It's a boss thing

exThose who know me will know that my first job was a hell hole. There are 2 peak period in a year and minor peak here and there which means… the whole freaking year can be quite ‘peak’. I stayed there for more than 5 years and only a job opportunity overseas was able to tempt me away, do you know why?

If there’s one factor that keeps a person to a jog, it’s the boss. Trust me, when you have to slog out all the late nights, and if you have a crazy boss breathing down your neck, you won't last long, unless you’re desperate for the job.

Having worked for quite a number of bosses, let me share some pointers with you. Believe me, you will need this guidance when you switch job.

You seldom hear people call their bosses ‘bastards’, but you will usually hear people call bosses ‘bitches’… or sometimes… ‘crazy bitches’. Yeah… generally (and I mean generally), men bosses are easier to work with compared to the female species, as sexist as this may sound. Those agree say ‘oh yeah!’…. ah… I hear that.

Women bosses are petty and would generally fail to see the bigger picture. They usually carry the scared-to-die genes as compared to men who usually carry the dare-to-die genes. Of course, this would translate to higher risk in working for men. So it’s crucial to have a men boss who won't blame you if anything goes wrong. I had the privilege of having such in my first job.

If the female boss is not married… you’re most certainly in for deep shit. If you’re a guy, maybe… just maybe you may find favour. But if you’re a girl… you’re most certainly in for smelly deep deep deep shit. If the female boss is past 40 and not married… wah… I don’t even wanna begin to describe it. There is a Chinese term called ‘pin tai’. If you don’t understand, ask your friend what it means.

If the female boss is married, generally they are ‘normal’. But you must also be careful if she is married to a rich man. There are 2 possibilities here… one of which being she doesn’t really need this job and as such she is quite ‘relax’, which is good. On the other hand, she could be in that job because she is passionate about it.

“Passionate”… this is a very dangerous term, particular if the female boss is married to a rich man. This will usually means money is not that important to her and this is bad… very bad! She will just work, money is secondary… which means you will also be working (a lot) and money will also be secondary. Job satisfaction is orgasmic, so you will be doing assignment after assignment, more jobs, more late nights, stay back… money? It’s all about job satisfaction. Maybe they think your good appraisal letter can buy you a car.

It’s very important that your boss see money as an important element. If your boss thinks you’re highly paid despite you getting puny salary, tough luck, your boss won't be fighting for higher increment or bonus for you. You might hear them say…”how much more do you want? When I was your age, I was getting xxxx and I have to take bus and still can't afford a motorbike la.” They usually don’t understand what is the meaning of inflation and increase in cost of living. Makes you want to do this.

Last but not least, try to avoid a boss that has been in a company for umpteen years. Why? Somehow, when bosses have worked in a particular company for a long period of time, they tend to think they own part of the company. Trust me, this is very bad.

Why? Because if you claim your allowance, they will give you a lecture, saying things like “you’re already highly paid”… they think the company is giving you (and the boss) too much annual leave (trust me on this one, it’s possible)… if you print single page on A4 paper, they will lecture you to print double-page, as though they are paying for those papers… and one classic example where if you die, it’s ok, but business must be able to go on, as mentioned here. There are many more not-so-nice things if the bosses think they own the company, just too much to mention.
I am sure there are many factors to determine a good and a bad boss. In my zewtpinion, a good boss is the one who is able to see the big picture, the objective of a particular assignment, and not worry about whether a comma should be a comma and a full stop should be a full stop. A good boss is a boss who can put himself/herself in your position and understand your concern from job satisfaction to monetary orgasm. And finally, a good boss is one who realise that he/she is just like you… an employee.