There’s No Accounting For The Stupidity Of Some Bosses

I’m planning the next month of deliverables for a small three-man development team with the boss.

Me: “Here’s my timeline proposal. It contains around 20% padding to account for other day-to-day tasks and to protect against unplanned distractions we can anticipate — bug fixes, etc.”

Boss: “What? I’m not paying you to sit around. Remove the padding from the plan.”

Me: “We can’t remove it. In a typical week, the team spends approximately 20% of their time on other urgent tasks that come in. It’s a realistic plan.”

Boss: “I know how to run a business. The team is just lazy and will find a way to fit it in if they have to.”

Me: “I assure you, no one is lazy. Every member of the team works hard.”

Boss: “Just remove it.”

Fast forward two weeks. I inform the boss that we’re currently two days behind schedule due to other priority/unplanned work coming in.

Boss: “Why are you so bad at time management? The plan should have accounted for possible distractions.”

Me: “…”