Should I stay or should I go?

September 29, 2007 7:05 AM

Can you serve 2 bosses even if you don’t respect one?

I have 2 bosses, Boss A I have worked with for about 6 years and was brought along into his new company when our previous mutual employer went bankrupt 4 years ago. Boss B is at the end of his working life, looking to retire in a few years. Over the past year or so, I have lost a lot of respect for boss A, and my contempt is beginning to show, I would leave but I really enjoy working here plus I really like working for Boss B, Boss A want to meet with me soon, what should I say?

posted by anonymous to Work & Money (3 answers total)

your question doesn't make clear that you actually serve two bosses. if boss a "wants to meet with you soon" it suggests that he is not, in fact, the manager you report to, otherwise he'd be meeting with you on a regular basis.

generally, it is indeed possible to serve two bosses, although it helps if their directions don't conflict. i see people serving god and mammon at the same time every day. bottom line, if you like the job and it pays enough, stay there and when you meet with boss a, tell him that you report to boss b. use all your corporate intrigue talents to ensure you don't end up on boss a's team.
posted by bruce at 7:37 AM on September 29, 2007

If you get along with Bossman B and Bossman A is sticking around after Bossman Be retires shortly, find a new job. You will be reporting to Bossman A only soon. That would suck if you don't respect him. Dust off the resume.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:07 AM on September 29, 2007

your question is a little confusing, but i think i get it. you report to both A and B, and A wants to talk to you about your visible contempt (or something else, but this will probably get brought up).

yes, you can work for a boss you don't respect, people do it all the time. but it depends on why you don't respect him. is it a really serious issue? is he dealing drugs to your coworkers? embezzling? have loose morals when it comes to business dealings? will whatever he's doing reflect badly on you at any point?

i don't know. i think we need a bit more info to help answer your question in a productive way.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 11:00 AM on September 29, 2007