Who is the Boss...Comment by David Batzofin

My boss is a real hard arse, however I continue to work for him.
”Why?” I hear you ask
It’s difficult to get away from him or leave his company because as a freelancer in the entertainment industry, my boss is actually ME!
Well not really but I do like to think so.
I have the freedom to choose the work I want to do, but the downside is that I am on my bank managers speed dial list.
When “private number” appears on my cell phone, I let it go to voice mail.
Any voice mail message that contains the line “Please will you contact Mrs.X” usually means that money needs to change hands.
I have learned that ProNutro is not specifically a breakfast food and peanut butter contains several of the major food groups and when all else fails cold pizza makes a great breakfast.
As a freelancer I have worked with international celebrities and I have travelled both locally and internationally while doing work that I enjoy, and get paid for.
There has been the odd occasion when I have worked for companies that have balked at paying me after an event or taken it has taken me weeks or months to get paid.
But the real reason behind my “rant” is companies who manage by fear, especially in today’s uncertain economic climate.
I did the “ corporate” thing before I went into the entertainment industry and wore a suit and tie to work every day. (One day I will find the person who invented the tie and I will join the queue of men who want to kill him, or perhaps it was her?)
I have worked for C.E.O’s who have great management skills and who are able to motivate their staff by praise and lead by example and then are those at the other end of the scale.
These are often middle managers that often find themselves promoted and cannot deal with the responsibility, but they don’t want to be seen as such.
In order to hid this failing they often resort to scare tactics and perhaps even intimidation.
Then there are bosses left over from the ‘previous regime’ that still believe that it is their right to rule and control by threatening their staff with warnings and final notices should targets, real or perceived not be reached.
I suppose that they still have a place in certain economic sectors, but I hope that one day they will come to realise that they will have to move with the times and eventually change their style or find themselves and their companies on the scrap heap of the past.
I believe that men have it easier than women do, as we are not prey to certain forms of harassment…unless you are Michael Douglas and your boss is Demi Moore. But how many of us are that lucky?
So I continue to work for myself, why? Because I never have to ask for leave.