Brinkmanship

[CharleyH]

Did I ever mention the fact that my boss is a grade A psychopath? Worse than that, she's a bully. She screams at members of staff out in the corridors, brings them to tears on a regular basis and is very good at holding grudges and making people's lives hell.

Perhaps the movie entitled, "The Devil wears Prada's" would teach you the real meaning of one who intimidates. A yeller iritates, a cold or even person truly makes one fear.

The thing is, I don't care. In fact I'm looking forward to her having a go at me, because there are lots of things I'd like to tell her. I'm not going to stoop to her level and start shouting and being generally abusive, but I'm going to stand up for her once and for all. And if she fires me, great.

I did something like this once, and it has always made me satisfied to have done it and very pleasured to recount it. However, I merely made a statement to my boss, and then stood, smiled, said thank you and walked out on my own - if you wait to be fired, then it indicates that you want to keep your job - if you say you don't care, then you probably do. I think the best course of action is to see where it goes, and make sure you are not emotional, but reasonable when it does happen.

much luck, Scheher.

 

[Stella_Omega]

AH, but- if you quit, you don't get unemployment insurance, but you get fired and they have to pay you... Here in the USA, it's always a war of wits- the boss wants to force you to quit, you try to force them to fire you.

 

[CharleyH]

AH, but- if you quit, you don't get unemployment insurance, but you get fired and they have to pay you... Here in the USA, it's always a war of wits- the boss wants to force you to quit, you try to force them to fire you.

LOL, that too.

 

[oggbashan]

Unemployment entitlement isn't involved.

Scheh is on a temporary contract that expires on 31 August.

Unless she is offered and accepts a new contract, her employment ends then and it is NOT her doing.

She should be entitled to unemployment benefit (Job Seeker's Allowance) from 1 September.

Temporary contracts are now a major feature of UK employment. It allows flexibility for employers, and to some extent to employees, to move jobs. It is one feature of UK employment law that the French are particularly frightened about. Firing a French employee or closing a French factory is fiendishly difficult for a French employer and adds significantly to their overheads.

Jobs for life, even working for the Government, are almost unknown in the UK now. The norm is to change employers about every seven years.

Og

 

[scheherazade_79]

She should be entitled to unemployment benefit (Job Seeker's Allowance) from 1 September.
Og

Money for free!!!

No, I've been there, done that and got the t-shirt when I took a year out after studying. I played the system at the time. There weren't many jobs in my area, and whenever something suitable came up I always had an indisputable reason why I couldn't apply for it. After three months of remaining professional and keeping her cool, my careers advisor wailed one day that she couldn't be my careers advisor anymore because it was too frustrating.

It was fun when I was younger, but I couldn't do it now for the sake of pride.

Worst case scenario, I can get £100 a day for doing supply work.

 

[scheherazade_79]

much luck, Scheher.

 

[oggbashan]

Money for free!!!

No, I've been there, done that and got the t-shirt when I took a year out after studying. I played the system at the time. There weren't many jobs in my area, and whenever something suitable came up I always had an indisputable reason why I couldn't apply for it. After three months of remaining professional and keeping her cool, my careers advisor wailed one day that she couldn't be my careers advisor anymore because it was too frustrating.

It was fun when I was younger, but I couldn't do it now for the sake of pride.

Worst case scenario, I can get £100 a day for doing supply work.

The mistake was in not applying. I used to apply for anything and everything, write spec letters, attend interviews and keep a diary of the lot. I gave my careers advisor a printout of the diary every three months.

Then, for the jobs I didn't want, I took over the interviews from the interviewers and demonstrated how they couldn't survive without me. I scared them stiff...

I took so many psychometric tests that I could write the correct answers in my sleep. The test papers never changed so by the end I was scoring in the high 90s for everything. When the boss couldn't do better than the low 30s, what chance was there of them offering me a job?

One of my cousins was in a similar situation in Australia. He was 'overqualified' for the jobs. He took a post as a temporary clerk in their equivalent of a Job Centre. He now manages six Job Centres.

Og

 

[SeaCat]

Great story, Cat! That's the kind of revenge I like. My version of revenge is that if you stick me with a needle I'll run you through with a spear.

Hanging on my locker is a picture taken of me a couple of years ago in Northern Florida at the end of one hell of a PaintBall war. (We played all day in a swamp.)

The picture has me in Full Camo, (including face paint,) and a Do-Rag. I'm waist deep in the water and coming through some large ferns. I also have one hell of an Evil Grin on my face. (We won that day.)

Now when I have a new person on my unit who really starts irritating me I try my best to ignore them until they take a break. Usually they take one look at that picture and leave me the hell alone.

Cat