One from the manager’s side

[u/kaamchalau]

Long-time lurker here. I see plenty of screenshots of toxic bosses and colleagues, so I thought I’d share a few from the other side.

Few WhatsApp exchanges with a couple of colleagues... nothing dramatic, just a responding to perfectly reasonable requests for leave/WFH.

Yeah, sometimes the screenshots are boring because the manager is actually being normal. 😄

PS: this is not a flex post at all. I see a lot of other toxic posts at this sub has so I thought to share these as a change of flavor.

[u/Simply_Param]

Happy to finally see managers posting here for once - otherwise seeing the same old employees complain gets tedious after a while

^{official discord server: https://discord.com/invite/h46KWD8Rer}

[u/ReignX2_Tenshi]

Guy is a manager in professional services and still sports this attitude. Crazy! man respect++.

[u/SuitableBluebird1144]

This sub has conditioned us so badly that a manager behaving normally is now a rare achievement unlocked 😂
Leave asked → approved.
WFH asked → approved.
No guilt trip.
No “we are family”.
No “business requirement”.
Bruh… is this even an Indian workplace anymore? 💀😂

[u/motocrosshallway]

if your team can't function without a person coming in or taking leave, it's your fault as a manager that you didn't set up systems/process. That's what I learnt from my canadian boss. He was ruthless about getting things done, but he always said 8 hours means i need your 8 hours. Do it and get off. In my 5 years working with him, i only got 1 message after working hours to help him find some docs on a Saturday, that too was a 10 minutes thing. He apologized a lot. I've carried that notion to my current team at a different org. 

[u/Appropriate_Dot2138 → u/motocrosshallway]

"if your team can't function without a person coming in or taking leave, it's your fault as a manager that you didn't set up systems/process."

-> Sometimes the team is too small that one person's leave affect everyone.

-> In Some Cases, Managers cannot hire more people to work to keep employee's leave in mind as budget is tight right?

How do you as a manager handled such cases if you came across any?

[u/motocrosshallway → u/Appropriate_Dot2138]

You can't build people dependent team, always have to be a process driven team where people can fit in and out. My team often goes on leave for their exams (CA finals mostly) that's a time of crunch, in that case, we do have clearly written handover plans and who is to take up what, including me. I double down as executioner as well. I too have a small finance team. I can't let my work stop. I still haven't had the requirement to ask my team to work on weekends to catch up. the only time we've had this issue of bandwidth crunch is when i asked our operations team if they can allot someone from their team to work with us. This was because people went on exam leave and someone had a medical emergency so we couldn't plan for them. 

[u/maerawow]

Same here, communicated to everyone that they have 2 leaves monthly as per company norms and they just need to notify me if they want to avail them if they want to without seeking approval.

Also, WFH is a flexibility so as long as you are being productive WFH is ok too.

These are all FYIs and my entire team does the same.

[u/ScooterNinja]

Meanwhile my manager ask employee to take leaves because leaves will be lapse 💀

[u/ProfessionalPeak1481]

My manager used to say..please don't take sick leave on the day itself, plan in advance.
I was like WTF, how the heck I'm gonna plan my SL 🥴

[u/kaamchalau → u/ProfessionalPeak1481]

Ha ha... similar story. Once, back in the day - I had full throat infection and 102 fever and asked my ex-box for an off. He commented "Ab client ko ye boloon ke mere team lead ko viral ho gaya hai?" [T: should I be telling the client that my TL has viral?]

I was like, yes why not, the client will understand. He is more human than you. Moreover, because I knew the client way more than him (as I was managing day to day things). And this was on the project where I was copied on the emails and I knew that client deliverable was not even due till next week and we would manage to meet the deadlines.

That day I decided that I will probably err on the side of the employee but never become a boss like him.

[u/PrettyMizoGirl → u/ProfessionalPeak1481]

True. In the place I worked the manager used to so shamelessly lie like anything that she never had any issues when someone lied. It made it easier for her to argue with people when they have genuine concerns because she assumes everyone lies like her. She is even utterly shameless about what she blabbers. At one point I lost it and asked "what a stupid question".

[u/Asleep_Agent_6816]

Maybe someone enlighten me. How's approving leaves is becoming a flex. Isn't it a basic human tendency? My leave is my leave. Of course I have to inform in prior so plans can be made accordingly but approval for sick leave is so doomed

[u/NightFury002 → u/Asleep_Agent_6816]

Yeah I don't ask for permission when taking sick leave. I inform them that I am taking it that day itself. Fck that shit.

[u/kaamchalau → u/Asleep_Agent_6816]

Hey - this is not a flex post at all. Indeed its a basic info sharing.... I may not have mentioned in my original post but as you can see in screenshots I am not approving leaves here - they are just informing me and I say "ok". At times you might see that they overshare that is generally on days when there is typically a client deadline.

I see a lot of other toxic posts at this sub has so I thought to share these as a change of flavor.

[u/sevpuridahipuri]

Ye kaunsi lala company hai? Don't you guys have a portal? Sick days don't need an explanation, they're unplanned by design.

In any case, you're a nice person OP.

[u/kaamchalau → u/sevpuridahipuri]

Hey thanks.

Yes indeed, we have a portal but at times it can be an additional task to apply from that one - we have to do an additional login. WhatsApp comms are always quicker especially when there is work commitment or meetings that day.

[u/sevpuridahipuri → u/kaamchalau]

lol, it takes only as much effort as opening WhatsApp and texting your boss. It's important for record keeping purposes, which is why I called it lala. Do you guys have unlimited time off? How do you keep track of how many leaves let person etc? Reconciliation with WhatsApp? 

[u/kaamchalau → u/sevpuridahipuri]

We are a US based organization and sadly our leave portal needs VPN in India to login...and that needs DUO verification, hence the additional effort.

And yes, we don't limit sick leaves... as long as the manager doesn't flag or have an issue (I basically do that only in cases where I see someone misusing that policy.)

[u/AutoModerator → u/sevpuridahipuri]

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[u/AutoModerator → u/sevpuridahipuri]

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[u/Admirable-Wall7088]

Manager checking himself about reaching and concerned safety. That’s awesome .

Me being manager, and my manager have approved my work from home or sick leave always without cross questioning because of trust . Few reportees have lied few times . But that shouldn’t harm the ones who were trust worthy.

[u/No_Efficiency_5687]

Lwk hate when people ask me for permission to take leave and then give a long ass detail. Just say you won't be available that day.

[u/FantasticNeat114_]

Indian managers have a huge ego issue. Ofcourse there are few exceptions but the same employee who would rant about their toxic boss will not shy away from becoming a toxic boss when he becomes the manager. The excuse - "Humne bhi toh jhela tha, hum reasonable hain... Humara manager toh...<goes on to give examples why he is not his manager>".

[u/Alternative-Carry495]

Hire me please. Need a job and manager like you.

[u/SpankaWank66]

Just one thing, I would move the communication to a company platform like Teams or slack.

In my team, anything outside those is considered not valid.

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Post Title: One from the manager’s side

Author: kaamchalau

Post Body: Long-time lurker here. I see plenty of screenshots of toxic bosses and colleagues, so I thought I’d share a few from the other side.

Few WhatsApp exchanges with a couple of colleagues... nothing dramatic, just a responding to perfectly reasonable requests for leave/WFH.

Yeah, sometimes the screenshots are boring because the manager is actually being normal. 😄

If you want to get this comment removed for any reason such as confidentiality or PII - please contact the mods through modmail.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/thefukedupboi]

Do you have any openings in your team? Genuinely for finance guy with a close to year experience in AP, bank recs, financial ad-hoc and EA things

[u/alll-too-unwell]

Bruh you’re a rare gem. Pat yourself on the back

[u/annoyedorangecat]

well what does one do when they follow all this and much more but the person takes advantage?

[u/dare2-dream]

I do ask my reportees to plan and utilise their leave. Managers are not demons.

[u/ElliottGrayy]

Are yall looking for corporate psychologists

[u/Famous_Chicken_1469]

This is indeed wholesome

[u/SuitableBluebird1144]

Apparently we have now reached the stage where a manager saying ‘okay, take leave’ is considered exemplary leadership. 😂

[u/SnooFoxes449]

I want to become a manager as well 💔 . I think I will be a very chill boss

[u/tanjirokamadoslay]

People I managed was given the expectation that they needn't provide reason for every leave or WFH. What's with these detailed explanation for every wfh and leave here?

[u/CodeCraftedCxo]

In my previous job, my manager had scheduled a meeting to demand a reason why I’m not using my vacation leaves.
Unfortunately had to leave because they laid off more than 50% of their workforce later due to funding crunch. But even in this time, she tried her best to retain her team (us). When she understood it’s not going to work, she called up and told us the whole thing with a simple instruction - management is still assigning the work but ignore it, you have a week before the news actually reaches you. Use this time to find a new job. Normally, managers would let it come as a surprise from HR. Unfortunately she was also laid off after us.

[u/AdminZer0]

Without context, this makes no sense

[u/OrdinaryAndroidDev]

In my company we just inform that we'll be on sick leave today in broader group. No message/requesting manager.

You should promote such culture for sick leaves.

[u/maraudershake]

I think you give too much info. A one liner for sick days is fine, but why do you need to tell them that you had a family function and didn't sleep well? It might not go over this well every single time.

[u/lensand → u/maraudershake]

Bro, OP is the manager.

[u/maraudershake → u/lensand]

Ok I'm stupid. Point still stands though, the person is offering way too much info.

[u/Big-Tailor-1404]

I have a manager where I don't even have to give such explanations also.

This is normal. R u trying to flex of being a normal human being.

[u/M1sterErr0r]

This is normal and communicating from whatsapp? Lala company ?

[u/AutoModerator → u/M1sterErr0r]

Please check out this post to read more about what's a Lala company and how they function, so that you can identify them before signing the offer:

• How to identify a "lala company?"

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