klark3:
I was employed as an architect in a medium size architectural firm, my boss happens to be a lady.

I hitched a ride in her car after a meeting with a client on site, It's was even my first time of hitching a ride in her car, as I have always eschewed it, on getting to the office she asked me to carry her hand bag along, but I turned deaf ear to her request and swiftly went straight to the office, but she came to my office and gave me a sullen glare.

I thought the malice won't last long, but unfortunately for me, she fired me this morning for a no cogent reason.

I'm downcast and bewildered, she's just privilege to be the manager because it's her dad firm, she's my contemporary, and I was on the verge of supervising a gigantic project.

Was I wrong?

klark3:
I was employed as an architect in a medium size architectural firm, my boss happens to be a lady.

I hitched a ride in her car after a meeting with a client on site, It's was even my first time of hitching a ride in her car, as I have always eschewed it, on getting to the office she asked me to carry her hand bag along, but I turned deaf ear to her request and swiftly went straight to the office, but she came to my office and gave me a sullen glare.

I thought the malice won't last long, but unfortunately for me, she fired me this morning for a no cogent reason.

I'm downcast and bewildered, she's just privilege to be the manager because it's her dad firm, she's my contemporary, and I was on the verge of supervising a gigantic project.

Was I wrong?

frisky2good:
What is so difficult about carrying a handbag? If it was a male boss that asked you to carry his briefcase, won't you carry it? Most guys think it is an insult to carry a lady's handbag but they don't understand that it takes a lot of trust for a lady to even allow you to carry her handbag. 9 out of 10 times, you will get sacked if you continue to have the African mentality that a man should never carry a lady's handbag. Swallow your pride and give her a call. Give her one excuse for not carrying the bag and apologise for your behavior. Once she sees that she has humbled you, she will take you back. Goodluck.

teeowl:
He is a professional (5 years plus in the Unviversity to study Architecture) and NOT a domestic staff. If the issue was a trivial one, why did she fire him for not carrying her bag? She would have seen it as something to just shout at him for and then let it go.

Braggante:


Bro u too get sense. It's sad how people here are calling the guy proud or arrogant. It shows how we have lost all sense of honor and dignity as a people, all for daily bread. Here's a story like that in the bible, where one guy eagerly gave away his birth right for porridge. Obviously many nigerians will do same if in that position.

It's not about insubordination or rudeness, cos bag carrying is not part of his work, unless he is her PA or secretary. So those abusing the OP obviously think low of themselves- low self esteem.
To me it's about human dignity, talk less of being a man. If it were his wife, no problem, but an employer in an office environment, no.

I also think he did the right thing by refusing. And I applaud his boldness at that. If u can't stand for something, u fall for everything.

eyeview:
You weren't wrong. It was never stated in the offer letter that you job description included carrying her hand bag. She has inferiority complex and she could only overcome it by seeing you do attend to her domestic needs. She wanted to cross the line and you didn't let her. That's the same way some people get to start doing uncomplimentary things to keep their jobs. You were a man.
Don't feel bad,other jobs will turn up.

ziddy:
^^

Boss-lady was trying to 'house-break' the poor guy. Next she'll start sending him to get her lunch, to deposit that bag in the car at close of work, everyday.

The implications of this affair go beyond the effect on his manly pride or ego, but am surprised most people on here are typically nigerian and cannot see it. It strikes at the very heart of the corporate ethos, of the functional organisation.

What is his function in that establishment, and how does her visible relationship with him undermine his ability to perform that fu ction effectively? even the office assistants whose role she has stupidly assigned to a professional colleague, will find it difficult to take that architect seriously (not to talk of his fellow architects and other co-workers) after they have seen him carrying her bag up and down and running stupid errands for her.

Mandu94:


You are extrapolating, you can't infer that from his statement. She asked a simple request and he ignored her. She deemed this disrespectful and not healthy for the workplace.

What if she was a man?, he would do it. Its rare to find female bosses, and people want to disrespect. Peoples attitudes need to move forward in the 21st century.

klark3:
I was employed as an architect in a medium size architectural firm, my boss happens to be a lady.

I hitched a ride in her car after a meeting with a client on site, It's was even my first time of hitching a ride in her car, as I have always eschewed it, on getting to the office she asked me to carry her hand bag along, but I turned deaf ear to her request and swiftly went straight to the office, but she came to my office and gave me a sullen glare.

I thought the malice won't last long, but unfortunately for me, she fired me this morning for a no cogent reason.

I'm downcast and bewildered, she's just privilege to be the manager because it's her dad firm, she's my contemporary, and I was on the verge of supervising a gigantic project.

Was I wrong?

teeowl:
Did you get that she is his "contemporary"? It means that they are on the same level or their years of graduation is either the same or very close. The only edge is that her father is the owner of the company. He is a professional and NOT a domestic staff. There have almost the same level of experience and qualification.... get the picture right.

If she was a man, he would still do the same thing if he is his contemporary!

Contemporary = Mates = The same level of work experience = The same level of qualification

She is NOT the owner of the company, her father is!

Mandu94:


I'm afraid to say he said she is lucky to be the "manager", hmm what does this imply. I wonder..

teeowl:
Meaning he must have handled more building projects than her and he finished University before her... the only reason why she is his manager is because she is the daughter of the owner of the company. This is the exact same scenario I saw in the Quantity Surveying firm that I worked in during my IT. The owner son was made the manager even though he had lesser work experience than others. There were more qualified Quantity Surveyors with more work experience, yet the owner of the practice made his son the manager...

Mandu94:


Omg, are you serious? She is the MANAGER regardless, he has to respect her authority in the company. He is an employee and needs to abide to the structure of the company. He is there to do a job not to decipher who is fit for a manger's role or not. This is simply a matter of the man's inflated ego because of societal conditioning.

There will be more women leaders, suck it up and get ready for change. #Equality for women.

teeowl:
he did his Job which is being a loyal and faithful Architect. And his job is not to carry women's hand bags. He is going to get another job, employment is not too difficult for Architects, the issue is always how much is the salary.

PS: he did not disrespect her, he just diplomatically avoided carrying the hand bag. He was fired for not carrying a simple hand bag. It shows how petty she is. A woman with a heathy self esteem might scold him and just forget the issue. And They were not in the office... she asked him to carry her bag from the car to the office, what happened to her hands? If it was some building drawings or models, he would have done it since it relates to the company's business.

Mandu94:

That's where you miss the point, it wasn't trivial as he displayed uttermost disrespect by entirely un-acknowledging her request. This means he undermines her authority therefore it is essential that he is fired to sustain a healthy workforce and environment. This has nothing to do with her self esteem, it is simply the problem many men have as a result of patriarchy over centuries. This very primitive mindset will cause society to be quite restricted. And be very honest to yourself, he would have behaved differently is she was a man.
#Equality for women

ziddy:


I doubt if you've ever worked in a structured organization before. Even if she were a man her request would still be illegal.
When you exit your ride at the office can hand your briefcase to your p.a, your driver or your orderly or something. Never to a professional colleague unless he willingly grabs it because he sucks your arsze or something. And trust me, true bosses normally refuse such kiss-ass gestures.

Mandu94:


Don't try to go personal with me. Firstly the request was simple yet the employee took it so personal he ignored her. That shows his ignorance and how he views women.

Once again he WOULD have done it if the manager was a man.

all4naija:
Ha!!! I knew you were going to say that, my young feminist by heart!

Mandu94:


And who cares?

I do! How are you? It's been quite some days.

all4naija:
@Mandu94

Feminists by heart are often suspecting men of discrimination. Whereas, that is what many of them do. It is like a guilt many of them carry about.

He didn't want to carry the bag for other reason nor because she is a woman, I guess. Perhaps because he didn't want to look like somebody having some kind of affairs with her.

Mandu94:


This is a deep rooted issue because of the nature of society. Such thinking is not necessarily conscious but feminists highlight such attitudes because we are challenging the way patriarchy society entrenches sexist norms.

all4naija:

Okay. Let's agree the society should be blamed on culture and other primitive norms which look down on female gender. Why must she fire the guy? That is way too much of a feminist by heart. It is like the fight is now based on anger that is out of control. That is something feminists need to address in the fight for equality.

Mandu94:


Yes I am angry about how bleeped the world is. But not angry in the way you think. Stating how I feel doesn't mean Im being aggressive. Am I supposed to be soft?