Hey Sitcom Advice, my boss refuses to apologize to me. He screwed up a deal I was working on. He’s admitted to screwing up the deal, but he sees an apology as a sign of weakness. He says he won’t write it down and he won’t say it out loud: “No sorry, no apology.” Do I let it go?
Jay: I’m sorry, but I don’t think you should let it go. Maybe you have to keep working there now, but he’s shown his true character. If he can’t apologize, how can you trust him as a boss? This is especially true since he’s losing business. This is a sign to start developing an exit strategy.
Eliza: Have you tried apologizing to him? Picture this. You go into his office and say, “I’m really sorry for putting you in that position. I never should have done that.” If he accepts your apology, maybe ask if he has anything to say. If he says you don’t have anything to apologize for, then maybe he’s just not a big apology guy. If he refuses to acknowledge your apology, that’s clearly pathological. An apology matters in any relationship.
Gene: Don’t be mad, get even. If he refuses to apologize, you need to do something to him and not say you’re sorry. Maybe you could kill a plant he has in his office. Pour some Mountain Dew in it. It feels like Mountain Dew should kill a plant. When he realizes what you’ve done, you should just laugh in his face. How does that feel, Mr. Boss? I can tell you from experience, Mr. Boss is not going to like it.
Kenny: The question is, why do you need the apology? He knows he screwed up. You know he screwed up. What will an apology get you? You need to look into why you need an apology, and that will lead you to your next course of action. It’s not wrong to want an apology, but you need to know why. What will it change?