While it’s true that at your job you probably have to infer certain tasks and use your discretion on when to do that.

Unfortunately, the person in this story didn’t know that he was supposed to infer conditions for some of his work and the boss got ticked off about it.

I followed orders…. my boss didn’t like that

I was on the IT staff for a manufacturing company based in the area. They have 5 locations within driving distance of me. My job required supporting the five locations.

My boss told me a few weeks into the job NOT to make any special trips to any of the other locations (I was based at the main plant.)

When we got new employees, one of the other IT guys in another state sets up the new machines and sends it to me to hand out to the new employee.

This is where things get awkward and this is why I prefer to get a scope of work and policies and procedures in writing.

One day I get some new laptops for employees in one of the remote locations I support. Following my supervisor’s explicit instructions, I decide I will make my normal trip to the remote site the next day.

My supervisor comes in and asks why I didn’t take the new laptops to the remote office. I told her I was following HER instructions and was planning to take the machines to the next day.

It becomes clear that the task wasn’t as urgent as the boss’s terse lecture suggested.

She gets upset with me and tells me I should have known that this was the exception. I offered to make a special trip up to deliver the laptops, but she told me she would have the new full-time IT guy take them up.

They still didn’t get delivered until the next day, as the new guy didn’t make the trip until then.

I guess it wasn’t that important that the new employee get their laptops that same day.

Suffice it to say my contract job ended the next Friday.

Here’s what folks had to say about this story.

A lot of it seems like an ego game to be honest.

Haha! That’s what I was thinking. How could this have been obvious?

I was wondering that myself. Bosses aren’t going to think of every scenario off the top of their heads.

Haha a lot of people made sarcastic remarks about the psychic powers required.

I sense a manager wrote this comment.

There are no stupid questions, so ask away and avoid this drama.

If you liked that post, check out this one about an employee that got revenge on HR when they refused to reimburse his travel.