Dear Christine,
HOW WOULD you deal with the following scenario? I’d like to read your answer.
If you have a boss who constantly flaunts his money, what impression would you get?
My boss makes a lot of money and he enjoys rubbing it in my face. He never fails to tell me how much he pays for purchases – from cars to clothing, even to how much he paid for his mother’s funeral. He literally approaches my desk with his cheque book open and points out the amount.
This man spends more on clothes in a month than I earn in a year. He takes his cash out of his pocket and counts it in front of me. I feel like he’s waiting for some kind of reaction from me, but I don’t give in.
Can you think of a way for me to stop him in his tracks when he starts regaling me with his next shopping spree? By the way, I am a female. – W.L.
Dear W.L.,
I hope this is not a scenario that you face so frequently that you’d love to run when you see your boss approaching your desk.
In my opinion, he comes across as arrogant, proud, self-centred, egotistical, heartless, inhumane . . . and I can go on.
Why would a boss of any sort do that to an employee who obviously has no interest in what he makes or what he does with his money?
I am not sure if he is hoping to impress. In any case, since you have not mentioned that he made sexual advances to you, it would seem that he is just both plain [stupid] and ignorant.
You can tell him next time he comes around or shows you his cheque book that what he makes and does with his cash is his business – not yours and you’d rather not know.
If this seems too harsh a response, you should perhaps have a sit down meeting with him and ask him for an increase in salary.
I can bet you that if you are as persistent as he is, he’ll stop this stupid behaviour.
– CHRISTINE
