'I don't want suggestions or help unless I specifically ask': Employee gets awful boss fired by exposing her incompetance

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Aug 28, 2024 11:00 AM EDT

This boss was very specific with her words, so one of her employees followed them to a T. 

Some managers get a superiority complex the moment they're promoted. They feel that they're above their employees, and will spend a lot of time trying to remind them of that. No matter that their employees might be just as bright as them, or that they might just have different ideas that the boss might never have thought of. This type of boss thinks first and foremost about putting their employees down, like this boss who loved to say things that were "embarrassing and demeaning" to her subordinates. 

This boss had to find out the hard way that her strict instructions were backfiring. Commenters didn't blame the employee, u/RumBunBun, for their tactics, either. Their boss clearly didn't respect their intelligence, so why go the extra mile to help her out? This person didn't mince words about the boss's shortcomings either, writing that she was the "laziest, snarkiest person I've ever worked around." Don't hold back! It's a perfect example of malicious compliance, so keep scrolling to read the full story. 

Next up, read about these super weird resume red flags, like one that "had a skills section…only thing listed was 'calculator.'"

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  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10393036800
    via John Schnobrich on Unsplash
  • 02
    Boss doesn't want my help unless she specifically asks for it
    via u/RumBunBun
  • 03
    A few years ago I took a customer service job and my boss, Shirley, was the laziest, snarkiest person I've ever worked around. She spent her day on social media and personal calls while her in-box grew. Shirley's boss rarely came around and was happy as long as Shirley didn't bring any problems to her, so of course, Shirley didn't; she buried any problems.
    via u/RumBunBun
  • 04
    After I'd been there a couple weeks, Shirley was showing us some new procedure. I don't even remember what it was, but it was something I'd done in a previous position and there was a much easier way of doing it. I asked if I could make a suggestion. Shirley instantly shot it down. "No. I don't want suggestions or help unless I specifically ask for them.
    via u/RumBunBun
  • 05
    Just do what I tell you to do." It was embarrassing and demeaning to say the least. When Shirley went to lunch, the gal who had been training me asked me what I was going to suggest and I showed her. She agreed it was much more efficient and she showed the others. She told me they just worked around Shirley.
    via u/RumBunBun
  • 06
    They all disliked her and just waited until she was away to discuss problems and came up with solutions and left Shirley out of it. A year later, the lady who trained me retired. Before she left, she showed me how to run phone statistic reports...they showed how many calls each rep took, how long the calls lasted, how many rings before each call was answered;
    via u/RumBunBun
  • 07
    typical call center stuff. She asked me to take over putting together a report including email statistics each month to send to the ecommerce manager. Shirley was to give me the email statistics. After the first month, I emailed Shirley asking for the email stats. She ignored it. After the second month, same thing. I decided if it
    via u/RumBunBun
  • 08
    wasn't important to her, then I just wouldn't do it. I figured if questioned, I would show the emails I sent Shirley reminding her so my would be covered. Nothing ever came of it. So things went for the next couple of years. Then came the announcement that Shirley's boss had been fired and while they
    via u/RumBunBun
  • 09
    searched for a replacement, Shirley would be reporting to the president of the company. She was terrified. He had her jumping through hoops. He had her submitting reports to him, attending meetings, answering questions. She returned from one meeting frantic. She told the senior rep Angela that he wanted her to bring him phone statistics that afternoon and
    via u/RumBunBun
  • 10
    she had no idea where to get them. Hmmm... I knew. Angela knew I knew. While Shirley sat at her desk trying to figure what to do, Angela came to me and said, "You aren't going to tell her, right?" I said, "Well, she once told me she didn't want my help unless she specifically asked for it, right? Well, she hasn't specifically asked me." We grinned at each other.
    via u/RumBunBun
  • 11
    Shirley went to her meeting empty handed. She ended up getting fired a week or so later. I don't think it was because she didn't have the phone statistics, but that was probably one of many things that made it apparent that she didn't know what she was doing.
    via u/RumBunBun
  • 12
    An-Old- A fine example of "Silence is Golden". I hope you got a nicer person as a replacement for Shirley.
    via u/An-Old-F***
  • 13
    RumBunBun OP Yes, Angela applied for the job and things were much better under her leadership.
    via u/RumBunBun
  • 14
    iluvmyginger1990 My worst boss was in a customer service job. One time I asked her what she wanted me to do and so I did it and then she proceeded to ask me why I had been undermining her. Uhhh what. I did exactly what you had just told me to do 10 minutes ago.
    via u/iluvmyginger1990
  • 15
    One time I forgot to clock out and instead of asking me about it she instantly said, why did you leave early yesterday... I was like.... I didn't, I was here until 4:30. Here are my outgoing emails and call log to prove it. She then proceeded to tell me she thought I had left since I hadn't clocked out. Like I was trying to deceive her or something.
    via u/iluvmyginger1990
  • 16
    People continually left under her management and eventually they called all of the csrs into the ceo's office to see how we all felt about her and her management style. They apparently after 15 years (and new upper management) got tired of having to hire new csrs every 4 months when everybody inevitably would quit.
    via u/iluvmyginger1990
  • 17
    I now run the department so maybe she just felt threatened by me, who knows.
    via u/iluvmyginger1990
  • 18
    k1r0v_report1ng Gotta love it when you can use their own words as a shovel, then hand them that shovel and watch them dig themselves into a hole that they can't get out of. She should've never been in that position in the first place.
    via u/k1r0v_report1ng
  • 19
    StoicJim Sometimes you have to step aside and let someone get hoisted on their own petard.
    via u/StoicJim
  • 20
    XediDC I don't understand these managers that want to be absentee.....and in control. Like, pick one. I've had good absentee (for good and bad reasons) bosses before. Basically "handle it, i trust you, and you officially have my delegated authority in writing".
    via u/XediDC
  • 21
    In the rare cases its needed they back you up or reply "Approved" to an email without reading it. (And they trust you not to ask or warn you if they shouldn't rubber stamp it.)
    via u/XediDC
  • 22
    That can actually work well...especially when they make sure you later get their job whenever possible. Combining it with "I don't want suggestions or help" and being an opposite. is...the
    via u/XediDC
  • 23
    AspectOvGlass While she was packing her office up you should have told her you knew exactly what she was looking for but waited for her to specifically ask you for them
    via u/AspectOvGlass
  • 24
    RumBunBun OP Unfortunately, I was not there when she was fired. A co-worker texted me as she was being escorted out by HR. It was enough that I knew, though.
    via u/RumBunBun

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