Boss Has Reached Your Tea-Total

(The company owner is a man well-known for only hiring young women to work for him, and he openly brags that he wants all of his employees to be scared of him. We have hired a new intern who is very good at her job, but she’s quite a confident girl and isn’t visibly cowed by him, so he goes out of his way to make her life difficult. This whole communication is via email.)

Boss: *to Intern* “I have decided that since you are not integrating into the company very well, you need to make everyone in the office tea once a day. I would like you to do this at precisely 3:45 everyday, without fail.”

(We are all a bit taken aback by this request, as there are 21 people in the office, and generally we all make our own tea when we feel like it. We all help her out by giving her a heads up when 3:45 comes round, and she is expected to drop whatever she is doing, no matter how important, and make 21 cups of tea, even if we don’t want one. One day, the boss is in an afternoon meeting.)

Boss: *at 3:50* “Would you care to explain why I did not receive my cup of tea at 3:45 as instructed?”

Intern: “I am very sorry, but I was told you were in a meeting which was not to be disturbed under any conditions. Next time, I will bring your tea in.”

(The next day, the boss is in another meeting. The intern knocks, and asks if any of the clients would like a drink and also brings the boss his tea as instructed.)

Boss: “I am extremely unimpressed by your behaviour this afternoon. I don’t expect to have important meetings interrupted by a junior member of staff for non-emergency matters.”

(Both she and I were fired within the month, and couldn’t be more glad!)