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Weekly UpdatesGRINGO Lim, 45, was a high flyer in Quintez Information Technology Inc, a software company. As Asian sales director, he managed to double his sales for the past two years.
He has a reliable personal assistant, Bonita Wee, 35. She had been working for him for the past three years. Her colleagues admired her patience as Gringo's past three personal assistants only lasted for less than three months each since Gringo was a very difficult boss.
When Bonita received news that her grandfather had passed away and the funeral would be held in his home in Johore Baru the following day, she was sure she had to attend as her grandfather had taken care of her education when she was young. But she dreaded to get Gringo's approval of her leave. To him, going on leave was not an entitlement, it was a privilege and he often discouraged staff from taking leave for whatever reason.
When she handed him the leave application for two days off, he asked in a loud voice: "Do you really have to go? Johore is not a safe place, besides this is our rush period and I have many things for you to settle."
"I love my grandfather very much and this is the last time I can see him before he's buried. It's important that I go," she said.
"Your work is more important. I don't think I can approve your leave," said Gringo firmly. Bonita left the room with tears in her eyes. Her colleague, Liz Ong, saw what happened and advised Bonita to get a medical certificate to cover the days when she is away since her boss is so unreasonable.
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"What if he fires me in anger?" she asked.
"Don't worry," said Liz, "You can't be fired if your MC is from a genuine medical practitioner."
When Bonita returned to work after two days, Gringo was furious. He said: "You went to Johore on the pretext of being sick?"
"I was really sick," said Bonita softly.
"This time I let you go. The next time you try the same trick I will fire you immediately. In future, I will tell HR to recognise only certificates from our panel of doctors in your case," warned Gringo.
This was not the first time that Gringo had threatened to fire her. He was indeed a boss from hell. If he missed a flight, he would scream at her for not reminding him to leave the office early. If a customer did not turn up for an appointment, he would blame her for messing up his appointments. He had never praised her for her support but would criticise every mistake she made. If he lost a tender to the competition, he would blame her for typing the wrong specifications.
Bonita had gone out of her way to please Gringo even to the extent of running errands for his wife and children but he did not show his appreciation. She noticed that Gringo had a secret life. He was greatly attracted to a flight stewardess, Anita Gomez, he made friends with on his business trips. He fired one of his sales managers for being disrespectful and conveniently hired Anita to fill the position although she has little IT background. The staff noticed that he made frequent business trips with her and they joked that her IT knowledge referred to "intimate techniques".
Very Stressed
Whenever she was stressed by Gringo, Bonita would pour out her sorrows to Liz. "Why don't you record his faults and hit back at him?" asked Liz.
"I don't have the heart to hurt him," said Bonita. "I would quit if I can find another job but I have applied for several and was rejected. If things get any worse, I'm prepared to quit and wait till I get another job."
"Yes, it may be better for you because at this rate you may have a mental breakdown," said Liz.
"The good news is that after my grandfather's death, he left me $20,000 in his will," said Bonita. "At least I have some savings to tide me over if I'm unemployed. I could even use the money for part-time studies."
Liz suggested that she tender her resignation. Since Gringo depended on her so much, he may have to retain her services and give her an increment as well.
Bonita thought carefully about her next move and the next day she walked into Gringo's office and handed him the resignation letter. Gringo was shocked that she chose to leave. He said: "Haven't I been a good boss? How can you desert me just like that? It takes time to hire a replacement and to train her."
"I've thought over carefully before writing the letter," said Bonita. "I cannot continue to be stressed by you and also you lead a secret life which your wife is not aware of. She has asked me about you movements several times but I have not told her everything."
Gringo looked at her worriedly: "You're not going to squeal on me, are you?"
Bonita cut him off confidently. She had never seen him cower and she was enjoying herself. She said: "If you want to retain my services you have to sign a document agreeing to my four conditions. Nothing more and nothing less."
"What are the conditions? You are demanding some things from me because you know that we have four important tenders this month and I need your assistance. All right, show me the conditions and I will see if I can put my signature to the document," said Gringo with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Thank you, boss," said Bonita happily as she left the room.
Questions to Ponder:
a) From the facts of the case, can you suggest other ways that Bonita could make Gringo a better boss?
b) Since Gringo has agreed to look at the conditions favourably, what are the four conditions Bonita should put on paper?
c) If Gringo disagrees with the conditions, what should be Bonita's next move?
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