That time my manager blamed me for her own mistake on a client call

I was on a Zoom call with a big client in Chicago last month when my boss cut me off and said the numbers I shared were wrong - turns out she had sent me the wrong spreadsheet. She apologized to the client but then pulled me aside after and told me I should have double-checked her work before presenting. Has anyone else had a boss throw you under the bus for their own slip up?

2 comments

2 Comments

jordanm1911d ago

Wait, so she's mad you didn't check the spreadsheet she gave you, which was the wrong one? That's like blaming the mailman for delivering the wrong package you handed them. Seriously though, that's textbook bad boss behavior. They mess up, then flip it around so you look like the slacker for not reading their mind. I've had a manager pull that same trick before. Told a client I'd sent the wrong file when it was actually her attachment that was messed up. It's funny how they always say "we're a team" until something goes wrong. Then suddenly it's every person for themselves. Hopefully your boss learns from this, but don't hold your breath. Some people never admit they messed up.

irishenderson11d ago

Hold up, I gotta push back a tiny bit on the mailman analogy though. The boss did give her the wrong spreadsheet, so it's more like handing someone the wrong package and then getting mad they didn't fix it. But yeah, you're totally right that the blame-shifting is the real problem here. It's wild how quick they are to throw you under the bus when they're the ones who messed up.