This story comes to us courtesy of STA reader “Brett” in L.A. We would like to congratulate Brett on having quit his nightmare assistant job although, as this story teaches us, just because you’ve quit doesn’t mean your job stops ruining your life.
When I gave notice at my job, I had been there seven months to the day. I am (for the next two weeks anyways) an agent’s assistant in Beverly Hills, a living version of Lloyd from Entourage–except not Asian and my personal Ari Gold isn’t as nice. And I’ll bet that Lloyd has health insurance.
Three weeks ago he got upset because I had booked him a lunch on Good Friday, which also happened to be a half day at work. The lunch had been booked several weeks beforehand, at which point we were scheduled for a full work day. In any case, I figured if my boss didn’t want to go, we could just reschedule. I made a point of calling him before he left home to remind him so that if he wanted to go he could dress accordingly.
Unsurprisingly he flipped out, screaming at me for my stupidity for setting the lunch on Good Friday. I responded that I didn’t know it was Good Friday, because I’m not religious. He screamed, “JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!” and hung up on me. The irony wasn’t lost on anyone, except probably him.
When he got to work, he called me into his office to yell some more, in the process telling me that I didn’t do anything right and never had. If that were the case, I asked, why had he kept me around for the last six months? “BECAUSE THERE WAS NO ONE ELSE!” and if I were really that horrible at my job, why had one of the partners repeatedly asked my boss to let me switch desks and work for him? “BECAUSE THERE WAS NO ONE ELSE!” He then launched into a tirade during which he decided it important to list all of my “fatal flaws,” as he saw them. Icing the cake that was that morning with “I don’t respect you, and you have done NOTHING to deserve my respect.”
At that point I decided it was time to find employment elsewhere.
I started applying, setting up a couple interviews. This of course meant a “doctor’s appointment” here, “car trouble” there, and calling in sick once. If I had been honest I would have a) been fired or b) had him try to sabotage me. That might sound extreme, but he has done it do other assistants in the past. My final interview for the job I’m leaving for was scheduled at the last minute, so I told my boss that I had to leave early to take care of something personal.
He and I left work at the same time that day–me on my way to the interview, he on his way to some much needed therapy. While in the car I got a phone call from the HR guy. It seems my boss had called him from the road, ranting and raving about how I was lying and I was interviewing and how could I do this to him, etc etc etc. The HR guy told him he’d call and ask me if I was, but how could he really expect anything less with the way he treats his assistants. I would love to have heard my boss’ response to that one. Anyways, the HR guy suggested that I come clean the following day, and told me that my boss would probably expect me to give a month’s notice if I got the job. Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen.
The next morning I got the call and accepted the new job. I put in my two weeks notice with HR and then geared myself up to tell my boss. It actually went surprisingly smoothly. I went into his office and let him know I got a new job, but that I’d be staying two weeks to train my replacement, saying that I wanted to make sure I left him in capable hands. He just said “Okay, that’s fine.” That was that, and I went back to my desk to continue working.
Then I heard him say “Good thing, because I was going to fucking fire you anyways.”
Typical. The man is twice my age, but I seem to be leaps and bounds ahead in maturity.
Most everyone has told me that I should have just asked if he wanted me to leave then and there, but I am sure has hell not going to give him the satisfaction of the “Et tu, Brute?” moment he is so clearly craving. I’m going to stay, continue doing my best above-and-beyond-the-call-of-duty work, knowing that leaving this job smelling like roses, with the respect of the rest of the office still fully intact, is the a better fuck you than telling him off. He can get as mad as he wants, but I’m out the door and smiling.
As a fellow Hollywoodland-er, I wish you the best of luck with your new position, and am very happy that you escaped with your sanity still intact. Life is too short! Good luck out there.
As a former assistant (to a SVP of a major cable network) who managed to get out just before the ten month marker and who, too, was pretty much on the brink of being fired…Godspeed with your new job! You’ve kept your self-respect and integrity along the way which, in the long run, speaks volumes more than being able to book a lunch meeting.
Good for you. You left on your terms. What I don’t understand is why nobody backed you up when they knew you were not being treated properly. The same thing happens where I work, management does not back up the assistants at all. That is terrible!