Are you a good boss? How do you think your employees would rate you?

Question

A friend I've known for years was recently hired as an assistant manager at a large company. An employee recently told him because she is scheduled to work 1.5 less per work she doesn't get any benefits. The law allows this even thought it isn't right. I asked my friend why he doesn't quit and he said because he needs the benefits. I said what about her benefits?

BCA6010 · Accepted Answer

As far as I know, I am very well liked overall, but I know some have attempted to manipulate me into giving favorable treatment, which doesn't work, and I have a short fuse for lazy or unprofessional/immature behavior.

Now that said, I assume you're referring to your friend needing to schedule hours for employee shifts. There's a dirty secret hidden behind simple math there: assistant managers (and usually managers too) in a large company don't have any real control over the weekly labor budget beyond making pleas and protests to nickel and dime here and there, more often than not in exchange for losing it the following week instead, just kicking the issue down the road. The purse here is controlled by the General Manager, which in a retail chain probably oversees 4-6 stores, and while they may be the biggest influence, they have a boss to report to as well. Additionally, and this may be different depending on the company, assistant managers and managers are paid from a different budget fund than department managers and hourlies, and so there's no amount of personal sacrifice a manager can make that will have any impact anyway. When making the schedules, typically management will start with their full-time employees set in stone as a baseline (we called this "the core group") who get first priority, period. From there, the gaps get filled in by the more flexible part-time employees, but especially when the budget is getting stretched down to the wire, an employee who costs less per hour will get more hours if that's what it takes when the math adds up. I vividly remember my first job (working at a movie theater) in which after earning a $0.55/hr raise, my average weekly hours went down substantially.

Now regarding benefits, the company in which I got my assistant manager experience in basically treated everyone as a seasonal hire for the first few months, after which point our general manager would talk with me and/or my manager to discuss who to keep long-term as a long term employee with benefits, in which case we had to guarantee a minimum number of hours per week on average across a month. I doubt many other managers took the time to do this, but clever scheduling allowed me to juggle pairs of full-time employees across the span of a month to keep them both under full benefits, though more often than not, the younger hires were more concerned about the dollars and scheduling conflicts than anything else, which I totally understand.

andreasderjuengere · Accepted Answer

I carry responsibilities.

But I'm not interested to be a ''boss'' or a ''superior''

In the company of ca. 130, I find three groups:

- those who like me, but don't directly touch me professionally

- those who perform and appreciate co-operation with me

- a few ''lost cases'' of non-performers who avoid me because of my thrive for improvements (and communicating it)

If they all would ''rate'' me, it would not make a difference --- and I would not care. It's about work. But I make it as friendly and cultured as possible, of course.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

I'm a good boss to work for, I try to be understanding within reason, try to challenge the employees in my department while offering them all of the collective support we can towards those challenges.

We are a very small company by way of actual employees, im uppet mpanagement and even I don't get proper benefits, though the owner of the company regularly takes work in trade for dental work for our employees or weekend getaways for the office staff or a particular department.

Apparently I'm considered approachable and easy to talk to, it's not uncommon for my employees, and employees from other departments to come to me with life problems about boyfriends and such and hang around talking to me for an hour after they clock out, as if I have any kind of answers... but I think that it's important to be there, helps keep morale up to know that their work family has their backs.

I try to be a good boss.

mandyfire98 · Accepted Answer

I'm a fantastic boss. I only have one employee but I love me so my boss is amazing... Because it's me.

Anonymous · Answer

I'm my own boss now, but previously I was a manager for 6 years at a museum. The way I knew during my tenure that I'd done well, is whenever I came back from my vacation, everyone was at my desk telling me they missed me and telling me how everything was falling apart (clearly an exaggeration of course) when I wasn't there. When I left, I knew I'd done well in the end, when I saw that  there were so many messages from staff asking me to come back on our group page. Then a few months later, the CEO asked if I'd come back. Even two years later, I was asked again, if I could come back. I think if they hate you, that doesn't happen, but it felt good to know I'd made some type of impact. It's been nearly ten years on and I am still friends with a lot of my former staffers.

exitseven · Answer

i had 8 I ran an IT department for many years. I had 8-10 people that worked for me. Many went on to bigger and better things and thanked me for being a good mentor and a good boss. The person that ran my help desk took a better position at the same place and she said I was the best boss she ever had.

I had many asshole bosses and I always said if I ever ran my own department I would look out for my guys.

Gent207-2 · Answer

I like to think I was a good boss even during the time I played the unofficial role as boss. I got a lot done and made many good friends. People liked me or didn't but everyone at least respected me.

I see myself like Cpt. Winters in Band of Brothers.

BoopBoopBeep · Answer

I self-demoted twice so I'm not a boss anymore, but when I was, my employees and I had a really nice close knit little "family". THAT part I miss. When some mouth-breather rotates in and you want to hold their head underwater until they stop moving and the bureaucracy is so slow it takes 8 months to get them out despite the fact that they are criminally inept... THAT part I do not miss.

Ironic_Method · Answer

Historically the vast majority of my associates love me. I try to be as fair as possible, but the thing that seems to have set me apart from previous managers was actually following through on what I say.

I've worked at various companies as an Ops Manager for reference.

ManHater · Answer

Being a weld forman on the largest mega project in north america it's clear that I am not there to be their friends because being a boss is about being fair and understanding but also not taking bull and question a workers reasoning for his plight. It's simple you do your job and you do it right there is not but's or if's but a simple yes or no. There is no reason for showing someone preference because the welders all know when you are a good leader because you stand up for them.

KrakenAttackin · Answer

I left my job as a manager several years ago as my next step was to manage a group of underperforming, angry, victim, millennial females. I noped out even though my awesome boss begged me to give it a shot. I thought a career change would be better than prison.

IslaTheWitch · Answer

As technical lead, I got along well with my team. Currently, I'm in a manager position, and it looks like I still get along well.

After the Tokyo trip, I will have 1-on-1 with my team, and then we will see for sure.

DeeDeeDeVour · Answer

I'm almost sure and I believe my employees love me.  "Coolest boss ever!"  &  "Best boss, as usual!"  are what they often chant.

Sparkie460 · Answer

I think I'm a good boss to my guys. I pay them well and I don't make them do anything that is hazardous. I do those things myself. Once a week I buy them lunch and on Christmas eve day I close the shop so they can do last minute errands with pay.

MikeTheBartender · Answer

I think a lot of them don't realize that I'm good til later on. A guy told my buddy yesterday I made him a millionaire when we worked together I was merely interesting

RedInnocent68 · Answer

Yes. Most would rate me the best they’ve ever had. No one’s left without extenuating circumstances and whenever there’s an opening, plenty of people want to be with me.

BourbonAndBacon · Answer

The last 2 people I fired thanked me for the opportunity.

Likes2drive · Answer

If I was a boss I would probably be a too nice and get taken advantage of

clubboss · Answer

I take care of all my employees very well. All my employees are whores and may not rate me well because whores will never be happy with what they get.

krin_m · Answer

I think so. I certainly try and my employees do trust me, I may not be always warm and fuzzy but they know I got their back.

Guido · Answer

I was a very good boss and loved by my employees. They were very sad to see me leave.

NathanDavis · Answer

I like to think I'm a good manager (=

elizamichale1 · Answer

Well i m not boss of even myself...

LavLavLuv · Answer

Yes I am my own boss 💋

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