The Highway Forums General Discussion ExCharisma Need Wisdom Concerning Charismatic Boss

I have a problem that is associated with my work and my supervisor.
I take pride in my job (school custodian), which I have been doing off and on now for over 16 years. I have even taken courses so that I can improve my skills.
I took the job I am now employed at now last February, mainly because it was working in a Christian school.
While I am enjoying the work and most of the teachers, and have even been told by them that I am doing a good job.
I am not getting along with my supervisor, despite my trying to do so. His main complaint is that I don't do the job by "industry standard". He is very rigid on this matter, but from the courses I took, this so called "industry standard", is not meant to be a hard and fast rule, but something to base the job on. Every job site is different and therefore that should be taken into account.
If I was to do my job (custodian) by using the industry standard, it would create an inconvenience not only to me, but the teachers I work around. But that doesn't seem to matter to my boss, because he is very rigid. He has stated that teachers work on our time, not the other way around.
An example of what I am talking about is washing floors while teachers are in rooms; it just is not a smart thing to do. Another example would be lugging all my supplies around with me, rather than just doing one task at a time.

My supervisor is a Charismatic who has told me on a number of occasions of visions and dreams that God has given him that have been fulfilled.
But the other day, he told me out of disappointment of me and another custodian. That God had given him a dream of four plow horses, meaning him and the other custodian that was hired years ago leading the two other plow horses, me and the other custodian. They all worked in a manner that supported each other and did a very good job as a team.
It was quite clear that when he told me that, that he believed I wasn't being part of the dream that he was given.
The ironic thing about all this however is that the other three members of the so called plow horses, are in disagreement to what he believes is the industry standard and have told him. But he has the full support of the big boss because that is what he was hired for.

I have recently tried to bend to try to please him, but I can't bend all the way. I like my job, but it is starting to be frustrating. He has even told me that he is losing sleep over this issue and it is also causing friction between him and his wife.

The reason I am sharing all this is on this board is because I think it might have something to do with his so called "dream" that was given by God.
I also believe that deep down he no longer wants me working at with at the School.

Any wisdom that anyone would like to give would be appreciated.

Thanks
Tom

Ugh! Using a "vision from God" is apparently his way of saying, "see, even God agrees with me because He gave me that dream showing you as a non-team player."

What it sounds like y'all need (and what you perhaps could request) is a written "industry standard" for this particular school. Do you really want us to wash the floors while class is in session? Am I really supposed to interrupt classes in session to empty the trash or change a light bulb? These kind of questions - to my mind at least - should be addressed in any written "industry standard" for school janitors. That written standard then becomes the one you are judged by, instead of the subjective and manipulative "dreams and visions" of some manipulative jerk.

Sounds as is his position is a lot less rooted in the canon of Scripture and a lot more a disingenuous mix of jealousy and insecurity. The mere fact that he implied this friction with you to be a factor in his marital discord speaks volumes.There would have been absolutely no need for him to have played that card had his position with you been a genuine fruit of a Divine revelation.

Know that you are merely a convenient conduit, not a source, of whatever his issue may be. In cases like this sounds,the WORD does not invite us to walk away...it flat out tells us to.
Proverbs 14:7 Proverbs 23:9 Matthew 7:6

Perhaps the time is nigh to either seek other employment or the counsel of your boss's boss; as you are under neither a contractual nor moral obligation to endure abuse,intimidation or disrespect.

Robin has suggested the both smart and legal method of solving your problem. Ask to get down in a written statement what you are obliged to do according to the "industry standard" then follow it to the "t" Also write down when and what he said to you regarding this "vision" if you are let go because of this you may have a reason to seek redress because of it. As a supervisor myself I know that work isn't where you make decisions based upon so called visions. You base it upon the written standards of the job. If he continues on with these "visions" speak to his supervisor and if you find no help there take it to a government body.

Robin

I think what you said makes a lot of sense. But I think I may have miscommunicated a bit. I did not mean that he is asking me to wash floors etc. while classes are in session. What I meant was that often teachers and others are still in their classrooms after 3PM and therefore it is not convenient to do things like wash the floors until later in the evening.
What you have suggested is an option that I plan on doing a little further down the road. But in the mean time, I am doing exactly what he asked me to do, in the hope that it gets teachers to complain about it. That way, he will see for himself that the so called industry standard shouldn't be used as a hard and fast rule.
Last night I actually did it this way, but it was one of the rare nights where teachers were not in their rooms, so it wasn't a good indication of how this method works.
Please note however that I have used this method in the past and found it to be an inconvenience.
Last night, my biggest inconvenience was taking my vacuum pack on and off after cleaning each room. But I don’t believe that would deter his thoughts on the matter.
I am hoping that he sees that I have respect for him as my supervisor and my concerns about his methods don’t have anything to do with him personally.
If this works (which I have a feeling will not), then I avoid the repercussions of what taking further steps lead to.

Tom

Our union used to employ a tactic called "malicious obedience:"

You ask the boss exactly what he wants done. You put his description to writing if need be and get him to agree that the written description is accurate.

Then you do only what you are explictly told to and absolutely nothing else.

It doesn't take long before problems start showing up...

"Oh, gee, is there a problem Sir? Isn't this exactly what you wanted done? What's the problem then?"

It was effective 100% of the time.

But it's hard to keep your heart and servant attitude as a believer using that tactic... <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/evilgrin.gif" alt="" />

Exactly! But it sure is tempting. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/giggle.gif" alt="" />

Tom

Thought I would let you know that one of the teachers told me today that he sent an e-mail to my supervisor complaining about how the way I am now doing his room is inconvenient to him.
This is exactly what I was hoping would happen.
It will be interesting to see his response.

Tom