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Archives - How Do I Handle Being Caught in the Crossfire Between
Two Bosses?
Q: I work for a
family-owned business with just 4 people: the father-and-son owners, an Office Manager,
and myself. Last year, I saved the company over $21,000. In gratitude, the father gave me
$1,000 as a bonus. When his son found out, he was very upset that he hasn't been
consulted. Instead of being angry with his father, the son confronted me. He said
that I was a "lowlife" for accepting the money and demanded that I give it back!
I refused. Then the Office Manager confided to me that the son's wife told her
that she and her husband" decided" that either if I don't reimburse the company
$100 per week until the $1,000 is paid back, they will fire me! I can't believe that I'm
in this position at all, let alone because the bosses are feuding. Could this be grounds
for firing me? My husband got seriously hurt on his job recently and I can't
afford any trouble. What should I do?
A: When you work for a small, family owned and operated business, no matter
how good you are as an employee, you're still an outsider. If there's dissension, you,
the employee, will get stuck in the crossfire! In this case, you work in such a small
office that there's no easy way for you to appeal to a more impartial person. You are
stuck in the middle of a classic power struggle between father and son.
You say that you've been a good
employee. You worked hard and accepted the bonus because you felt you earned it. That
should be the end of the matter as far as you are concerned. If you have had a good
relationship with both bosses and neither have expressed dissatisfaction, there is no
reason to terminate you. The son cannot fire you just because he wasn't consulted on a
decision made by his father in which you were the beneficiary!
Now...to the matter of the
Office Manager..... What would be her motivation for getting in the middle of this awkward
situation? How can you be sure that she's telling you is the truth? At best, she's a
well-meaning gossip who has broken a confidence. She's also given you second-hand
information which is not necessarily reliable. At worst, she's stirring up trouble, and
may have even misunderstood what she heard in the first place!
If you really want to resolve
this issue and get a vote of confidence from your bosses, request a meeting with both
father and son. Assure them that you respect them both, but point out that working for two
bosses can sometimes be challenging for an employee. In this case, the "tension"
caused by the bonus situation is making you very uncomfortable. Ask them how you can work
with them to solve the problem. Remind them that you've been a loyal employee. You've
worked hard and saved the company money. You accepted the bonus because you believed they
were both behind the decision and that you had legitimately earned it! This is
also a good time to get any concerns about your performance out in the open, and to
highlight all the good things you continue to do to improve the company's bottom line. If
you feel that things are going well, ask for a vote of confidence from both bosses.
It's unfortunate that you have
to suffer because two bosses can't agree but you also need job security right now. Even if
you resolve this situation, there are likely to be others in which you play a part. If
you're uncomfortable and worried about the future, your best course of action is to start
job hunting now.
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