Mr. Goodhair

[Ghel]

I'm still looking for work. There don't seem to be many job openings locally.

I talked to one of my coworkers a little bit yesterday. She's the one who's been here the longest, and the one I used to call the Aneurysm Waiting to Happen. (She still overreacts to tiny issues, but that's not really relevant to what we talked about.)

She said she thinks Goodhair's on my side. I'm still not seeing it. Everything he's done to "support" me has felt like too little too late. She said that I'm supposed to be getting my old boss' office, and I responded that that's news to me. She said Goodhair told her that the 60 day review period started when he talked to me. I told her I felt like I was being set up to fail, then, because the only formal training I'm getting starts at the end of the review period. She relayed that he thinks I'm capable of doing the job. But that's empty words without a job offer.

I also told her about the way he makes me feel uncomfortable with his constant winking and sexist jokes. She said she didn't think he'd ever "do anything." I responded that no, he seems to know where the line is and skirts it deliberately. He never quite does enough to get reported to HR, but he makes this baseline of making me feel like he thinks I'm below him, that makes it difficult to work with him. She seemed surprised by that, but since she refers to herself and all the other women in the office as "girls," I didn't really expect her to understand.

[Tama]

She seems resigned to the whole thing and seems to think his behavior is perfectly normal...

[eltf177]

Also, don't bother focusing on looking for banking jobs at this time - you need to get out of there sooner rather than later, so that means looking for a job that pays the bills for now and then continuing to look for a banking job while doing the job that you don't necessarily want to do for the rest of your life. If you don't bother to expand your horizons you're going to be the one left holding the bag when this one goes belly up. I hope you like having your reputation ruined when all the blame is placed on you, because that is where the path you're currently on is leading.

I couldn't agree with this more. You will _never_ return to banking if Goodhair sells you down the river to save his own worthless ass...

[wolfie]

From what I've read here, your job description (regardless of what is stated officially) seems to be "Fall guy for Mr. Goodhair". When (not if) things go to hell in a handbasket, you wind up in deep shit (possibly even jail), and he goes on to a new job at his current level but at a different bank, courtesy of the "old boys club". At this point, even flipping burgers at McDonalds looks good.

[emax4]

Eh, maybe not. Think about it... Why give up on banking? You already have the experience, and if you can get in fast enough before the sh** hits the fan there, you're gold. When a potential hiring company asks you why you are leaving them (or have left), you can explain some of the drama and corruption that went on there. I'm sure Enron workers must have felt the same way years ago.

[Ghel]

More reason to get out of here, though it doesn't directly have anything to do with Goodhair. I had a nasty cold last week (that I'm still getting over). I would have called off sick Thursday and Friday if I didn't have work that needed to be done before Friday. I left Friday about 1:30 for the loan closing (which I wasn't really prepared for). The closing was at 2:00, was done by about 3:00, it would have taken me half an hour to get back to work, and quitting time is 4:30. It didn't make any sense for me to go back to work for an hour, especially when I was as sick as I was.

According to the coworker who was feeding me information about Goodhair, several of my coworkers were complaining about me not coming back. They even went to Goodhair to ask how long a loan closing should take. (Never mind that he has taken a day or more off to go to a loan closing just as far away.) Granted, if they take an hour off for an appointment or something, they have to make up the time. But this is just petty. I'll make up the time, taking half hour lunches for two days, just to appease them. But I doubt they'll even notice.

[eltf177]

What a bunch of backstabbing jerks! I's love to see them left in the lurch when you leave!

[wolfie]

At this point, even flipping burgers at McDonalds looks good.

Eh, maybe not. Think about it... Why give up on banking? You already have the experience, and if you can get in fast enough before the sh** hits the fan there, you're gold.

OP mentioned that they were looking for a new job, but there wasn't anything locally. If it comes down to going outside her field for a while, but leaving with her reputation intact, or holding out for something in her field, but it takes long enough for things to collapse and she becomes the fall guy, resulting in her being unemployable in her field, a few months of "it's not my field but it brings in some cash" could be a good investment. Note what I bolded in your post - the corollary is "if you can't get in fast enough, and you're still there when the "shaving cream" hits the fan, you're toxic waste".

[Ghel]

Goodhair is out this morning for some bogus reason (probably bottle flu). So the rest of us full-time employees were talking about the things each of us discussed with him yesterday. If I'm going to be primarily doing loans, we need a full-timer who's trained to do deposit accounts. Goodhair talked to A first, and she said she's happy in her current position as head teller. Then he talked to C, and she said she'll need time to think about it. She's currently working at the drive, which is quite busy, and she's worried she won't have enough to do on the deposit side.

Everyone seemed surprised when I told them I'm in limbo, too. That I don't know what my actual duties are. That I don't have a title or lending limits. (I left out that I haven't been offered a raise - I didn't want to ruffle any feathers.) They also seemed surprised when I placed the blame squarely on Goodhair's shoulders (as opposed to our former branch manager's). I explained that Goodhair's been the branch manager since my former boss went part-time at the 1st of the year, so he had plenty of time to get me title, lending limits, etc. That 60 day review period? Started when he talked to me. It should have started at the beginning of the year.

I know I'm repeating myself now, but these are things that the five of us discussed this morning. I am continually amazed at how much faith everyone else seems to have in Goodhair. They admit that he wants to be doing "higher level" stuff, like schmoozing with customers and making pronouncements without writing them down, but that he doesn't want to do any actual work. He has admitted that he hates paperwork. He claimed again yesterday that if he knows there's an issue, he'll do something about it. He said he always gets what he wants. Not that he always does what's best for the bank, but that he "always gets what he wants." "Conniving" and "sinister" are two words that popped into my head on hearing that. Not "what's best for the bank" or its employees or its customers, what he wants.

Anyway, the job search continues slowly. I've put my resume out there, but I'm not getting any bites yet. There doesn't seem much available locally for banking or office jobs. But "locally" may be moot if something else that's on the horizon in my life pans out. More on that later, if it happens.

[Geek King]

They admit that he wants to be doing "higher level" stuff, like schmoozing with customers and making pronouncements without writing them down, but that he doesn't want to do any actual work. He has admitted that he hates paperwork.

Well its a damn good thing he works in a f&^$ing bank, isn't it!? Only one of the most paperwork-intensive professions I can think of that isn't an actual government office. What the hell does Goodhair think his job is going to be once he's settled in properly? What a horse's ass this guy is!

[morgana]

But "locally" may be moot if something else that's on the horizon in my life pans out. More on that later, if it happens.

Keeping a candle lit.

[Ghel]

Had this conversation with a customer just now:

C: <sits at my desk> I'm waiting to see Goodhair.
Me: Ok. Not sure how long he'll be.
C: That's ok. So you got promoted, huh?
Me: <trying not to say too much> Not really, but I took over almost all of <old boss'> duties.
C: More money?
Me: No.
C: They didn't give you a raise?
Me: No.
C: Well, I'm not going to wait. <stands up> Demand a raise!

It's nice to know at least the customers are pulling for me.

[Ghel]

I'm all sorts of squicked out. I wasn't even sure I should post this, but it's still bothering me.

Goodhair invited me to go to an industry meeting an hour away. The unstated assumption being that we would take his car. He promised not to smoke while I was in the car. -_- I hemmed and hawed at first, trying to figure out some way to get out of going without admitting that I didn't want to be alone with him anywhere, much less in his car, much much less an hour drive from work.

He gave me an out, though. He said I could think about it and let him know. Later, I asked if there was a brochure or something about the meeting, and he handed me a postcard. A two-hour meeting on how to build small business relationships. I told him that I didn't think I'd get much out of it, plus I have plenty of work to keep me busy already. He seemed ok with that response.

I don't really think anything would have happened, but I know enough about grooming behavior to suspect him of it.

[ADeMartino]

Later, I asked if there was a brochure or something about the meeting, and he handed me a postcard. A two-hour meeting on how to build small business relationships. I told him that I didn't think I'd get much out of it, plus I have plenty of work to keep me busy already. He seemed ok with that response.

I don't really think anything would have happened, but I know enough about grooming behavior to suspect him of it.

Damn him all to hell. Now I'm betting he'll use the fact that you declined going to this seminar or whatever it was as an excuse to not promote you or give you a raise. Not that I think he would have anyway, but now he has a convenient excuse.

F*cking manipulators. I HATE them. The sooner you're out of his influence, the better you'll be, Ghel. It just nauseates me that you have to put up with this shit.

[KatherineB]

If this circumstance comes up again, explain that you'd rather take your own car because you have to [insert reason here] afterwards. Pick up partner/kids, go and visit your mum, get your dry cleaning - anything that will take you in another direction. A really good one would be to take your car to the mechanic as that will make sure he can't offer to take you 'to be nice.' Have a reason all ready for the future. That way you can go to these events (which would be good networking opportunities for you, if nothing else) and have your own movements under your control and not his.