So many
My boss manages by Blackberry. If I can't get my point across in the 200-odd characters on screen then he won't read anything else. If he can't reply in 2 lines of text then he doesn't bother.

A previous boss would give me a task, ask me to report back in a month, and when I did he would show me his solution and tell me mine was wrong. Even if mine was the same as his.

A manager I worked with refused to hire additional people to cover sickness and holidays on the basis that 'contractors in this location are so desparate for work that they won't take any holidays and will work even if they are dying'. Needless to say she was desparately short staffed.

Best one though was when a company run by a very strict christian bought the company I worked for. The new owner tried to get everyone to sign a piece of paper promising they wouldn't drink alcohol at all. They organized a dry Christmas party. A video presentation to all the employees at Christmas contained a message from the boss's wife explaining how a woman's place was in the home. None of this went down well with my French colleagues. The few who turned up to the Christmas party smuggled wine in with them and the request to sign the pledge was rapidly withdrawn by the management.
(Smale is stuffed, Thu 10 Jun 2010, 12:11, Reply)