The bindery boss who micromanages each stitch needs to back off

I've been a bookbinder for ten years, and my current boss is the worst. He watches each move I make, from getting the signatures ready to sewing them. It makes me feel like I can't breathe, and my hands shake when he's near. Just yesterday, he changed my paper grain alignment in front of the whole shop. This pressure kills the fun of making a nice book. We're artists, not factory hands. If he doesn't chill, I'm leaving. Good people will go if we're not treated right.

3 comments

3 Comments

fionat781mo ago

See, how the paper grain lines up really does change how a book opens and lasts. But him fixing it in front of everyone just makes you feel bad at your job. Steady hands come from trust, not from someone breathing down your neck. He probably wants good books, but his method is what's wrong. Have you told him directly that his watching makes your work worse?

jesse_ward1mo ago

Exactly, that's the whole problem. It's like when my principal stands behind me while I'm trying to explain fractions. My brain just forgets what numbers are. I start sweating and call the numerator the... thingy on top. Suddenly I'm the one who needs to go back to seventh grade. Some people just don't get that their help is actually a big distraction.

the_patricia1mo ago

What kills me is how they always jump in to "help" right when your brain goes blank. Like yes, please point out that I called it the thingy, that makes it so much easier to remember the real word. Next time my principal does that I'm just gonna turn around and ask him to solve for x. Bet he'd start sweating too and finally get how it feels.