I worked for Scripps Networks (Food Network, DIY, HGTV, Fine Living) in 1999 and 2000. I have always been the aggressive type when it comes to my job. I go above and beyond the call of duty, and usually it’s very well received. My boss at Scripps, however, considered me to be a threat. Maybe she thought I was trying to take her job or something, but believe me, I didn’t want it! Anyway, I was well aware of Boss Lady’s discontent with me. She made no attempts to hide it. She’d beam to upper management about how great of a job I was doing (which was the truth!), and then she’d turn around and come down on me with an iron fist! What the hell?
I have always had a sharp eye, and when I notice mistakes, they are corrected - regardless of who made them. This did not fly with Boss Lady. As I said, she considered me to be a threat. One day, I was called into her office. I was then shown a copy of my job description, and told, “This is your job description. You are to do nothing more, nothing less. Anything outside of these boundaries is grounds for termination.” It was a short conversation. I didn’t say anything. Just nodded and left her office. My assertiveness has always been viewed as a good thing, and I have been rewarded for it with promotions and pay increases everywhere else I have worked. How could someone so valued in every other company be so looked down upon at Scripps? I was hurt. I was pissed. I was determined to make that bitch pay!
When I got back to my office, I immediately got on the phone with my headhunter, Walt. I told him that I wanted out of that place as soon as possible. He promised to find me a good job, and he did. A couple of months later I was working for the company I presently work for. You should have seen the Boss Lady and the Boss Lady’s Boss Lady. When I turned in my notice, they looked shocked. Then they told me, “But you’re such a promising employee. You do a great job, and you have a lot of potential with this company. We hate to see you leave.” Yeah right, bitches! I just smiled and explained that I had accepted a much more suitable role for me. It would allow me to use my own discretion, and I’d have a big, fat pay raise to boot!
Every time I think of that job at Scripps, I get pissed. All in all, it’s a great company to work for. Just don’t ever take a job in the Accounting department!
