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Sternchen · Oct 21st, 2009, 03:48 PM

Hi everyone,

I don't have anyone to talk to about my problem right now so I thought I would post here. I just have to get it off of my chest. I'm scared to go to work. I am an intern at a relatively large company here in Germany and I work in HR-Reporting. Very small department: me and my boss. My boss has been on vacation for the past week and a half and will be gone until the 2nd of November. I am completely stressed at work and I don't know what to do. I have a list of Reports that I have to do by certain days of the month. Along with that I have the other regular intern duties: get the mail, make copies, make coffee, get lunch, etc. My boss also has a list of duties that he must do before a certain day of the month. He did not complete his reports this month and last week all hell broke loose.

These reports are used to determine how long the short-work (4 day work week instead of 5 to save money) will keep going and when (if) there will be lay offs...and he didn't do these reports. I've been getting calls from Headquarters asking where these reports are and I am honest and say that my boss is on vacation and that I can't do them because I do not have the knowledge to do so. My colleagues see this issue differently than I do. One said that I have to do it because I'm the only one in the department. How in the world am I supposed to do these reports without knowing what certain numbers, words, formulas, etc etc mean??? How in the world am I supposed to do this?

I tried to do it as best as I could and I showed it to my colleagues to look over. They say they don't know what they are looking at either because they have never done this type of reporting. So basically they've got an inexperienced young woman taking on the reponsibilities of the big-boss. The stress is really getting to me and I just feel like crying when I think of going to work the next day. I sit at work and have tears in my eyes when I sit in front of my computer because I just can't do it. There is nobody in the department that can really help me.

How do I handle this situation? I have only been an intern at this company for 10 weeks and my boss has been gone for 3 and a half of them (so far...)

natalie78 · Oct 21st, 2009, 03:51 PM

I would talk to the next in line...your boss' boss. Find the person above him and explain the situation. There has to be someone else in the company who knows what your boss does and knows how complete all the paperwork.

amanda · Oct 21st, 2009, 03:57 PM

Is it possibly to contact your boss on vacation? I remember when I was an intern last year, the four other people in my office were all on vacation at the same time and I was the only one in for about a week. We got a call from a big production company to have a major tv show shoot at our location three days later and I had never taken any such call and had no idea what to do and sort of panicked. I was able to contact our head of PR while he was out of town and get the information I needed in order to schedule everything and give the producers the info that they needed, and I never would have been able to do it on my own.

If you're able to, I would call him and say that you hate to bother him while he's on vacation but that you need him to walk you through something very important. If that doesn't work, go over his head if possible.

ILuvShopping · Oct 21st, 2009, 03:58 PM

wow.... that is one crappy situation. I can't believe you're just the intern and the only person you're working with left for vacation for 3 weeks!!! i mean what was that company thinking!?!?
When does your boss get back? I would say see if there's someone higher that you can talk to (does anyone higher than your boss come down on you about things??) and just try to stay calm. If it's anyone's fault then it's your boss' for deciding to take a vacation and leave you alone. Being an intern is so you can learn stuff, not have to fend for yourself while the boss goes away and leaves you clueless.
what would happen with all this stuff if it was only your boss and he wanted to take vacation, who would take his spot then???

Sternchen · Oct 21st, 2009, 04:16 PM

Originally Posted by natalie78

I would talk to the next in line...your boss' boss. Find the person above him and explain the situation. There has to be someone else in the company who knows what your boss does and knows how complete all the paperwork.

My boss' boss is the CEO of our location so I really can't "get" to him...only to his secretary. There is another guy who is at the same level as my boss and he's the one who is telling me to do these reports. I have a very important excel document that I have to create every Thursday and last Thursday he told me he "doesn't give a shit" (well...the equivalent in german) about the document and that I need to get these other reports done first... They took so long that I didn't get to my important document until Friday afternoon. Friday morning I already had at least 20 emails in my inbox asking where the document was.

Sternchen · Oct 21st, 2009, 04:17 PM

Originally Posted by amanda

Is it possibly to contact your boss on vacation? I remember when I was an intern last year, the four other people in my office were all on vacation at the same time and I was the only one in for about a week. We got a call from a big production company to have a major tv show shoot at our location three days later and I had never taken any such call and had no idea what to do and sort of panicked. I was able to contact our head of PR while he was out of town and get the information I needed in order to schedule everything and give the producers the info that they needed, and I never would have been able to do it on my own.

If you're able to, I would call him and say that you hate to bother him while he's on vacation but that you need him to walk you through something very important. If that doesn't work, go over his head if possible.

He's on vacation in the states and turned his german cell phone off before going. He didn't leave a US Number with us. My colleagues have tried to get ahold of him too. Over his head isn't really possible because that's the CEO of our location and I can only really "get" to his secretary.

Sternchen · Oct 21st, 2009, 04:20 PM

Originally Posted by ILuvShopping

wow.... that is one crappy situation. I can't believe you're just the intern and the only person you're working with left for vacation for 3 weeks!!! i mean what was that company thinking!?!?
When does your boss get back? I would say see if there's someone higher that you can talk to (does anyone higher than your boss come down on you about things??) and just try to stay calm. If it's anyone's fault then it's your boss' for deciding to take a vacation and leave you alone. Being an intern is so you can learn stuff, not have to fend for yourself while the boss goes away and leaves you clueless.
what would happen with all this stuff if it was only your boss and he wanted to take vacation, who would take his spot then???

It is crappy! I like the routine tasks that I have and the general office-work but I honestly dislike doing these reports. IMO it's like having a Pre-Alg student go into a Calculus II class to write the final exam. The knowledge to successfuly complete the exam is just not there.

I have a hard time staying calm in these types of situations. I get very emotional but I know that I absolutely can not cry at work. This is one of the reasons why I fear talking to someone about this. I am scared that I will cry out of frustration, stress, and being swamped.

Sternchen · Oct 21st, 2009, 04:22 PM

I am there to learn more about this field of work and to apply the knowledge that I have gained so far in my 4 semesters of studies at the university. I want to learn, but I need someone that can help me. Learning-by-doing is great when you're in a controlled environment (like a lab class) but when you're dealing with real numbers, real people and real jobs it's scary as hell and just doesn't work. I need help and can't get it.

truegem · Oct 21st, 2009, 04:38 PM

Stay calm...this is no fault of your own and remember that. I know easier said than done. Is it possible for you to look at the list of what needs to be done and make a list of the reports that you will not be able to do. If you can do that and give the people a heads up before they are expecting the reports then maybe they will be more understanding and may be able to adjust their work accordingly. While it sucks to be in this situation it is also a test of how you handle the situation. Stay composed and try doing some damage control. Make sure you are sending emails and CC:ing your boss and his boss. I think it would be a lot more unfair to give them work that you know you were not trained to do and are very unsure of.

If you do opt to give the reports a try...make sure you send it in an email saying these numbers are accurate to the best of my ability. I am untrained in this area so please use caution before using these numbers in other reports or data. In other words a "consider yourself warned!!!"

Hugs to you. Hang in there. Your boss deserves a royal ass whipping!!!

juneping · Oct 21st, 2009, 04:56 PM

i wouldn't go over his head to contact the ceo....your boss might be pissed off about it. try to leave a message to your boss in the US and see it from there.
my only advice is do it one thing at a time and one after the other. when you are doing one task, pretend other didn't exist. bc if you have all these tasks in line in your head...you'll go nut.
it's very stressful but do your best....and hope your up aboves will understand. you've only been there for less than 3 months...i don't think they expect you to just pick up things in a blink.
GL!!

Roo · Oct 21st, 2009, 04:57 PM

Maybe I am out of touch with how corporations operate in Europe, but I find it extremely irresponsible (and abusive) for a person at the CEO level to leave without a way to contact him and to leave an intern in charge of something this important and time sensitive. You are being set up to fail- what you are being asked to do is beyond your level of expertise and authority. I commend you for not just walking out of there... especially after the verbal abuse you were subjected to and the fact that your boss pretty much threw you under the bus before he left on a holiday

nycfashionlvr · Oct 21st, 2009, 04:58 PM

First as hard is it may be, try to calm down! Working yourself up and stressing will get you no where. Secondly try to look at this as a learning experience. You have a HUGE , DIFFICULT task in front of you and no matter what you will come out of it having learned something. I would go to the secretary you mentioned and explain to her how important this is and that you really need to speak with him or at least have her make him aware of the situation. Despite what other people are saying I WOULD NOT fill out the reports myself because as you said you don't have the knowledge and they will most likely be incorrect so unless your bosses boss tell you to do this I would'nt. I wish you the best of luck! Tell us how this turns out.

simmmchen · Oct 21st, 2009, 05:46 PM

Oh my, Sternchen!

I am one to cry when things get overwhelming and frustrating, so I can only imagine the strength it takes you not to cry at work while you're in this impossible situation.
I know how complicated everything regarding Kurzarbeit (assuming that's what you meant by short-work?) is and I can only try to imagine how difficult it must be to write those reports. Sorry, I don't have any advice, though. You really don't have any other choice than to make someone (higher up) understand just how impossible it is for you to write those reports. Nov 2nd is still a bit away, 1.5 work weeks. It's not like you can just sit there and ignore everybody snapping at you....?

So sorry! Big

and I hope you'll find someone in the company to listen to you!

Pursegrrl · Oct 21st, 2009, 06:03 PM

Originally Posted by truegem

Stay calm...this is no fault of your own and remember that. I know easier said than done. Is it possible for you to look at the list of what needs to be done and make a list of the reports that you will not be able to do. If you can do that and give the people a heads up before they are expecting the reports then maybe they will be more understanding and may be able to adjust their work accordingly. While it sucks to be in this situation it is also a test of how you handle the situation. Stay composed and try doing some damage control. Make sure you are sending emails and CC:ing your boss and his boss. I think it would be a lot more unfair to give them work that you know you were not trained to do and are very unsure of.

If you do opt to give the reports a try...make sure you send it in an email saying these numbers are accurate to the best of my ability. I am untrained in this area so please use caution before using these numbers in other reports or data. In other words a "consider yourself warned!!!"

Hugs to you. Hang in there. Your boss deserves a royal ass whipping!!!

ITA all around. This is a "large" company but there are just two people in your department (including you), and no trained backup, reporting procedures aren't documented anywhere step by step AND your boss goes on vacation and turns off his phone?

. FAIL FAIL FAIL...un effin believable. Oh and not to mention he didn't do the reports last month? Guhhhhhhh....

Seriously, this is not your problem and you should not have to shoulder such a heavy task without any training.

Make sure you cc your boss on all correspondence, to let him know everything you were doing to get through this real-time. Document however you can. Maybe even make a separate email folder for all email related to this "mess" to keep it separate.

I can't emphasize enough how important it is to stay calm and professional while you're at work. Vent here or with your friends off the clock, scream, cry, whatever you need to do to release stress. Keep your game face on at the office!

NYCBelle · Oct 21st, 2009, 06:12 PM

oh wow! sorry sternchen! remain calm i know what its like.

this is not your job this is your boss' job and its not your job to do his work. tell who ever is telling you to do it that you can't because you don't have the data. imagine what your boss will think when he comes back and wrong data was given by you then you'll have to deal with more craziness. this is not your responsibility and you should not be getting in trouble because someone is not doing their work.

i say don't do it and let others stress about it. and let them complain all they want its not your duty to do that report.

Oct 21st, 2009, 03:48 PM	#1
Sternchen OP Proud mama of 3! Joined: May 2006 Location: Bavaria, Germany Posts: 13,954	I cry at the thought of going to work the next day... Hi everyone, I don't have anyone to talk to about my problem right now so I thought I would post here. I just have to get it off of my chest. I'm scared to go to work. I am an intern at a relatively large company here in Germany and I work in HR-Reporting. Very small department: me and my boss. My boss has been on vacation for the past week and a half and will be gone until the 2nd of November. I am completely stressed at work and I don't know what to do. I have a list of Reports that I have to do by certain days of the month. Along with that I have the other regular intern duties: get the mail, make copies, make coffee, get lunch, etc. My boss also has a list of duties that he must do before a certain day of the month. He did not complete his reports this month and last week all hell broke loose. These reports are used to determine how long the short-work (4 day work week instead of 5 to save money) will keep going and when (if) there will be lay offs...and he didn't do these reports. I've been getting calls from Headquarters asking where these reports are and I am honest and say that my boss is on vacation and that I can't do them because I do not have the knowledge to do so. My colleagues see this issue differently than I do. One said that I have to do it because I'm the only one in the department. How in the world am I supposed to do these reports without knowing what certain numbers, words, formulas, etc etc mean??? How in the world am I supposed to do this? I tried to do it as best as I could and I showed it to my colleagues to look over. They say they don't know what they are looking at either because they have never done this type of reporting. So basically they've got an inexperienced young woman taking on the reponsibilities of the big-boss. The stress is really getting to me and I just feel like crying when I think of going to work the next day. I sit at work and have tears in my eyes when I sit in front of my computer because I just can't do it. There is nobody in the department that can really help me. How do I handle this situation? I have only been an intern at this company for 10 weeks and my boss has been gone for 3 and a half of them (so far...)
	__________________ Dear Santa, I have been a very good girl this year and have worked very hard for my family, my school and my job. This year I would like to wish for only one thing: THE CUPCAKE CAR!!! Please and thank you. Love, Melanie

Oct 21st, 2009, 03:51 PM	#2
natalie78 Dave's not here Joined: May 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 1,669	I would talk to the next in line...your boss' boss. Find the person above him and explain the situation. There has to be someone else in the company who knows what your boss does and knows how complete all the paperwork.
	__________________ I consider myself a good judge of people and that's why I don't like any of them. ~Roseanne

Oct 21st, 2009, 03:57 PM	#3
amanda RIP Uga VII Joined: Oct 2005 Location: Athens, GA Posts: 11,739	Is it possibly to contact your boss on vacation? I remember when I was an intern last year, the four other people in my office were all on vacation at the same time and I was the only one in for about a week. We got a call from a big production company to have a major tv show shoot at our location three days later and I had never taken any such call and had no idea what to do and sort of panicked. I was able to contact our head of PR while he was out of town and get the information I needed in order to schedule everything and give the producers the info that they needed, and I never would have been able to do it on my own. If you're able to, I would call him and say that you hate to bother him while he's on vacation but that you need him to walk you through something very important. If that doesn't work, go over his head if possible.
	__________________ PROUD TO BE A UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA BULLDOG! Follow me on Twitter

Oct 21st, 2009, 03:58 PM	#4
ILuvShopping <3 Joined: Jun 2007 Location: Iowa Posts: 2,991	wow.... that is one crappy situation. I can't believe you're just the intern and the only person you're working with left for vacation for 3 weeks!!! i mean what was that company thinking!?!? When does your boss get back? I would say see if there's someone higher that you can talk to (does anyone higher than your boss come down on you about things??) and just try to stay calm. If it's anyone's fault then it's your boss' for deciding to take a vacation and leave you alone. Being an intern is so you can learn stuff, not have to fend for yourself while the boss goes away and leaves you clueless. what would happen with all this stuff if it was only your boss and he wanted to take vacation, who would take his spot then???
	__________________ . . Whimsy Bits..... a bit of whimsy.... Up and Running!! Check out my handmade jewelry http://whimsybits.etsy.com

Oct 21st, 2009, 04:22 PM	#8
Sternchen OP Proud mama of 3! Joined: May 2006 Location: Bavaria, Germany Posts: 13,954	I am there to learn more about this field of work and to apply the knowledge that I have gained so far in my 4 semesters of studies at the university. I want to learn, but I need someone that can help me. Learning-by-doing is great when you're in a controlled environment (like a lab class) but when you're dealing with real numbers, real people and real jobs it's scary as hell and just doesn't work. I need help and can't get it.
	__________________ Dear Santa, I have been a very good girl this year and have worked very hard for my family, my school and my job. This year I would like to wish for only one thing: THE CUPCAKE CAR!!! Please and thank you. Love, Melanie

Oct 21st, 2009, 04:38 PM	#9
truegem Member Joined: Feb 2006 Posts: 1,353	Stay calm...this is no fault of your own and remember that. I know easier said than done. Is it possible for you to look at the list of what needs to be done and make a list of the reports that you will not be able to do. If you can do that and give the people a heads up before they are expecting the reports then maybe they will be more understanding and may be able to adjust their work accordingly. While it sucks to be in this situation it is also a test of how you handle the situation. Stay composed and try doing some damage control. Make sure you are sending emails and CC:ing your boss and his boss. I think it would be a lot more unfair to give them work that you know you were not trained to do and are very unsure of. If you do opt to give the reports a try...make sure you send it in an email saying these numbers are accurate to the best of my ability. I am untrained in this area so please use caution before using these numbers in other reports or data. In other words a "consider yourself warned!!!" Hugs to you. Hang in there. Your boss deserves a royal ass whipping!!!
truegem Member Joined: Feb 2006 Posts: 1,353	__________________ Twitter Anyone-- http://www.twitter.com/takij

Oct 21st, 2009, 04:56 PM	#10
juneping couch potato-ing Joined: Jun 2007 Location: NYC Posts: 4,355	i wouldn't go over his head to contact the ceo....your boss might be pissed off about it. try to leave a message to your boss in the US and see it from there. my only advice is do it one thing at a time and one after the other. when you are doing one task, pretend other didn't exist. bc if you have all these tasks in line in your head...you'll go nut. it's very stressful but do your best....and hope your up aboves will understand. you've only been there for less than 3 months...i don't think they expect you to just pick up things in a blink. GL!!
	__________________ wish list: purse ban until the cc is paid off $10200 paid off...$3300 to go .....oh..i can't wait...

Oct 21st, 2009, 04:57 PM	#11
Roo au courant Joined: Apr 2006 Location: Rue Roo Posts: 12,716	Maybe I am out of touch with how corporations operate in Europe, but I find it extremely irresponsible (and abusive) for a person at the CEO level to leave without a way to contact him and to leave an intern in charge of something this important and time sensitive. You are being set up to fail- what you are being asked to do is beyond your level of expertise and authority. I commend you for not just walking out of there... especially after the verbal abuse you were subjected to and the fact that your boss pretty much threw you under the bus before he left on a holiday
	__________________ When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around. --Willie Nelson

Oct 21st, 2009, 04:58 PM	#12
nycfashionlvr Member Joined: Apr 2009 Location: New York City Posts: 420	First as hard is it may be, try to calm down! Working yourself up and stressing will get you no where. Secondly try to look at this as a learning experience. You have a HUGE , DIFFICULT task in front of you and no matter what you will come out of it having learned something. I would go to the secretary you mentioned and explain to her how important this is and that you really need to speak with him or at least have her make him aware of the situation. Despite what other people are saying I WOULD NOT fill out the reports myself because as you said you don't have the knowledge and they will most likely be incorrect so unless your bosses boss tell you to do this I would'nt. I wish you the best of luck! Tell us how this turns out.

Oct 21st, 2009, 05:46 PM	#13
simmmchen ✯ mathemagician ✯ Joined: Nov 2006 Location: --> Munich Posts: 1,503	Oh my, Sternchen! I am one to cry when things get overwhelming and frustrating, so I can only imagine the strength it takes you not to cry at work while you're in this impossible situation. I know how complicated everything regarding Kurzarbeit (assuming that's what you meant by short-work?) is and I can only try to imagine how difficult it must be to write those reports. Sorry, I don't have any advice, though. You really don't have any other choice than to make someone (higher up) understand just how impossible it is for you to write those reports. Nov 2nd is still a bit away, 1.5 work weeks. It's not like you can just sit there and ignore everybody snapping at you....? So sorry! Big and I hope you'll find someone in the company to listen to you!
	__________________ Applications, networking, applications, networking, applications, networking.... aaaaand..... I GOT A JOB

Oct 21st, 2009, 06:12 PM	#15
NYCBelle Yahtzee anyone?? Joined: Oct 2006 Location: 57th & 5th Ave Posts: 5,556	oh wow! sorry sternchen! remain calm i know what its like. this is not your job this is your boss' job and its not your job to do his work. tell who ever is telling you to do it that you can't because you don't have the data. imagine what your boss will think when he comes back and wrong data was given by you then you'll have to deal with more craziness. this is not your responsibility and you should not be getting in trouble because someone is not doing their work. i say don't do it and let others stress about it. and let them complain all they want its not your duty to do that report.
	__________________ "Is there blood in my hair?" On a serious ban...Have a wedding to plan

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