GAH! I'm being micro-managed

[stanthedevil]

I have been at my job for four years in January.  I started as a production intern who worked in a box office and have been the assistant box office manager for almost a year now.  We are having the highest volume of sales ever for the last three weeks.  We've had single days with the same amount of sales, but never so many consecutive days.  Basically all of this is to say that I know how to do my job and I can handle the high volume of calls without any undue stress. 

This week I am by myself in the box office.  The box office manager is on vacation and the box office intern is gone as well.  However, the managing director is working all week.  He has been calling and stopping over constantly all week.

Our busiest time is the first sixty to ninety minutes that we're open.  The managing director called me twice during the first hour of the day.  Once on the main line and once on my private line just to "see how you're doing".  The second time he called he wanted to know what our sales were for yesterday and so far today.  At the time I had three calls on hold and a person at the window.  I didn't really have five minutes to look the numbers up, but he insisted. 

Then at about 3:00pm he stopped over to see how I was doing again.  He does not know how to run the box office especially when we are busy, so when he tried to help he just caused more problems.  He was taking phone calls out of order and telling people we had tickets available for nights that we did not have them.  Then after the flurry died down, he gave me a lecture about not "frustrating" people.  First of all, no one is on hold for more than five minutes.  Secondly, we only have three phone lines, so people are going to get a busy signal when all three lines have calls.  If they really want tickets they'll call back.  If they don't call back, some one else will buy the tickets.

Finally he called about 15 minutes ago and asked for another status report on sales volume today and to see how I was doing.  Well, I've been busy.  If this keeps on for the rest of the week I'm going to go crazy.  I'm very competent in my job.  If I weren't able to handle things, the box office manager would not have left.  But considering that I've trained all the box office interns for the last three years, I think I'm able to do my job.

</vent>

[Lisbeth]

<hugs>

I've had bosses who tried to "help" me and micro-manage me too, and they hindered me instead of helping.
For example, I wrote the story on the website about Sal (most recent update) in Bad Bosses.  (I swear that it is a true story.)

Also, once I worked as a camp registrar and bookkeeper, and my boss was the director.  It was my job to make up packets of registration forms and brochures, and although he got some volunteers to help (including his MIL) so I could do other work (like actually registering campers, recording payments on their accounts, payrolls, paying bills, filing, and other office work that were also my duties), none of them were willing to make copies.  We kept running out of forms and needed to make more copies, and they always asked me to do it.  So I'd have to drop whatever I was doing (every 15 minutes or so) to make more copies.  And half the packets (especially those made by his MIL) turned out to be incorrectly packaged.  Guess who had to clean that up? Yup, good ol' Keen. 

[HogwartsAlum]

Ooo I hate that.  That drives me crazy.  One of my bosses does that when I send a package for her; she hovers over me and makes suggestions.  I send packages every day.  I know what I'm doing!

Is this only for the week?  I know that seems like forever, but maybe when your BO manager gets back and asks you how it went, you can tell him/her kinda what happened.  Maybe if he/she has to be gone again, the two of you can make arrangements with the managing director for periodic updates so he doesn't come down all the time to see what's going on.  Or you could suggest it yourself to him and send him emails or something so he feels like he's "in the loop."

Hang in there.....

[stanthedevil]

Ooo I hate that.  That drives me crazy.  One of my bosses does that when I send a package for her; she hovers over me and makes suggestions.  I send packages every day.  I know what I'm doing!

Is this only for the week?  I know that seems like forever, but maybe when your BO manager gets back and asks you how it went, you can tell him/her kinda what happened.  Maybe if he/she has to be gone again, the two of you can make arrangements with the managing director for periodic updates so he doesn't come down all the time to see what's going on.  Or you could suggest it yourself to him and send him emails or something so he feels like he's "in the loop."

Hang in there.....

He tends to micro manage all the time, so the box office manager is well aware.  This week though he's worse than ever because there really isn't anything to keep him busy.  Normally all of the offices are closed between Christmas and New Year's Day, but because of this really popular show, we stayed open.  Since he doesn't really have any work to do, he's being uber annoying this week in particular.

Also, before she left the box office manager let him know that he wouldn't be getting any reports until she got back on January 2 and he said he was fine with that.  Again, with nothing to do, he's grasping at straws and making my job doubly difficult.

[Suze]

Ahh but Keen, don't you know that the copy machine is such a delicate instrument that only *one* person in the office should be allowed to touch it?

Sarcasm off

I remember one year helping at a tax office (after hours, to help friends Mom keep caught up) Friend and I were told just what needed copied and put in files, which we did, and to put them away in the main file cabnits.  Worked till midnight on this. Friends hubby was working on the computers (so it was something to keep busy with)

Was told the next day that we did it all WRONG - even after we showed her Mom the note that she had written us with what she wanted.  Spent the next two nights undoing. First we had to find all of them.  (I just KNEW we shouldn't have put them away)

My advise is to politely tell Boss I am busy right now I will get that information and call you back. and hang up to take costumers calls.

[andi]

Bosses that don't know the in's and outs of a particular job tend to get nervous - and think they're "being supportive' knowing that you're short handed.  i guess a polite "we're doing great - why don't i call you with an update when things quiet down" would be in order.

[IndianInlaw]

Can you ask him to give you a hand with some busy work (make something up!).

We get policy changes (more restrictions) all the time because citizens drive by and think we (crossing guards)  shouldn't be wearing head phones, smoking, sitting in cars or using clip boards

[Chocolate Cake]

Years and years ago when I worked retail, one of the associates really made a (favorable) impression on an executive manager of the store in situations like the one you described.   When the manager called to get sales reports, the associate told her (like you did with your manager) that she was busy with customers.   When the manager persisted, the associate hung up on her.   

When the manager called back and was (naturally) upset, the associate said, "Look.  I give first priority to the customers who are here to buy from us.  If I took every call like yours for business that could wait instead of helping the customers standing right here in the store, there would be a whole lot less sales to report to you."

The manager had no option but to agree.  That associate taught her a very valuable lesson about customer service that she should have learned long ago.  From then on, the manager would always first ask, "Are you busy with customers?" before making her requests of the associates.