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Hostile Environment: If you wanted to get rid of your boss, what are the best options?
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Bernd, 53 years old, asks: "I have been working in the same department of a large corporation for 34 years. Because savings are to be made, I was fired for operational reasons and offered a position at another location - more than 600 kilometers away. The dismissal for Declared ineffective. I've been on leave for almost a year, so I get my salary, but nothing to do. But I really want to go back to work. Internally, I've applied for all kinds of positions, but I believe that my boss is behind my back against works and really wants to get rid of me. He doesn't respond to my requests for a personal interview. What should I do now? "
Hello Bernd,
I understand from your description that a labor court has declared the dismissal to be ineffective.
Accordingly, your employer must not only continue to pay you, but also employ you in accordance with the contract.
If necessary, you could enforce your employment claim in court with the help of your lawyer.
In a corporation, I assume that there is also a works council that has to ensure that no one is disadvantaged when filling a position.
These and other legal issues should be discussed with your lawyer.
But there are other things to keep in mind.
After 34 years in the same department, you have probably acquired a good level of expertise.
Therefore, your primary goal should be to continue to be employed in your previous area of work, because only there will you be able to optimally contribute your experience.
If your department has been completely dissolved, the question naturally arises as to how you can apply your knowledge in other departments and functions.
You write that your previous internal applications have been unsuccessful.
This can have several reasons.
In future internal applications, ask very carefully which job requirements you really meet and how you can demonstrate this with examples.
It is imperative that you avoid giving HR managers the impression that you are applying for anything.
Then your name would be burned.
Your future boss should be able to see that you are adding real value to them.
It has to fit - and that is especially true when colleagues from other departments apply for the same positions.
You suspect your boss is working against you and desperately wants to get rid of you.
What motive would he have for that?
He might actually be happy if another area takes you on and he can then delete your position.
But paradoxically, he acts against his real interests.
What part do you have in keeping the conflict alive?
So I ask myself: What is it that upsets him so much and mobilizes so much hostile energy?
You need at least two people to have a conflict.
You have already asked for an interview and are apparently interested in a solution.
That's a good approach.
Such a personal conflict often builds up over a long period of time.
So ask yourself what part you have in keeping this conflict alive.
Approach your boss and let them see that you are interested in a constructive solution.
Perhaps you also use a trustworthy mediator who will show your boss your willingness to find a constructive solution.
If your boss does not have to expect that you will blame him seriously, but rather is looking for a solution that will do justice to both, then this can arouse his willingness to talk.
It is also conceivable that your boss is not at all interested in a solution and wants to wear you down with the leave of absence so that you give up in exasperation and ask for the termination of your employment relationship.
However, I would only recommend this to you at the moment if you had attractive prospects outside of your company.
Thanks to the corona pandemic, the situation on the labor market has turned 180 degrees and has worsened significantly for you.
In any case, after 34 years in the same department, you would be confronted with the prejudice that you had settled in your comfort zone.
That is why your applications need a convincing presentation that shows that you have repeatedly learned new things over the long term and that you have adapted flexibly to changing conditions.
When retirement is not yet an option
In your life situation, the transition to retirement is probably not yet an option.
If you still have five or more years to go before you retire, investing in your own qualifications could be very worthwhile and pay off.
Use the time off for further training and brush up on your specialist knowledge.
Up-to-date specialist knowledge also increases your employability if many routine tasks are no longer necessary in the next few years due to advancing digitization.
Further training can have a very invigorating effect and you gain quality of life in a seemingly hopeless situation.
Now I would like to invite you to look at the situation from a broader perspective.
In this way, your boss actually has the problem.
With the cost pressures in the company that you describe, he probably has to justify himself to his supervisor because he pays you without using your manpower.
So he should be very interested in a solution.
Therefore, a further step could be to address your concerns to the next management level and possibly also to involve the works council, which has to represent the interests of all employees.
Suppose you succeeded and went back to your old department.
What could you expect there?
What tasks would you take on there and who did this for you during your time off?
Would you be welcomed with open arms or would you be a foreign body there after your one year leave?
It is therefore imperative that you keep in contact with your colleagues and show interest in current developments.
In this way, you would not only be well informed on your return, but you can also look forward to good cooperation with colleagues.
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