The Empire Snipes Back

Management has been known to take its lumps here at workingstiffed, and I ain't talking about coffee. So in the interest of equal time and fair play, we are publishing the following response, which I'm sure you will find both timely and thoughtful:

Dear Malcontent Jackass,

I am a mid-level manager who has read your blog. I must say, I haven't laughed so heartily since my eighth-grade Biology teacher delivered a lecture on the mating habits of the woodpecker.

Do you think it's easy supervising people? Do you think it's a pleasurable experience?

One of my employees enjoys watching reruns of "Project Runway" on her iPod and remarking aloud on the possibility of "turning around" someone named Tim. When I asked her to refrain from doing this during work hours ... or at least in the middle of client meetings ... her co-workers anointed her the new Norma Rae. When I drew the line on wearing beer helmets on Casual Friday, my charges prepared to storm the Bastille.

And don't imagine for a minute that I am immune from the torment of my managers. Crap flows up as well as down, and I am trapped halfway up Crap Hill.

Try walking a mile in my Florsheims, smart guy. You'll be laughing out of the other side of your cubicle.

In closing, it is my sincere hope that you publish this rebuttal so that your untold dozens of fans can get the other side of the story. Managers are neither the pint-sized tyrants nor the grotesque villains you make them out to be.

I have attached a current photo of myself. Feel free to use it.

The Emperor will not be pleased with these budget numbers