'You're not capable of doing my job': Micromanager takes 3 months sick leave but refuses to let employees take over, they comply, resulting in manager drowning in work upon her return

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Aug 12, 2024 1:00 PM EDT

A good manager should know how to delegate their tasks to the people who work for them. When a manager is unwilling to let some of their responsibilities pass on to their employees, both so that the employees can learn and so that the manager would be able to free up their own time, they are lacking some important leadership qualities. A crucial part of managing others is helping them develop and expand their horizons within the workplace.

If my manager had to leave for three months, I know she would delegate her responsibilities among us, her employees, because she trusts us to get the job done. It makes no sense for her to hire an external employee who knows nothing about the job, only for her to return and find out that nothing was done properly.

Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened in this Reddit story, when a micromanager refused to let her employee take over while she was on sick leave, and as a result, upon her return, she had to work extremely hard to make up for all the work that was left unattended.

Scroll down to read the full story. After you are done, click here for a story of a job candidate who refused to accept their rejection from a role they were after.

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  • 01
    "We didn't see her leave the office for months"
    via Canva
  • 02
    You are not capable of doing my job. Ok.
    via u/Milled_Oats
  • 03
    So earlier this year my boss took three months off to have some surgery and recover. I have been working for 28 years in my field and I'm pretty capable of my job.
    via u/Milled_Oats
  • 04
    My boss is a highly strung woman who believes only she is knows how to do anything. Before my boss took her extended leave I asked about filling in her role while she was
    via u/Milled_Oats
  • 05
    on leave and she told me" You are not capable of doing my job. No one here is" I asked again in an email and was told the same thing. I sent the email to all my work
    via u/Milled_Oats
  • 06
    colleagues. When they advertised to fill in my boss's role no one applied. When management asked everyone why did no one apply, they all said they were not capable. There are over 40 staff who did not apply.
    via u/Milled_Oats
  • 07
    Someone from another site did apply. He had just completed his new graduate year. They appointed Bob who was 24. Bob emailed me after a week directing me to do all his work.
    via u/Milled_Oats
  • 08
    There was multiple links and document, stock order, meeting agendas etc. I replied I was happy to do this when I get a free moment. I did nothing. It was clear within a week that Bob had no idea how
    via u/Milled_Oats
  • 09
    to be boss and things were going wrong very quickly. I was called to a hr meeting and asked why I wasn't doing Bobs work he instructed me to do. I informed him that I already have a full time job doing my work, how
    via u/Milled_Oats
  • 10
    can I do Bobs as well. Secondly I showed the email that said no one is capable of doing my bosses job. I was left alone after this. Bob basically did nothing for three
    via u/Milled_Oats
  • 11
    months. My boss returned blowing up how much work she has to do. She tried to blame the workers on the ground for not being helpful enough. I sent her
    via u/Milled_Oats
  • 12
    back her email where she stated that I nor any staff was capable of doing her work. We didn't see her leave her office for months.
    via u/Milled_Oats
  • 13
    Stitch426 1 day ago A tale as old as time. Micromanaging bosses, Bobs gumming up the works, and email chains saving the day.
    via u/Stitch426
  • 14
    RSGK 1 day ago People who think they're indispensable are always insufferable. Nobody in a workplace is indispensable.
    via u/RSGK
  • 15
    IdahoMTman222 · 1 day ago • There's a book she should read. "Leaders eat last". It might give her some humbling insight.
    via u/IdahoMTman222
  • 16
    grumblyoldman · 1 day ago The most interesting part about this story is how the company can apparently last 3 months without anyone doing Boss's job, and nothing implodes or demands urgent action.
    via u/grumblyoldman
  • 17
    Higher management is apparently satisfied to put Bob in the chair, where he does nothing for the whole time, so they were clearly more interested in having a strawman at the post than in
    via u/grumblyoldman
  • 18
    actually getting anything productive done. Really makes one wonder why they're paying Boss a salary at all.
    via u/grumblyoldman
  • 19
    CoderJoe1 1 day ago · • edited 1 day ago I had a couple employees that tried to hoard knowledge instead of sharing it. I made an example of every one of them. "Go hoard your info elsewhere. We don't need you!"
    via u/CoderJoe1
  • 20
    Also, I was able to earn several promotions by ensuring I had people trained to take over for me.
    via u/CoderJoe1
  • 21
    fyxr - 1 day ago Why would you not apply to fill the advertised role? You're cutting off your nose to spite your face.
    via u/fyxr1
  • 22
    Overall-Tailor8949 · 1 day ago Because it's a guarantee that there would be some itty bitty meaningless item that didn't get done to the manglers satisfaction when she comes back. Then the OP would be catching ALL of the flack.
    via u/Overall-Tailor8949
  • 23
    Milled Oats OP - 1 day ago This is correct. I log she had accepted me and then trained me in anything that I didn't know, it would be great. By stating you and all you colleagues are no good you are being set up to fail. Coming back she thinks she right but has just made her working life miserable.
    via u/Milled_Oats

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boss workplace-stories micromanager employee manager job malicious compliance tales-from-the-workplace reddit story ceo overworked-employees workplace Reddit company
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