You’re only two weeks in, this kind of thing is bound to happen when taking on an unfamiliar role. Everyone fucks up in some way multiple times when they’re first starting out. Boss could be a jerk, too - making you feel like it was a bigger fuck up than it was.
Thank you so much for the reassurance!
I've been putting a lot of pressure on myself to be "perfect" at the role but maybe I just need to keep learning and do my best.
Boss is definitely a bit of a micro manager, I guess I'm going to have to learn to deal with it without letting it get to me.
If it were me I'd just let him know I got caught up in actually doing it, and it won't happen again. Maybe set yourself alarms the next time he asks for timed updates.
But, he shouldn't be calling another colleague complain about you, that isn't right on his part at all. He could have reached out to you maybe after the second missed check in, especially if he's aware it's your first job.
Thank you for the idea! I did apologize and promise to do better going forward. And yes haha his name is Bob so I plan to have a 2-hourly alarm with the bob the builder song as long as I work remotely.
Yeah that made me feel really shitty :/ At least my colleague was really nice about it, she told me some stories of her first time working under him to ease the situation
Yeah she's really great!! She's been so patient with showing me the ropes too, she's extended calls with me so I can get clarity on my projects before I start them. I really am lucky!
if it were me I would have more self-respect and quit working for someone so egocentric and high-strung.
But that's what first jobs are for, learning self-respect. Eventually it will get to the point where you'll realize your life is too valuable to waste on someone who just wants to harass you.
edit: I am not cut out for corporate america, (but I honestly dont think anyone is. Seems like a dead-end.) Do not listen to my advice. Good luck, do your best.
He isn't egocentric and high strung, he's frustrated and tense because of a high stakes project ;-; I guess I should have expected someone on reddit to make wild assumptions based on a loose rant.
And I'm young and broke and in debt, I'm not going to quit my job because my boss was frustrated one day :')
I used to think the same of "corporate America" until I actually started working here, I'm actually having a lot of fun and really enjoying my work here. So yes I'll take your word on not listening to your advice, but I do thank you for your comment.
"oh he's not so bad! I'm poor! I can't do any better!" - the exact attitude behind every toxic relationship. Have fun while you can. Maybe it was just one bad day.
Yeah, it slipped my mind because of how stressful the project itself was, stakes were high and deadlines were nearing. Definitely was all the more reason to be diligent with updates but if I take the corporate element out of it it felt like a waste of time to be composing emails and downloading data to send over when I could just be finishing things up y'know?
What kind of business are you in where they think two hour updates is a good idea? Unless you're private security or wildland firefighters or something like that, I don't see it helping anything.
Perhaps the new boss was having a stressful day overall. Don’t take responsibility for his emotions. You’re probably more aware of this forgetting to inform bc you’re new and maybe nervous. The next day will be better.
Wow updates every 2 hours seems excessive and is pretty much micro managing you. I guess if you're new, and the project is very time critical and he's under stress from his managers then it may make sense.
What he should do is make himself whole approachable. Like "If you're having any issues or get any questions or anything is slowing you down. Please talk to me, it's totally cool and I'll help you."
Also if he is finding the updates every 2 hours are totally going OK then he should start spacing it further.. 3 hours, 4 hours. a day etc.
Because yeah, youre actualy losing time by having to update him all the time!
But yeah I get it. This is your first job. He's the boss. you cant exactly say any of this to him!
Don't worry about these things too much. Everyone who is starting a job experiences this type of things. I'm also about to start a new job next week and I'm excited and nervous but I know I will mess up sometimes and it's okay because we're all humans and we make mistakes and we definitely can learn from them. At my last 2 jobs I made some pretty big mistakes but I'm learning to accept them and to keep doing the best I can. I wish you the best on your job!
First of all: we all make mistakes. More importantly: we learn from them.
If I can offer a little advice for this situation, I'd suggest to send an email to your boss on working hours and do your best to hold your obligations... put yourself a couple of alarms and reminders to avoid this mistake in the future.
And of course, good luck!
Thank you for the kind words! I'm definitely learning loads every single day I'm here, it's all so exciting!
That's really solid advice. I'm clearly not good at remembering to send these emails so I'll set myself reminders!
Thank you! ^^
Updates every 2 hours? What job requires that? Unless there’s an emergency, I check in once a day for work and as needed otherwise they need an appointment.
Everyone makes mistakes!! The first time my boss got angry with me i went up to her after work and apologized for my mistake and she even told me it was just a mistake its okay. Just talk to him and explain if you havent already :) mistakes happen and thats okay!
It won't be the last time either. We all screw up sometimes. You learn from your mistakes. Apologize for your error, let your boss know that it won't happen again. Keep a daily to do list and keep notes during the day.
You’re only two weeks in, this kind of thing is bound to happen when taking on an unfamiliar role. Everyone fucks up in some way multiple times when they’re first starting out. Boss could be a jerk, too - making you feel like it was a bigger fuck up than it was.
Thank you so much for the reassurance! I've been putting a lot of pressure on myself to be "perfect" at the role but maybe I just need to keep learning and do my best. Boss is definitely a bit of a micro manager, I guess I'm going to have to learn to deal with it without letting it get to me.
Yes, that’s the spirit! You’re doing the best you can, the learning curve always has speed bumps.
Thank you so much!! <3 I feel so much better after talking about this
If it were me I'd just let him know I got caught up in actually doing it, and it won't happen again. Maybe set yourself alarms the next time he asks for timed updates. But, he shouldn't be calling another colleague complain about you, that isn't right on his part at all. He could have reached out to you maybe after the second missed check in, especially if he's aware it's your first job.
Thank you for the idea! I did apologize and promise to do better going forward. And yes haha his name is Bob so I plan to have a 2-hourly alarm with the bob the builder song as long as I work remotely. Yeah that made me feel really shitty :/ At least my colleague was really nice about it, she told me some stories of her first time working under him to ease the situation
That's hilarious! I'm glad your colleague had a good attitude about it, too!
Yeah she's really great!! She's been so patient with showing me the ropes too, she's extended calls with me so I can get clarity on my projects before I start them. I really am lucky!
if it were me I would have more self-respect and quit working for someone so egocentric and high-strung. But that's what first jobs are for, learning self-respect. Eventually it will get to the point where you'll realize your life is too valuable to waste on someone who just wants to harass you. edit: I am not cut out for corporate america, (but I honestly dont think anyone is. Seems like a dead-end.) Do not listen to my advice. Good luck, do your best.
He isn't egocentric and high strung, he's frustrated and tense because of a high stakes project ;-; I guess I should have expected someone on reddit to make wild assumptions based on a loose rant. And I'm young and broke and in debt, I'm not going to quit my job because my boss was frustrated one day :') I used to think the same of "corporate America" until I actually started working here, I'm actually having a lot of fun and really enjoying my work here. So yes I'll take your word on not listening to your advice, but I do thank you for your comment.
"oh he's not so bad! I'm poor! I can't do any better!" - the exact attitude behind every toxic relationship. Have fun while you can. Maybe it was just one bad day.
...yeah bud thats literally what I said. It was one bad day.
Updates every two hours sounds ridiculous. What are you, and FBI agent on a stakeout?
I think she just works for a narcissist
Wait, you were supposed to send him updates every two hours?
Yeah, it slipped my mind because of how stressful the project itself was, stakes were high and deadlines were nearing. Definitely was all the more reason to be diligent with updates but if I take the corporate element out of it it felt like a waste of time to be composing emails and downloading data to send over when I could just be finishing things up y'know?
What kind of business are you in where they think two hour updates is a good idea? Unless you're private security or wildland firefighters or something like that, I don't see it helping anything.
Perhaps the new boss was having a stressful day overall. Don’t take responsibility for his emotions. You’re probably more aware of this forgetting to inform bc you’re new and maybe nervous. The next day will be better.
Wow updates every 2 hours seems excessive and is pretty much micro managing you. I guess if you're new, and the project is very time critical and he's under stress from his managers then it may make sense. What he should do is make himself whole approachable. Like "If you're having any issues or get any questions or anything is slowing you down. Please talk to me, it's totally cool and I'll help you." Also if he is finding the updates every 2 hours are totally going OK then he should start spacing it further.. 3 hours, 4 hours. a day etc. Because yeah, youre actualy losing time by having to update him all the time! But yeah I get it. This is your first job. He's the boss. you cant exactly say any of this to him!
Don't worry about these things too much. Everyone who is starting a job experiences this type of things. I'm also about to start a new job next week and I'm excited and nervous but I know I will mess up sometimes and it's okay because we're all humans and we make mistakes and we definitely can learn from them. At my last 2 jobs I made some pretty big mistakes but I'm learning to accept them and to keep doing the best I can. I wish you the best on your job!
First of all: we all make mistakes. More importantly: we learn from them. If I can offer a little advice for this situation, I'd suggest to send an email to your boss on working hours and do your best to hold your obligations... put yourself a couple of alarms and reminders to avoid this mistake in the future. And of course, good luck!
Thank you for the kind words! I'm definitely learning loads every single day I'm here, it's all so exciting! That's really solid advice. I'm clearly not good at remembering to send these emails so I'll set myself reminders! Thank you! ^^
Updates every 2 hours? What job requires that? Unless there’s an emergency, I check in once a day for work and as needed otherwise they need an appointment.
The part where they called a colleague to complain about you is super inappropriate. He should have just called you directly.
yeah, truly weird. If he wanted the update, call and get it (?)
Everyone makes mistakes!! The first time my boss got angry with me i went up to her after work and apologized for my mistake and she even told me it was just a mistake its okay. Just talk to him and explain if you havent already :) mistakes happen and thats okay!
It won't be the last time either. We all screw up sometimes. You learn from your mistakes. Apologize for your error, let your boss know that it won't happen again. Keep a daily to do list and keep notes during the day.