I posted this as a reply to someone on another subreddit. I really wanted to get other people who have worked in corporate's take on this.
To start with I work for a very large well known corporation. Was originally an American company but they are now global. Around 16 or so years ago they merged different geographical locations, so people in one location were considered to be part of the same group as people in a different location.
This is regarding absentee managers.
I've worked in this corporation for 18 years and this year is the first time I've ever had a manager that consistently...shows up to work!
The first one was pregnant with multiples. Somehow she convinced her boss to let her "manage" while she was never here. After the babies were born she was never here either. Plus she didn't really know anyone's jobs so she sucked as a manager anyway. Had her maybe two years.
The next one was in a different location. Like four states away. He hated the office where I worked so...he just never showed up. In seven years he probably came here maybe five times. I always felt like if I ran into him at Walmart I wouldn't know him and he wouldn't know me. He never knew what was going on so he was useless anyway. Had him seven years.
The next one also had her manager wrapped around her finger. She was technically posted in my office but she was never there. She was sick, or she "had a contractor coming over" (she was re-renovating a brand new house she just bought...no idea what that was about). She would expect me to text her if I needed anything. I hardly knew her, I didn't like her and she didn't like me. Texting a manager who you hardly know and don't like just feels really awkward. I could say so much more about her. She was awful. Had her maybe four years?
This was all pre-Covid and pre-WFH. This was supposed to be a five days in the office schedule.
Then I came to the department where I work now. This was post Covid, and the business was trying to bring us back into the office. The manager I had didn't want to come back in. She had medical issues and a husband with medical issues and she was also renovating her house. After the first couple of months she was basically calling it in and was never around. Had her maybe three years.
It seems like there's a lot of that, especially these days. Managers who feel since they aren't personally producing anything, they can just basically fuck off and not work.
Is this just my unfortunate experience?
I'd love to hear if any other offices are like this or if it's just mine.