People handle stress at work in different ways.

A lot of successful workers get that way by being able to adapt to new situations and, as in this story, new surroundings.

See how this Jill of all Trades handled her boss’s tantrum.

My boss said to stop putting papers on his desk. Okay.

Back in the days before computers, everything was documented with paper.

There was no email, no electronic memos…nothing. Everything was typed or handwritten.

I was the office manager for a contractor.

I was also the payroll department, accounts payable & receivable, accounting and HR departments.

As if that was complicated enough…

The owner’s desk was always a mess.

Papers were scattered everywhere.

Nobody had any idea what color the top of his desk was.

He managed to work like that for years…until the day he snapped.

One afternoon, I was waiting for him to sign a stack of checks.

He was interrupted by an urgent phone call and couldn’t find the contract that needed his immediate attention.

He stood up, and used his arm to swoop every piece of paper from the desk to the floor in front of his desk. It was like watching a ticker tape parade in slow motion.

I don’t remember ever seeing him so ticked off before.

Then he yelled, “NOTHING GOES ON MY DESK UNTIL I CLEAN UP THAT **** ON THE FLOOR!”

Okay, funny man. We had 80 employees at the time who were paid weekly.

Remember…this was before computers. We didn’t allow signature stamps on checks.

All checks and legal documents required his original signature.

Whatever you say, boss!

I hated to do it, but orders were orders. I tossed all paychecks, company checks, contracts, phone messages, bids, and contracts on the top of the pile of papers on the floor in front of his desk.

I have to give him credit because it only took him two weeks for his stacks of paper to be in neat, organized piles on his desk arranged around his desk calendar.

Then he said my desk should look as organized as his.

I told him to **** off because my chaos was organized inside my head and if he really wanted it cleaned off he needed to stop giving me so much work to do.

I multitasked before it was a thing, and organizing my desk wasn’t included.

Here is what people are saying.

Nostalgia is so weird.

Buried, I imagine.

That would have been cool.

This is what I would I have done.

Genius!

I hope you feel better tomorrow, boss.

No better way to handle this.

If you liked that post, check this one about a guy who got revenge on his condo by making his own Christmas light rules.