What's the best way to deal with this workplace situation?

Strat-Mangler · #1 09-17-2010, 03:43 PM

Started a new job exactly 1 month ago. The schedule is divided as such ; 8-4 and 10-6, every weekday.

Originally, we followed the schedule that was in place with the guy I replaced so that twice a week, my co-worker would come in at 8am.

He suggested to the boss that we'd play the schedule thing by ear and he volunteered that I'd come at 10am the entire week and see how it goes. Now, it's Friday and just as he was leaving, I told him I could be coming at 8am the whole week as it's a fair trade. "The schedule is great the way it is," to which he blurted out after my insistence that we'd talk to the boss about it on Monday... meaning that I'd come in at 10am that day.

This guy is super passive-aggressive and whereas I have been enthusiastic, optimistic, am anxious to learn, he has rarely been helpful, gets annoyed every single time we interact, gets frustrated with questions I ask as if I should know the answers to them (there has been no formal training, yet), etc. Bottom line : he decided from the get-go to despise me for no reason I could possibly imagine as I stay out of his way 99% of the time.

Now, I'm assuming he'll call the boss during the w-e and get to her 1st & try to weasel his way into getting the 8-4 schedule permanently. For the record, he's been in that position since April and in the company for almost 10 months. I understand he has the better seniority, but so did the guy I replaced and he relented 2 days/week for my co-worker to leave early. That's a good gesture : I'm simply asking for the same kind of rational reasonable nice gesture so that I don't get back home at 7pm every night.

How would you deal with this? I don't want to be a doormat, but I don't want to step on any toes, and at the same time, I don't want to appear like I'm whining. It seems that from whichever angle I look at the situation, I can't win.

FTR, this is a good job with a great company. This a-hole is the only bad thing I can think of having to deal with. I just don't want to be the victim of his lame power-play.

What can/should I do?

XansNiceSweater · #2 09-17-2010, 03:45 PM

kill him.

HaPpYfAcE · #3 09-17-2010, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XansNiceSweater

kill him.

this would probably entail working 8-6 until a replacement is found.

i'd just talk to the boss on Monday... i know how you feel about the scheduling thing...we have the same type of rotation at my job because our office is open from 630am to 5pm. everyone hates the 9-5 shift but love the 630-230, lol.

the manager puts everything into a schedule for the month. if you guys are the only two, then maybe just alternate every other week or 2 weeks or month? i'm sure that if the boss is level headed enough, they will figure it out. if it's really a girl, then mention that you're a bass player.

MatticusMania · #4 09-17-2010, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XansNiceSweater

kill him.

That was my answer.

funkydjembe · #5 09-17-2010, 04:16 PM

I personally would not worry about "this guy". The quality of your work is important. Let things play out until you are sure about what's going on there. Be sure to make things known to your boss as to what you wish,,,,,Do you want to start work earlier? Sounds like this "guy" is the boss. Talk directly to your boss,,if you can't do that than maybe this company is really a secret company which kills orphans.

Turock · #6 09-17-2010, 04:31 PM

Do the hours that you agreed to when you were hired.

funkydjembe · #7 09-17-2010, 04:35 PM

honestly dude,,do you work for the mob?

thefruitfarmer · #8 09-17-2010, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Strat-Mangler

This guy is super passive-aggressive and whereas I have been enthusiastic, optimistic, am anxious to learn, he has rarely been helpful, gets annoyed every single time we interact, gets frustrated with questions I ask as if I should know the answers to them (there has been no formal training, yet), etc. Bottom line : he decided from the get-go to despise me for no reason I could possibly imagine as I stay out of his way 99% of the time.

Now, I'm assuming he'll call the boss during the w-e and get to her 1st & try to weasel his way into getting the 8-4 schedule permanently. For the record, he's been in that position since April and in the company for almost 10 months. I understand he has the better seniority, but so did the guy I replaced and he relented 2 days/week for my co-worker to leave early. That's a good gesture : I'm simply asking for the same kind of rational reasonable nice gesture so that I don't get back home at 7pm every night.

How would you deal with this? I don't want to be a doormat, but I don't want to step on any toes, and at the same time, I don't want to appear like I'm whining. It seems that from whichever angle I look at the situation, I can't win.

FTR, this is a good job with a great company. This a-hole is the only bad thing I can think of having to deal with. I just don't want to be the victim of his lame power-play.

What can/should I do?

Alarm bells are ringing in my head....

Be careful how you manage this guy, is he quite manipulative?

He sounds it.

He may think he is entitled to bully you because he was there first and if you are better at the job than him he may resent that....

My advice is to develop a good working relationship with your boss and do a good job.

If the boss allows the guy to bully you ( they sometimes choose not to see what is going on ) then find another job.

What you want to avoid at all costs is an ongoing fight with this guy. It does n't matter who is right or wrong in these situations no-one will take the risk of taking sides and be labelled a trouble maker. IME many managers are unprincipled cowards who only make decisions that are popular with their superiors. They are often more concerned with keeping their own jobs and consequently won't involve themselves in an argument between staff members. It is too risky.

I was in a similar situation for about a year. In the end I had to leave. Looking back I should have resigned when the "colleague" started complaining to the boss about me after I had been there 8 weeks. He was never going to back down, he had the boss eating out of his hand and he really did not want me there. Even though all our colleagues wanted me above him - management knew that they had to get rid of one of us (because they were not prepared to manage the situation) so they made two jobs in to one and put a new manager in charge of the team who interviewed us both and made a very uninformed and arbitary decision.

Tread Careful !

XigXag · #9 09-17-2010, 10:14 PM

I believe your co-worker is trying to make decisions he isnt entitled to make.
I'd go in Monday at 8, and talk to the boss. Not in any confrontational way, just stating the facts. You were hired for certain hrs, and while you are flexible, you want the number of hours you were hired for.
Dont be accusing of the co-worker, just say that what he wants isnt going to work, and isnt what you agreed to.
Calm and cool, just the facts. Nothing personal, its business.

If your boss is worth working for, he already knows about you co-worker, and wont take kindly to someone writing a schedule that isnt his to write. And a year of seniority is jack.