Is boss-napping my manager too extreme?

Dear Aunty B,

I’ve been getting increasingly frustrated with the management in my workplace. For the past 12 months there have been news reports speculating about the future of the company I work for and yet none of the employees have been informed of what’s going on.

There is a growing restlessness amongst the staff as we increasingly feel our job security is in jeopardy.

I love working here and I don’t want to lose my job. I also don’t think it will be easy to find another one, so at this rate I’ll end up adding to the growing unemployment percentage.

As management have failed to consult with us and have dodged the questions we’ve raised, I think we need to take action. I’ve read the recent articles on boss-napping and I think that might be too extreme. However, I am starting to think something drastic needs to be done to have our voices heard. We want some answers.

What’s the harm in keeping our managers in a conference room until they tell us the truth? What do you think we should do?

Sincerely,

Future-unemployed

Dear Future-unemployed,

We’ve all felt like “boss-napping” our managers at one point or another in our working careers, but I strongly recommend you don’t act on these feelings. Your gut is right, it’s definitely too extreme, not to mention against the law. It must be frustrating your managers are terrible communicators, but you need to be sensible or else you’ll end up in a worse position than you are now.

The first thing to do is to try having a one-on-one conversation with your boss about the situation. It sounds like the situation is affecting more than just you, so another option would be to get a group of employees together and organise a meeting with one of your managers.

In a group situation, your manager might feel more compelled to tell you the truth and less able to dodge questions. If your workplace has a union, a union representative may be helpful here. Be polite, but make it known that you want answers and you’re feeling disgruntled.

If you end up in a situation where you’re dismissed and you’re not paid your owed entitlements, speak to the Fair Work Ombudsman. It won’t happen overnight, but the FWO will investigate your claim and, if it discovers any wrongdoing, it will take action to ensure you’re appropriately back paid and compensated.

Whatever you do, step away from the masking tape and handcuffs. 

Be smart,

Aunty B