# Ever had a serial interrupter as a boss? How did it affect your performance? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 19, 2014, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-a-serial-interrupter-as-a-boss-how-did-it-affect-your-performance/707702 "2014-12-19T22:07:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-a-serial-interrupter-as-a-boss-how-did-it-affect-your-performance/707702/21 "2014-12-22T19:25:41Z")
Oh god yes, can we form a support group? This is one of my 3 bosses (family owned) and she’s a killer if you misspeak. So I try to formulate my answers very carefully. “How long until X is done?” “Well, I think it can be done on Friday if I get the OK from your hu…” “Oh no, not Friday, can’t it be done Wednesday?” “Well, AS I WAS SAYING, I am waiting for approval from…” “We really need it Wednesday, what is the hold up??” And worse in a conversation in which she asks 5 question rapid fire in a row. Um, can I write them down and get back to you? ---
**Author:** ![Tamarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@Tamarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamarin)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-a-serial-interrupter-as-a-boss-how-did-it-affect-your-performance/707702/22 "2014-12-22T19:44:31Z")
Not my boss, but a coworker and supervisor of a different group that I’m expected to collaborate with and work with much more than I can stand to do. Most people avoid talking to him at all costs. Conversations are like: Zippy: Do you know if anyone ordered the new monitors Me: Well, I… Zippy: You ordered them. Me: No, I… Zippy: You ordered them but they are delayed. Ok, so we need to blahblahblahblahblahblahblah Me: STOP TALKING. I was trying to say that I was getting ready to order them. Zippy: complains to my boss that I yelled at him. Repeat for every single conversation. ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-a-serial-interrupter-as-a-boss-how-did-it-affect-your-performance/707702/23 "2014-12-23T15:53:24Z")
I deal with my manager, almost exclusively, via telephone as we’re some 1100 miles apart. When my manager interrupts, I stop talking… for uncomfortably long periods of time. So much time, in fact, that she’s often asked if I’m still on the line. I respond that, “I’m here. Just waiting 'til you’re done.” Or I continue talking right over her interruption. ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-a-serial-interrupter-as-a-boss-how-did-it-affect-your-performance/707702/24 "2014-12-23T16:00:55Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > I AM a boss like that. I’ve taken to bringing stress-relief squeezy toys to our staff meetings, giving each of my people one with directions to throw them at me when I do it. It seems to work. I was expecting to be the first person to make this admission. I’m that guy. It sucks, I know it sucks, and I try to control it, but sometimes it just happens. Doesn’t make it alright, I know this, but I am aware that I do this. I do it to my wife too and it drives her apeshit. I generally don’t have patience for people who repeat themselves and/or insist on telling the same story/anecdote over and over. This is when I tend to strike, sometimes rudely. I need to learn to just suck it up and chill the fuck out but, hey, I’m trying. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-a-serial-interrupter-as-a-boss-how-did-it-affect-your-performance/707702.md?page=1)