Last Thursday I descended downtown (driving through a storm or two) to attend the Revenge Wears Prada party and book signing with Lauren Weisberger at The W Hotel DC. I noshed on way too many Revenge Wears Prada themed mini Georgetown Cupcakes and sipped on sweet summer cocktails (I highly recommend the St. Hilaire, with St. Germaine Elderflower, champagne and a lemon peel), but it was worth every calorie. (Special shout out to BrandLinkDC for organizing another fabulous event!) Words can’t quite describe how awesome it was to meet the woman behind the best-selling book, The Devil Wears Prada. When I got to meet Ms. Weisberger in person, I couldn’t help but feel obligated to share with her my horrible boss story (I mean our lives were all but too similar… minus the book deal.) She was incredibly nice, down to earth and her response to my bad boss experience summed it up best: “Yay for getting out of there!”
To celebrate the new sequel to one of my favorite books (and movies), I’m sharing with you my horrible boss story:
My (former) horrible boss was the reason I got my dream job (at the time) at a local lifestyle magazine… and the same reason why I lost it. She hired me as an editorial assistant before she transitioned in to a different role at the publication. My (almost) two years there were amazing in every way (mainly because the person I ended up working for was awesome). But after my beloved boss left the magazine, the horrible boss became my boss again, and made my work life a living hell for a month. She upped my deadlines and sent me threatening emails on a regular basis (the worst thing a horrible boss could do is make you look like a horrible employee in writing). I knew she was setting me up to fail but I had no idea I was setting myself up to get laid off. I used to get this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach every morning because I dreaded going to work, unsure what she was going to belittle me about this time. She was a bully. She had me pitching story ideas for the next issue the day before I was let go… all of which she had nixed. Over the course of the next two issues, I saw those same story ideas I pitched, sprinkled across the pages of the magazine. It wasn’t until she caught me off guard one afternoon, asked if I “had a second,” lured me in to her office, and had HR on hold before she told me that she was terminating my position without any explanation. She walked me back to my office and stood over my desk as I packed up my belongings, making sure I wouldn’t take anything (as if I wanted the office stapler or something!). At the time, I had an entire old filing cabinet-turned-beauty closet filled with my most prized makeup possessions. And your damn right I took my sweet ass time as I emptied it out and boxed that stuff up.
Little does she know, the best thing a former employee can do is write about their horrible boss on the web. This is what I call, internet karma.
Leave a comment below and tell me your horrible boss (or co-worker) story and you’ll be automatically entered to win a signed copy of Lauren Weisberger’s new novel, Revenge Wears Prada!
Contest rules: This giveaway is only open to U.S. residents. Winner will be announced on Friday, June 21st.
That sounds awful! I can’t say I’ve experienced anything as bad as this, but my old boss would say really inappropriate things to some of the women in the office and unfortunately I was at the receiving end of some of his comments. Made for an uncomfortable work environment to say the least. You’re so luck you got to meet her – she looks so nice! (and you’re kick-ass for braving that storm!)
That’s crazy! Thank goodness you got out of that work environment!
My last straw with my former employer was when my boss questioned if my “incompetency” was due to using illegal drugs. After this unwarrantable accusation, I was then reprimanded for not sharing said drugs with everyone else in the office. Cheers to following your dreams and new opportunities!
haha that’s insane! I don’t know what I would’ve said if anyone had accused me of that. Thanks so much for reading! Cheers to us on to bigger and better things!
My old boss would guilt me into staying late basically making me feel like i would be fired if i didn’t put in the extra work time because she didn’t get to the office on time, so I should be there on time and then stay until she decided to leave which was typically at LEAST an hour after my scheduled time to leave. She would scream from her office for me and ask completely INAPPROPRIATE tasks of me, like getting her Black and White cookies from the Bakery across the street in the middle of the day. My title was NOT assistant either, I feel I should point that out!
That’s ridiculous! I couldn’t imagine dealing with someone like that. Thanks for sharing!
I don’t have a horrible boss story (I’m sure my time will come), but I just had to say, I know I also ate way to many of those cupcakes, they were so delish!! xo
haha good to know I wasn’t the only one!! It was a great event!
What an incredible giveaway!
My horrible boss experience did not end as unpleasantly as yours, but it did not make it any less horrible. I was working full-time while going to college full-time, and was working for a woman who was from the area. She was hired back in the 1980s when you were not obligated to have a degree in her field, and she had a position I would ideally want some day. She only let me do the bare minimum of what my job description told me I would be doing, which I guess some people love but it drove me nuts! She never socialized with anyone during lunch breaks or outside of work, and I ended up becoming quite close with many of our superiors just through having so much in common. She apparently hated me for going out for happy hour with them after work, and us getting chinese, etc., together for lunch breaks. Over the course of three years it got to be incredibly stressful and trying for me to be always begging her to give me assignments that she would hold at arms length. I eventually got over her not encouraging me, had the superiors write me amazing recommendations, and now I have her job in a much-higher-paying environment! I guess it just shows if you really want something you don’t let anything keep you from it.
Your story is great! I think any bad office experience makes us stronger and more hard working in the end. Thanks so much for reading!
I had a coworker who somehow was on my same level but did nothing in the office! I played babysitter a lot just so my manager would think we were doing fine. But really, I had to manage her… so frustrating!
That’s so frustrating! That makes you an even better employee for putting it up with it and not throwing her under the bus! Thanks so much for sharing your story!
My first position out of college was at a PR Agency in Miami where the President was notoriously rude. I should have listened but I really wanted to get started. After a few days there she started yelling down the hall after me that I hadn’t made the copies fast enough. Later on she was sued for using people named Hilton, Marriott and Sheraton in an ad asking “Where do you think Mr and Mrs. Marriott stay while on vacation?” etc. (it was an ad for another brand hotel). Needless to say the agency went under. I’m still friends with my co-worker to this day as we bonded over the fury. I’m sure this book will be a great read. Thanks for hosting the give-away.
Thanks so much for reading! And on to bigger and better companies 🙂
My first position out of college was at a PR Agency in Miami where the President was notoriously rude. I was warned not to take the job but I really wanted to get started on my career. In the first week, she started yelling down the hall after me that I hadn’t made copies fast enough. After I left, she was sued for using people named Hilton, Marriott and Sheraton in ada asking “Where do you think Mr and Mrs. Marriott stay while on vacation?” etc. (ads for another brand hotel). Needless to say, the agency went under. I’m still friends with my co-worker to this day- we certainly bonded over the fury. I’m sure this book is a great read. Thanks for hosting the give-away!
My horrible boss story is shockingly similar to yours (bully, unreasonable expectations, threatening e-mails … the whole nine yeards). But, luckily enough, I was just transitioned to another department and now I don’t have to deal with her. I just feel sorry for the poor soul who took my place …
Good thing you got out of there! On to bigger and better things 🙂