how do you deal with a mean, petty and childish boss?

If you intend to carry on working there, that 2 persons whom your lady boss likes will be your role model!

Your boss likes people who obey (normally newly-promoted superior prefers new staff as they will be more submissive than the old timers). She has intentionally broken up your "gang" by implementing roster lunchtimes. Hence, you will have to break away from your gang, get out of your "comfort zone" and mix with the others. If your boss sees that you are behaving according to what she wants to see, she may not bother to treat you badly anymore as she thinks she has "tamed" you.

Since she is your boss, no matter how stupid her instructions are, you will have to carry out. Why bother to out-smart her? If things go wrong, she will have to face the consequences, not you! Just make sure you para-parse her instructions (in front of the others if possible) to make sure she can't blame you later on for misinterpreting her instructions and mess things up.

Good luck!

Keira,

My heart goes out to you. I worked with someone like that once. Believe it or not, she was a NUN, the head of the Catholic hospital I worked for. This nun spent her entire day belittling staff members around her for not being good enough at their jobs, and she would do so in front of anybody and everybody including patients and their families (which didn't serve ANYbody well--not the staff, the patients, the families or herself OR the hospital). This nun was just about the most un-Christian, mean-spirited, vicious person I'd ever met.

But it got to where we all just looked at Sister M.______ with humor. All her ill willl, evil words and empty threats began to just roll off of everybody. Even the patients and their families would look at her askance, realizing that she (a nun of all people) was the one who 'owned' the problem here, not any of the staff. By spewing mean words all day, Sister M.____ lost all her power.

It sounds like this is the case regarding the woman you work for.

Whatever, the good news is that you don't have to take this woman so seriously. After all she didn't fire your colleague, right? She only lashed out at her for tendering her resignation. Maybe you could even get on this woman's 'good' side by 'being a good listener' when she sounds off. It sounds like she's trying hard to be 'heard' by someone. If you listen respectfully, even when she's being irrational, you might gain some control, or power, for yourself [one can listen respectfully even when one doesn't respect the person's behavior].

Or what if you tried complimenting her? like saying, "My, you look nice today" or saying, "I think your hair looks really nice that way," or "What a lovely outfit." A retiriing Hollywood journalist once wrote, "Flattery always works." That doesn't mean lying, or being insincere--it just means looking for something good about someone.

I'll bet anything that you can turn the tide regarding this woman by catering to her needs a little bit and not taking her mean words to heart so much. I could be wrong, but--hey, what do you have to lose by trying?

At least give it a try. If it doesn't work, then you can always try something else later.

Every boss in their own way is from hell. They have to satisfy their own bosses by telling you guys what to do, and making sure it's done right, and worry about what they have to do in their own work. It takes skill to be a good manager, and unfortunately there aren't alot of good ones out there. If she interrupts you next time, politely say, "can you hear me out for one second?" I mean there are ways that you can steer your communication with her. If she jumps the gun, then let her finish her ramble, then say, "actually, (your side of the story here)." Don't stress yourself or her out by interrupting like she does.

A group of you needs to go to her supervisor or whomever has a senior position to hers. Make sure you have specific information: dates, times, exact words and witnesses.

It that doesn't help, you need to start looking for another job.

Pray for her. She needs all your prayers. She will never change if you do not ask the Lord to bless her.

That gives the Lord permission to turn things around.

But you have to keep a good attitude and wait on the Lord to do it.

Ask Him to give you His grace.

God bless,

I have done this myself and I know it works. But do not grow weary of waiting. God will handle this trust in Him to do it.

Quit. **** that *****.