Complaints About Bosses Abound

A sampling of “office lady” complaints:

* Sexual harassment: One woman complains that her boss pats her buttocks to greet her in the morning, while another male colleague always puts his hand on her thigh. If she appears nervous, other workers call her “old maid.” Her company prefers hiring single women who still live with their parents; women living alone are considered suspect.

* Abusive bosses: One real estate OL says the section chief at her company regularly orders unsuccessful salesmen to stick out their hands--so he can whack them with a ruler. “In the old days, he had tacks attached to the ruler.”

* Managing the wives: OLs say they are under orders to cover up for married male workers cheating on their wives. One says she was told to be vague on the phone about when employees on business trips will come home--they often have flings that delay their return.

* Tea obsession: An OL at a nonprofit group complains that her bosses are obsessed with her tea-serving duties. A big poster instructs how to brew tasty tea, and her boss criticizes her serving style. “The men have the nerve to say that all they expect from women is that they make tea.”

* Office rumors: A securities firm OL says the few women who get into the company’s career track are often subjects of vicious office gossip--mostly speculation about their sex lives. “The guys tell customers she’s got a bad reputation.”