# So...looks like I no longer have any bosses **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 22, 2008, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-looks-like-i-no-longer-have-any-bosses/469003 "2008-10-22T02:01:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-looks-like-i-no-longer-have-any-bosses/469003/21 "2008-10-22T19:36:56Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > No..apparently layoffs are done for my group. And you believe that? :dubious: On my last IT job in 2001, we were having monthly layoffs. Each month they’d tell us that they were done and no more layoffs were planned. Then like clockwork, a couple of weeks later we’d hit the shredder again. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-looks-like-i-no-longer-have-any-bosses/469003/22 "2008-10-22T20:12:34Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > And you believe that? :dubious: > > On my last IT job in 2001, we were having monthly layoffs. Each month they’d tell us that they were done and no more layoffs were planned. Then like clockwork, a couple of weeks later we’d hit the shredder again. It’s not a matter of what I “believe”. It’s what I have been able to put together from my best intelligence within the organization. I don’t rely on corporate announcements (not that they ever have any). We’ll see what happens. It’s not like I can do anything about it anyway. I don’t even like this job so it would be kind of a blessing…except for the no money part. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-looks-like-i-no-longer-have-any-bosses/469003/23 "2008-10-22T20:39:03Z")
I don’t think I’ve ever known anybody who actually worked for Dilbert’s company before. I know a lot of people have jobs with a lot of similarities, but the actual _company?_ Very cool, dude. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-looks-like-i-no-longer-have-any-bosses/469003/24 "2008-10-22T20:53:29Z")
Well…what can you start getting away with? Can you fart with impunity? ---
**Author:** ![PharmBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/74df32/32.png) [@PharmBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PharmBoy)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-looks-like-i-no-longer-have-any-bosses/469003/25 "2008-10-22T22:54:10Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Start looking, if you haven’t already. It probably means that they just overlooked you. And how. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-looks-like-i-no-longer-have-any-bosses/469003/26 "2008-10-23T09:24:42Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by MSSMITH537: > IM with my impudent cow of a project lead. Ugh…I wish I could fire her. If no one but you is effectively in charge, maybe you can—Who remains to tell you you cannot? Give it a shot while you’ve got the chance. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-looks-like-i-no-longer-have-any-bosses/469003/27 "2008-10-23T13:47:14Z")
> [@LouisB](#): > > If no one but you is effectively in charge, maybe you can—Who remains to tell you you cannot? Give it a shot while you’ve got the chance. Well first of all I don’t really have a reason other than I find her unpleasent. And second it doesn’t work like that. It’s a big Fortune 500 company so there’s a lot of process to get rid of someone. I can’t just be like “your fired”. Finally, just because a Director or Vice President leaves doesn’t all of a sudden promote me up the ranks. There will just be an empty spot in the org chart. They will usually hire someone from the outside which is part of the problem. If and when they hire my new boss, there will essentially be a chain of command where each manager is newer and less experienced than the person below them. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-looks-like-i-no-longer-have-any-bosses/469003/28 "2008-10-23T14:38:39Z")
You have no bosses and get paid to do nothing all day? Where is the downside? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-looks-like-i-no-longer-have-any-bosses/469003/29 "2008-10-23T17:42:49Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > \They will usually hire someone from the outside which is part of the problem. If and when they hire my new boss, there will essentially be a chain of command where each manager is newer and less experienced than the person below them. Yeah, I can’t see where that would go badly AT ALL! New job in 2009, eh? ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-looks-like-i-no-longer-have-any-bosses/469003/30 "2008-10-23T18:49:51Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > So basically, I think I’ll look for a new job in 2009. You may want to start looking now. End of the year is often the best time the higher-ups realize they have to clean up the balance sheets before the new year. And with the economy sill heading down, companies will do lots of trimming before the first of the year. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-looks-like-i-no-longer-have-any-bosses/469003/31 "2008-10-23T19:37:46Z")
Couple of years ago, my boss at the time suddenly quit – after I had been reporting to him for only a few months, and with _only_ me reporting to him. My previous boss, and our director, never _quite_ managed to suss out who I was then reporting to. For about six months. Fortunately, I know my job well enough that I pretty much work on my own. But for about six months, on our intranet org chart, I had a lonely little page to myself… reporting to no one, reported to by no one, attached no-where. Alone. Happily, because of that the automated HR systems never flagged anyone to have me fill in the (pointless) semiannual review stuff. _And_ I got an annual evaluation and raise without any review for them to consult\*. They only fixed things because my old boss was getting ready to retire, and so they had to re-assign all his reports to a new boss. In that process, they found me, all alone on my solitary org chart. And then I had a boss again. Which changed five weeks later, but, whatever. I _did_ get paid, and expense reports reimbursed (approved by… nobody, apparently). But it wasn’t over quickly. We’ll see how long the OP takes to get through his voyage through Dilbertland. - confirming my longtime suspicions of how things _really_ work. ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-looks-like-i-no-longer-have-any-bosses/469003/32 "2008-10-23T20:20:57Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Well first of all I don’t really have a reason other than I find her unpleasent. > > And second it doesn’t work like that. It’s a big Fortune 500 company so there’s a lot of process to get rid of someone. I can’t just be like “your fired”. > > Finally, just because a Director or Vice President leaves doesn’t all of a sudden promote me up the ranks. There will just be an empty spot in the org chart. They will usually hire someone from the outside which is part of the problem. If and when they hire my new boss, there will essentially be a chain of command where each manager is newer and less experienced than the person below them. Unless the heads are frozen to get some more S&B savings. If there isn’t anyone out there to report to the director or VP, there is no rush to rehire. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-looks-like-i-no-longer-have-any-bosses/469003/33 "2008-10-23T20:32:25Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > I _did_ get paid, and expense reports reimbursed (approved by… nobody, apparently). But it wasn’t over quickly. We’ll see how long the OP takes to get through his voyage through Dilbertland. Generally I just approve everything in the system myself as my own manager. Right now I’m just happy that my crazy boss’s reign of terror is over. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-looks-like-i-no-longer-have-any-bosses/469003/34 "2008-10-23T20:58:01Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Well first of all I don’t really have a reason other than I find her unpleasent. > > And second it doesn’t work like that. It’s a big Fortune 500 company so there’s a lot of process to get rid of someone. I can’t just be like “your fired”. > > Finally, just because a Director or Vice President leaves doesn’t all of a sudden promote me up the ranks. There will just be an empty spot in the org chart. They will usually hire someone from the outside which is part of the problem. If and when they hire my new boss, there will essentially be a chain of command where each manager is newer and less experienced than the person below them. Been there, done that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-looks-like-i-no-longer-have-any-bosses/469003.md?page=1)