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Chip on my shoulder
I am from a European country and have an American manager whom I unfortunately don't get along with. There are a lot of reasons for this, but one is that he says really bizarre things to me. Recently he told me, 'I've noticed, you seem to often have a chip on your shoulder. I looked at him in bewilderment and told him when? He couldn't answer, so the subject was quickly dropped.
Does he in all seriousness think that I go around the office with a Dorrito on my shoulder????? I am wondering to be honest if my Manager might have a mental health issue - I mean, why would he say such a stupid thing
My question is, if you are concerned about a superiors mental health, is there somewhere in Belgium(eg. a Union, or governmental agency) that you could raise this concern with?
This is not a one off, also once he told me, You are too big for you boots. I mean, come on? I do not wear boots to the office.....
It does sound like this question could be a joke, but if it isn't then it demonstrates a serious problem on B's part in regards to a language barrier.
Agree with Mark, CC_R and Socrate. If you go to HR or to his superior your English competency could be questioned. Plus, accusing someone of being mental/crazy is serious when clearly in this case he is not. He may be unkind, but that's not mental. In my opinion it's best to have witnesses and/or serious documentation in these cases before you go to HR or to his superior. Say you do go and report him and his superior or HR uses some English expression or term you don't understand then what? I am assuming you are working for an English-speaking company? I say don't sweat this and let this one slide and work on improving your command of English.
J: A manager telling someone they often seem to have a chip on their shoulder is not a threat. If this the person is often acting "like they have a chip on their shoulder" that is a proper concern of a manager and a completely appropriate observation since such aggressive behavior could impinge on the office atmosphere and interactions. Likewise, telling someone they are too big for their boots maybe a little strong but it is not a threat.
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