Amusing or depressing?

[Austin Prefect]

Weird, but probably not particularly unusual incident at work.

Junor guy (who’s pretty sharp) has been investigating an issue which his manager is convinced is a code bug. Junior guy has studied the code, tried to reproduce the error and concluded that the code is doing what it’s paid to and there’s probably a data issue.

Manager keeps saying ‘no it’s a bug in XYZ123’ and getting irritated. Junior guy started checking the data and manager got annoyed. Junior guy tried to explain a data issue he’d found and the manager keeps interrupting him ‘I told you not to waste time on the data’. The rest of us overhearing what junior guy is trying to say reckon he has a point.

Big boss call a meeting to see what the problem is. Junior guy tries to explain and gets repeatedly interrupted by manager. Junior guy, normally very placid especially in front on senior managers says to big boss. ‘If you want to know what’s going on we need to have a meeting without manager because he won’t let me speak’. Big boss suggests manager keep quiet. Junior guy gives a very good explanation with just one interruption from manager (big boss gives manager her dreaded Paddington bear stare and he shuts up). Within 30 seconds it’s perfectly clear there’s a data issue and exactly why.

Manager says to junior guy ‘why didn’t you tell me this before?’.

[Countdown]

The only unusual thing is the Manager’s incompetence being exposed to all and sundry. Normally they can bull fudge their way out of it.

[alscar]

Austin Prefect said:

Manager says to junior guy why didn t you tell me this before? .

I trust junior guy was by then confident enough to say " I kept trying to but you didn't want to listen " ?

[GliderRider]

alscar said:

Austin Prefect said:

Manager says to junior guy why didn t you tell me this before? .

I trust junior guy was by then confident enough to say " I kept trying to but you didn't want to listen " ?

Sounds like the Big Boss was listening to the junior guy in the meeting, so no response was required to the manager's rant and attempt at blame transference. The junior guy took heed of that line in the song, "You say it best when you say nothing at all".

[Wills2]

Standard stuff really, the manager sounds like they are one of those "never in doubt but rarely right" types and you have to try and give them an off ramp if you're managing upwards.

It's not unusual for people to disagree until the facts are known and at that point it's not unusual for people to try and continue their side of the argument.