Unusual question - berating employees in front of customers

[Craftor]

I'm gonna start an unusual question - I would really like to hear what everybody thinks...

What I have always believed is that if you have something to say to one of your co-workers (and it is not pleasant), rather take them aside and do it out of hearing of the customer.

Now, my boss has an unfortunate habit of blaming all the programs we are having with our appliation on my add-in to it and I agree there are some problems. However, not all of thems stem from my little app. In a user acceptance test, he blamed ME for all the problems that occured and went on to say in front of a room full of people that my work was unacceptable.

Now, am I wrong or has he totally destroyed their confidence in me? Am I being too touchy in taking offence?

I'd really like to know what other people are thinking about this.

 

[iza]

no you're not too touchy !!! far from this !!!
if think if he has something to tell *you*, he shouldn't tell the others ... especially if this is to blame you. What's more, if it's in front of clients, it's a lack of professionnal attitude, as it's giving a bad image of the whole company !!
I often noticed that people reacting this way are weak, they lack of confidence, and fill strong if they can shout loud in front of everybody - i don't know why tho ... here we call this kind of people "little chiefs" - they are not the actual boss, but they have been given a bit of power and overuse it (that's generally all they do, they can't work, neither understand what us technical people tell them - so it's easy to fool them ;-) - and they get frustrated, having nothing to do whole day long but trying to take more power)
don't worry, let him yell ... and don't care, anyway, you might have the technical abilities to work at any other place - he doesn't, he only have his mouth and no brain ;-)

 

[Craftor]

Thanks iza - that was a real confidence booster!! Unfortunately, he comes across as the great guru and I come across as a bit of a moron! X-)

Oh well, I liked the comment about the "little chiefs" - it is very apt - and I will remember it the next time he starts all this!!

 

[edfair]

Unprofessional on the part of your boss. Those listening will understand since you were still there. If you work were truly unacceptable you wouldn't be there. Grin and bear it since it is a personality quirk you can't change. Plan to change jobs since you will eventually have your fill. In the meantime do whatever you can to get your app running without problems.
Ed Fair
efair@atlnet.com

Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply.

Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[sleew]

Hey man,I had same situation at my first workplace.I had
boss that was very happy when someone does not fulfill
duties.Even when i did job he was telling me that i did it
slow, using too much time.He was one of the "little chiefs"
no matter 'cause he was Novell & network "guru".In some manner he was better than your boss 'cause he was really intelligent man so he was blaming me only in front of company director and other co-workers, not in front of customers.Any way i share your fillings, it is very unpleasent to be blamed such.I also has assumption that he was undermining my job(i caught
him changing PIO mode on machine i just fixed up by changing
PIO2 to PIO4).After while when i became chief( of course he was not in company anymore)when he was comming to visit us he called me: hej chief,what's on chief,problems chief?....
It was irritating but i did next:I start to totaly ignoring his drolleries,when he make a joke on my account i was laughing like it is best joke on planet and touching his arm
with my hands like i appreciate what he sad,and most of all i was behaving like he is still boss each time he came.I was accting that i'm very happy to see him, being interesting how is going on his new job, etc.He was confused and after few of his visits he quit with his attitude, even today he dont understand what is happening and each time i meet him today he is confused and i would say afraid and i'm still laughing, of course to him.

Keep laughing! Sleew
Compaq & Microsoft TS
sleew@infosky.net

 

[pivan]

Craftor..
your belief is correct, your are not being touchy, you are being mindfull. Your boss is wrong, what he really is communicating is that "his work is unacceptable".
Your boss give the rest of us "Managers" a bad reputation and is one of the reasons (IMHO) why 75% of all software projects fail.
The way man of value work these issues is one to one, behind closed doors, over coffee in the cafeteria, beers at Hooters. If I have a problem with one of my staff, I discuss it with them in private. If nothing else maintain a fundamental respect for human dignity. To the customers, it is absolutely vital that a united front be presented. All of my staff are the best in their field(no matter what I say to them in private and during their reviews)....why would I have hired anyone less then the best.

When your boss disses you in front of customers he is only dissing on himself...dont worry, infortunately for him and your business, it is apparent to the client.

If I were a client, I would conclude a few things from your bosses behavior.
1)your boss is ignorant of the chain of command. Your work, and the work of anyone reporting to him is his overall and primary responsibility. Remember a few years back, a radar opr on a Gulf based ship was asleep, and some Iraqui's fired a missle at his ship...killed several crewman...lots of damage to ship. Guess who was responsible...you got it...the Captain of the ship. He was basically fired. Damned near court martialed.
2) if your work was truly unacceptable why did your boss let you continue...where are his controls over the project? When I start to sense a developer struggling with a problem or comprimising schedule or quality I would like to think that I am there, quickly, to find out what kind of support or help he/she needs and if need be, as a last resort, pull him off of it and assign it to somebody better suited, if nothing else then to at least manage the schedule.
3) because of the above reasons...the customers are probably not questioning your ability...but proably his. Be careful though this might come to haunt you.

I think we have all had to work for someone like your boss at one point in time. I hope for you that it will be short lived.

G'Luck and hang tough
pivan In not now, when?
If not here, where?
If not us, who?

Just do it!!

 

[rycamor]

I agree also. If anything, your boss's attitude shows even less respect for the customers. I can't think of a more uncomfortable moment as a prospective customer, than to have to see something like that happen.

My first reaction as a customer would be to completely lose confidence--not in you as the employee--but in your boss as the manager. And my second reaction would be "If this employee's work is unacceptable, then why is he/she with the company?" Either way, it reflects badly on the manager. It's the manager's job to make sure the application is up to standards before presenting it to the customer.

The only other time I have ever heard of something like this happen, it was a company that was out of business within months. They were a multimedia development company, back in '95, and they won a contract to do a multimedia intro to be placed on a major computer manufacturer's machine. The only people who did their job were the video and animation people. The managers and the one "software" engineer were absolute morons. (I testify to this, having met them. The video guy was a friend of mine)

The deciding moment came when there began to be major problems with delivery deadlines, and there was a meeting with the client and all of the people involved. During the meeting, the manager somehow got the idea that he would walk around to each employee and berate him (in very insulting terms) about the quality of his work. It went something like "...and you, I have tried and tried to work with you, and you keep screwing up...I've had it with your attitude..." etc...

Needless to say at this point the project was over (lol). The client, however realized who had done their jobs right, and individually contracted the video and animation people to finish their parts.