Confessions of a bad boss

In his latest column, Scott Smith recalls a period during the 1980s in which he behaved like a workplace bully and was, as he describes himself, ”an arrogant, self-centered, immature jerk.”  Smith, who is the Lifestyle Editor at Colorado’s The Pueblo Chieftain newspaper, has publicly admitted being a bad boss in order to thank a close friend and colleague who gave Smith a “verbal wake-up call” and helped him acknowledge his abusive behavior.

Smith, writing in the third person, describes one of his workplace tirades:

“He whined about decisions that he deemed incorrect or flat-out stupid. He was intolerant of others’ deficiencies, be they real or imagined. He second-guessed his boss, but never to his face. He was sure he could do everyone’s job better than they could. He spewed venom and perfected the nuances of passive-aggressive behavior. He created chaos where none was needed. One day, he was pontificating to a co-worker about everything that was wrong in the department, the newsroom and the newspaper in general. His words were vitriolic, his attitude predictably self-righteous.”

We commend Smith for the courage that he has exhibited in publicly acknowledging that he is a recovering workplace bully who is now trying to be a better person by “focusing more on building than on destroying.  More kindness and compassion, tolerance and forgiveness, empathy and love.”

Click here to read Smith’s entire column.
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Napoli’s Restaurant sued by EEOC for sexual harassment

The EEOC has filed a sex discrimination lawsuit against Napoli’s Italian Restaurant, based in Maryville, Missouri, after restaurant managers allegedly subjected several female employees, including a 17 year old, to lewd comments, sexual propositions, and inappropriate touching.

EEOC Senior Trial Attorney Andrea Baran said, “We received the charge of discrimination from a young woman who worked there and who claimed that she and other young female employees were subjected to sexual harassment.”

Bujar Rexha, the owner of Napoli’s Italian Restaurant, denied the sexual harassment charges.

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Woman who filed sexual harassment lawsuit killed in house fire

Bianca Wisniewski Kuros, 44, was killed on Saturday when a fire engulfed her Queens, NY apartment, just two days before the first court hearing in her $20 million sexual harassment lawsuit.  One of Kuros’ two teenage daughters and two men in their 50s were critically injured in the fire, according to fire department officials.

Kuros’ attorney said that her sexual harassment lawsuit, which was filed in July against JPMorgan Chase, Total Safety Consulting, and a male coworker will continue despite her death.

The lawsuit alleges that Kuros was sexually propositioned, groped, and subjected to lewd comments by Steve Greco, an elevator engineer, on a Park Avenue construction site owned by JPMorgan Chase.

Kuros was then replaced as safety inspector in November 2007 after she complained to supervisors about Greco’s harassment and her hostile work environment.

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Kansas congressional candidate sued for creating hostile work environment

Ann Rollins Johnson, the former director of the Salina Housing Authority in Kansas, filed a lawsuit against congressional candidate Alan Jilka for allegedly making sexual advances towards Johnson and then trying to get her fired for refusing Jilka’s sexual advances. 

Congressional Candidate Alan Jilka

The federal lawsuit, filed on October 13, alleges that Jilka subjected Johnson to “severe, pervasive and ongoing sexual harassment by and through a hostile work environment based on her sex or gender because she would not become involved romantically” with Jilka.

Alan Jilka is a former Salina mayor and city commissioner who is seeking the Democratic nomination for the Kansas congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Jerry Moran.

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Florida Keys Community College President Ousted from Job

Last month, eBossWatch reported that Florida Keys Community College President Jill Landesberg-Boyle was under investigation for having allegedly created a hostile workplace.

At a special Florida Keys Community College Board of Trustees meeting held last Monday, Landesberg-Boyle announced that she would no longer fight to keep her job.  She will take immediate leave until her contract expires in June 15, 2010, and she will keep her $157,000 annual salary and benefits, which includes a $3,000 monthly housing allowance.

There had been much speculation leading up to the Board of Trustees meeting that the trustees would fire Jill Landesberg-Boyle for what many college employees described as workplace bullying, her hostile management style, and their fears of retaliation if she remained in her position.

Source: Miami Herald

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Bully Boss Fired for Obscene Remarks

The managing director of the New York Palace Hotel, one of the most luxurious hotels in New York, was fired for obscenely ordering a Catholic employee to clean the ashes from his forehead that he had received during an Ash Wednesday service.

Niklaus Leuenberger told the hotel’s bell captain to “Wipe that f—–g s–t off your face.”  Ironically, the Palace Hotel happens to be located across the street from St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and the hotel leases its land from the Catholic Church.

Christopher Cowdray, the CEO of the Dorchester Collection, flew to New York to personally fire Leuenberger.  The company said, “We take the well-being of our employees extremely seriously and that is why our CEO, Mr. Cowdray, went to New York in person to deal with this matter.”

Source: NY Dailly News
 
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