Management was terrible, at least at my office. My newly promoted manager was highly disorganized and unpredictable. Some days she would be mad at me for nothing and other days she would be very happy with me. When I first started working there, she complemented my eyes which felt weird. This being one of my first real job out of college, I wasn't confident enough to speak up about it. On another occasion, I had taken a day off for a family emergency. The next day at work my manager offered to give me a hug and went on this tirade about how she is a great hugger and our office manager (who is a principal at the company) is a great hugger and she is always around if I need a hug. The whole thing was so strange that I questioned if it had actually happened. It seemed like she took every opportunity possible to get needlessly close to me.
Another strange thing was that I was the only employee required to have regular "check-ins" with my manager. The first time this happened, I met with her and the office manager in the conference room. I still do not know what the purpose of that meeting was. At the end of it, the office manager suggested I read self-help books to boost my confidence and even said he would ask his friend for a suggestion on my behalf. Luckily, this never happened. After that meeting, my manager and I had regular "follow up" meetings. I felt like they were just a way to get me in her office to spend time with her. It always left me with a sick feeling in my stomach.
All that being said, make sure you get a feel for the type of people you will work with before signing on. The people truly make or break the experience.
