Manager Sabotoging Company (employee, consulting, collect, payments)

[Vertigo]

I know this is long, sorry. Wondering if anyone has been through a similar situation:

I work for a small company of professionals and have been employed there for just over 4 years. Two years ago, the owner hired a manager who I am certain is trying to sabotage his business. He thought she was going to fix everything and take the day-to-day operations off his hands. Within months, three of his peers left to start their own business or work elsewhere. One had been with the company for 25 years, the other for 20 years, and another was a promising young professional that he'd personally trained for 2 years. All three warned him that something felt very wrong and off with the manager he'd hired. He backed her up and let them go.

Shortly after that, the people who'd left recruited two support staff employees that had been with the company for 13-16 years.

Things really began to go downhill from there. Those of us in administrative positions were promoted to take over the exiting employees, but the damage had been done. Our business was reduced by over 50% (although they won't admit this and keep telling us it's "growing pains" and everything is fine).

A few examples of the manager's style:

1. Waits until lunch or staff meetings when no one is in the work area and rearranges everything, even the order of the mailboxes, without consulting anyone or communicating that is will be or has been done.

2. Delegates EVERYTHING. Her first 6 months was literally spent cornering people in their offices for an hour, maybe even two or three hours to just ramble on and on and on. At that time, we were a VERY busy company and it was a distraction and stressful. She will not even do the simplest of tasks, like enter a line item on a billing so it can get out the door.

3. We all know we are behind on rent, utilities, CCD payments, etc. The owner has had to dole out up to $30k of personal funds to make payroll. Still, she has changed our business cards and letterhead multiple times and tossed out thousands of dollars worth of existing supplies. She even tossed brand-new boxes of business cards when a co-worker's title changed from "Administrator" to "Lead Administrator."

4. Alienated local businesses and suppliers by accusing them of over-charging us when we can't pay their bill or calling to chew them out over a mistake.

5. Leaves past-due notices or time-sensitive mail sit in her mailbox for a week, maybe two. The utility company came to our office to shut off the power unless we paid immediately. The shut off notice had been in her mailbox for four days.

6. The billing manager quit and was not replaced, so this manager took over billing. The first thing she did was throw the contents of the entire AR cabinet away and stopped making copies of statements for documentation (very important in this business). It's very important for us to be billing out everything as quickly as we can lately, but she will not send them out if the admin on the file is not there to make billing edits, something that takes about 5 minutes. She will wait until that person gets back from vacation so she can tell them to do it.

7. Spends entire days holding individual meetings with every single staff member, even those who work at the office over an hour away (mileage!). These meetings are usually about 15 minutes long and generally have threatening undertones.

8. Fired two of the most important and hard-working employees: one because they couldn't afford the salary, the other (who was a very diligent, intelligent and rule-following individual) because she called the manager out on her lying and shady communications. Still, the owner backed her up and fired his 8-year employee who was the last staff person who had the knowledge of the professionals - the rest of us inexperienced people in those positions needed her.

9. I saw her just the other day print out a huge stack of emails and documents, collect them from the printer and throw them in the shred bin without even glancing at them.

10. Takes away privileges from staff or insists on certain procedures. Meanwhile, she continues using the privileges and refuses to follow her own rules. She works whatever hours she desires. Usually rolls in around anywhere from 9:30-11:30 and leaves around 3. Often does not even show up and no one knows where she is or if she's coming in at all.

11. Constantly lies. Constantly. About anything and everything.

I think the owner has finally caught on that she has probably damaged his business irreparably, but still he keeps her on board. Exiting employees are not replaced. What was once a crazy and breathlessly busy company, loud and energetic, is now silent and still. I caught up on my work for the first time in four years and now hoard it and try to stretch is through the week. Clients are leaving us and I presume they are hearing rumors (small town). The owner, who had already been difficult to deal with before she came on board, now goes through phases where he is downright abusive. In fact, last fall/winter he was so hard on me, I cleaned every single personal item out of my office, as I expected to get fired. I used to be a very loyal employee (I was the owners assistant), working tons of OT and very early morning hours, but now I come in right at 8 and leave right at 5. I can't stand being there for a single minute longer than I need to be.

Now I have another opportunity knocking at my door and I really don't want to give a notice. I really feel like I need two weeks at home to rejuvenate and recover from the ****storm of drama. Have you ever dealt with a similar environment? How did you handle it? What was the outcome? Did you stay until the bitter end? Quit without notice? Walk out? Grit your teeth through the last two weeks so you could be professional about it?