Dear Amy: I have been the assistant manager of a small, family-run retail business for 12 years. My boss believes that he doesn’t need to inform me when he is going on a vacation. He will only mark his initials on a calendar for the days that he will be gone. This calendar is hanging by someone else’s desk, not mine.
I sometimes only find out about his vacations by overhearing a conversation he has with a customer. My desk and his are face to face, and there are only three other employees besides me.
When I ask him to explain his behavior, he gets angry and even used the “F” word once. He’s a great guy to work for, but I am at a loss to understand his behavior. Am I being unreasonable as he suggests?
– Angry and Frustrated
Dear Angry: It’s not clear how your boss’ absence has an impact on you, but I assume that in a small business such as where you work, when he is gone your duties would change. If he is the manager and you are the assistant manager, wouldn’t you have to take over some of his workload? And what if you had planned for a day off, dentist appointment or parent/teacher conference during his absence – presumably you would have to change your plans.
If your boss is courteous enough to notify customers about his vacation plans, then it is only reasonable that he should also tell his co-workers – certainly co-workers whose duties will be affected by his absence.
Regardless of whether he needs to notify you of his vacation plans, your boss’ language in responding to you is completely unacceptable. It’s surprising that you find him to be a “great guy to work for.” He sounds like a pill.
Because this seems to be a particular bone of contention between the two of you, you should make sure to keep an eye on that special vacation calendar of his.
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