The Mean spirited Boss at Christmas

I work for a very large multi national company that runs a 24/7 operation.
As a crew Boss, at this time of the year I traditionally have the flexibility to allow all but those needed for emergency situations to go home to their families, after we complete the necessary production.

Unfortunately this year the department Manager appears to have been bitten by the Christmas Grinch.

We are working night shift Christmas Eve and Christmas night.

I got an email from him late Friday evening telling me that there will be no "shorter/leaner shifts etc". The email then went on to say I shouldn't explain this to my Crew as coming from the Manager, I should tell them it is my expectation.

The clanger of the email is when he states the following.
"I would encourage to of course celebrate the day (as has been past practice) during the customary xmas meal break, however it is work as normal.":~

How much do you reckon I'm looking forward to telling my Crew, who by the way are the best performing in the department, that I'm sorry people, but you can't go home to your families early, even if you do get the job done. You will all just have to hang around and watch the clock until the normal knock off time.
I guess I could get them to do some housekeeping while they're waiting.:no:

MERRY CHRISTMAS:D

Where I work,
we also work 24/7.
We likely supply the Electricity to some of your 'Pootas:D

Friday, 21st, was a Team BONDING Day:rolleyes:

Lunch at the Local Sporties Club,
and then Golf; at the Golf Club..............Where else:doh:
All paid for by the Company.

Yes!
Some Bosses are good,
while still remaining Bosses and gaining the due Respect.

Other Bosses shouldn't be:(

Stick his e-mail up so all can read it or tell him to stick where the sun don't shine

I say if he isn't there (which he surely won't be, he'll be at home celebrating with his family), you get a single guy to stay late and clock everybody out, and give 'em your own X-mas bonus by sending them home on your own. But I understand if you don't, it would be your job I'm sure.

you could always say you were so busy getting up to scratch before christmas, that you didnt see the Email.
send em home anyway if their not needed, their your crew!

Astrid

Unfortunately I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place.

1)All emails are read receipted.
2)All entry/exits from the plant are electronically monitored/tagged.

I'll just try and explain it the best I can, making sure it's known it wasn't my idea, even though that's what I'm supposed be telling them.

then send a reply to your boss acknowleging reciept and ask if a simple supper can be put on by the firm for those staying behind.
circ to all staff including your boss's boss.
That way staff will know that one, it wasnt your Idea, Two that the boss is a gutless git , and three, his boss will know whats going on.

Phrase it carefully and it will look like you understand managments concerns but that you also wish to reward a top team and keep up moral.

Astrid

Quote:

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Originally Posted by astrid

then send a reply to your boss acknowleging reciept and ask if a simple supper can be put on by the firm for those staying behind.
circ to all staff including your boss's boss.
That way staff will know that one, it wasnt your Idea, Two that the boss is a gutless git , and three, his boss will know whats going on.

Phrase it carefully and it will look like you understand managments concerns but that you also wish to reward a top team and keep up moral.

Astrid

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yes do something to show him/her up as the gutless so n so they are...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by astrid

then send a reply to your boss acknowleging reciept and ask if a simple supper can be put on by the firm for those staying behind.
circ to all staff including your boss's boss.
That way staff will know that one, it wasnt your Idea, Two that the boss is a gutless git , and three, his boss will know whats going on.

Phrase it carefully and it will look like you understand managments concerns but that you also wish to reward a top team and keep up moral.

Astrid

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Totally agree with this, and if the A/H@le ignores it your crew will know who to blame.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by obee60

The email then went on to say I shouldn't explain this to my Crew as coming from the Manager, I should tell them it is my expectation

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Whilst it may be his right to dictate the hours to be worked, it is totally unacceptable and unconsciable to demand that you lie on his behalf.

Reply back to say that whilst you'll all work the hours demanded by him, you will not lie on his behalf, with a copy to senior management.


Peter.

Astrid's idea is ace!

I have to agree with Sturdee.

If you have the best team, then for goodness sake, don't disrespect them by lying to them. Let the guys read the email, and tell the boss what you did and that you won't lie for him.

Yeah the boss is a gutless wonder.

Email him with a link to this thread.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ivanavitch

Email him with a link to this thread.

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From somewhere / someone else.
No need to Shoot yourself in the foot:oo:

Don't link it from anywhere. Where will you bitch about him in the future?

I totally agree you should not lie on his behalf and you should let him know.

1 If you respect your crew and they respect you then you are honest to them.

2 If you lie for your boss he will see it works and use it again in the future.

I'm not going to lie to my Crew - never intended to.
I'm due in at 18:00 hours tonight. I'll talk to the Supervisors in the other areas and see what instructions they've been given.
If they say they haven't heard anything, bingo - off home early people.

As a side note. The Manager who wrote the email is actually leaving the company on 4th January. But I suspect it came to him from the Plant Manager, who is a real nasty one.

Hmm, now that's interesting:cool:

Good luck with it all Obee60

I hope the day goes well, with no incidents and you all get to spend some quality time with your family and friends.

cheers
Wendy

working as a head chef 3yrs ago for a well known company that had previously been aquired by "overseas visitors" two years earlier....on the 24th of dec ...we were all handed notice ( 3weeks)....some Christmas huh....well it got worse .......as soon as the doors were shut ......they did an ignorance is bliss act .....and failed to meet employee redundancy payments, annual leave entitlements,long service entitlements etc,..seems that under the award back then ....if you employed less than< 15 employees ...you could "cry poor" and not pay redundancy .....well, being a tad smarter than the average bear, I had taken photo's of all the time cards ....prior to the last day ....and industrial relations used these to obtain entitlements so richly deserved to the employees within three months of closing .....mine however, went around the merrygoround for 2 yrs ...for being so smart ...

dont feel sorry for these type of ppl, they are mutli millionaires and property developers .....and laugh at our laws of business trading ...all for a $..


live wth Honour ......Die with Respect


Merry Christmas to All

na the ???????? is setting you up and creating ill will for the company simultaneously.

I'd email the big boss with the info.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sturdee

Whilst it may be his right to dictate the hours to be worked, it is totally unacceptable and unconsciable to demand that you lie on his behalf.

Reply back to say that whilst you'll all work the hours demanded by him, you will not lie on his behalf, with a copy to senior management.


Peter.

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Spot on Peter.

Well Christmas Eve (night shift) has come and gone.
Told my people the story and by and large they were pretty good about it.
Thankfully they know me well enough to know it wasn't my idea, or decision.
As usual they did all I asked of them for the 12 hour shift.

Funnily enough when I got into work tonight I heard the Plant Manager has decided to let people go an hour and a half earlier, if all the work is done.
That didn't help my crew this morning, but at least I can let them know at our start up meeting that they will be able to get away a little earlier Boxing Day.

obee

Poor thing... we spent most of the day picking up a lead spill, jackhammers'n'cranes... merry xmas boys!
All caused by a management decision... thats against our job safety proceedure rules, we have a set of rules made by them... they have their own rules... If we did it we'd end up on the discipline system:(