and they aren't working, why am I the only one working?! Well guess what, I turned my alarm off, Im not logging on to my computer and I might monitor emails incase something important pops up. My supervisor jokingly said "Take a machine home with you to work remote" implying, i cant work remotely since I need to run machines. Ha, very funny.
    via u/FuccWork
  • 12
    tldr/ Ceo wants me to work remote when the office is closed but not my other time since my "job isnt remote" even though it is.
    via u/FuccWork
  • 13
    therandomuser84 2 days ago I work in a warehouse with about 15-20 people total. Theres 4 of us who work on the computer about 60-70% of the time. Two weeks ago we got slammed with containers which is a pretty physically demanding part of the job and we just ignored them because the computer work is more important, some of the people who dont do anything on the computer had to come unload them. They didnt like that we were sitting down "doing nothing" while they had to work and get sweaty so they
    via u/therandomuser84
  • 14
    The sup came back and told us we cant spend 6 hours straight on the computer, we told her thats what our job was, if the others didnt like it they are free to come do it for us. After some back and forth the sup eventually told us to get off the computer and go help with the containers so we did. None of the computer work got done for the next 2 days, and the supervisor got 100+ emails about our work and had to spend all night answering questions about why it didnt get done. When we finally got
    via u/therandomuser84
  • 15
    supervisor telling the people its because we were told to stay off the computer. Some managers/supervisors know absolutely nothing about what the people under them actually do. 382 Reply Share
    via u/therandomuser84
  • 16
    mizinamo 2 days ago It's like the man coming home to a completely chaotic house, food smeared into the carpet, kids still in pyjamas, that sort of thing, and his wife in sweatpants watching TV. In response to his surprised look, she says, "You know you've always wondered what I do all day? Well: today I didn't do it." That day, you didn't do "it", and hopefully the supervisor now has a tiny inkling of what "doing nothing" consists of.
    via u/mizinamo
  • 17
    ratdad 2 days ago Don't put up with this "someone said" tactic. Ask who said that. If this person is not in your management chain, ask why their mid/informed opinion is important. Ask your supervisor to please manage these perceptions and establish a clear policy so you can get some work done.
    via u/ratdad
  • 18
    There are two likely scenarios: 1. management wants you on-site but is not strong enough to say so. 2. management does not care to deal either the rumor mill and is happy to put the burden on you. 133 Reply Share
    via u/ratdad
  • 19
    OOR SourcePrevious3095 2 days ago Ignoring everything else. What? A 4 season state? I live in Missouri, we have 3. Freezing cold. Stupidly hot, and fall. 58 Reply Share MagicToolbox. 2 days ago Well, there's: Winter season, Mud season, construction season, and that one week in September that is really nice. Reply Share 74
    via u/SourcePrevious3095, u/MagicToolbox
  • 20
    Gnomenclacture. 2 days ago Sounds to me like the CEO is the one with the issue. He either needs to define how many hours or days per week you can work remote or you don't do it at all. I get the tracker but that also sounds like a trust issue. I'd use it just to verify and comply. Reply Share 14
    via u/Gnomenclacture
  • 21
    MaxSpringPuma · 2 days ago Did anyone actually complain, or was it just your boss? If it really wasn't a big deal to your boss he could have waved away any complaint with a simple explanation 12 Reply Share
    via u/MaxSpringPuma
  • 22
    FuccWork OP 2 days ago The CEO complained. He's the only one who cares and has complained before. For example, he had a modification to a prototype i had to make. I said sure np, sat on the computer, changed the model, reprogrammed with new tooling and slight change of process. Processed the gcode to put in the machine and before I could setup and run, he complained that he asked me to do this hours ago and I just sat on the computer instead.
    via u/FuccWork
  • 23
    I started to learn that it doesnt matter if its done right, as long as it was done yesterday. Reply Share 43 WorkMe Baby1MoreTime 2 days ago he complained that he asked me to do this hours ago and I just sat on the computer instead. OMG. The next time he wants a change, make him sit with you while you do that, watch his
    via u/WorkMeBaby1MoreTime
  • 24
    eyes glaze over with the complexity. And then say, "see, it's so easy you could do it and I'll take tomorrow off" and then watch those same eyes go all "deer in the headlights" when you say, "Ok, you got this, see you in 2 weeks." Reply Share 32
    via u/WorkMeBaby1MoreTime

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remote remote work micromanager manager job workplace stories reddit coworkers upper management programmers prototype ceo employees Office warehouse malicious compliance reddit manufacturing
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