‘He’s trying to get me fired but he’s just too dumb to do it well’: Coworker tries to get the contractor in trouble by micromanaging and tattling to higher ups but they all ignore him

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  • Serious businessman in a blue suit listening closely during a meeting with a woman across a desk in an office.
  • I think my coworker is trying to get me fired but he’s just too dumb to do it well

    So I have this coworker who I have been dealing with for the past eight months since I started this job.
  • We only interact on one project, and this project specifically is something that is very low on my priority list.
  • Like if I have time and I'm done with every other thing I'm doing, then I can spend time helping him.
  • However, he has always treated it like he's my boss on it and expects me to take over all of the work and do whatever he says.
  • Whenever I don't do something exactly perfectly, he will immediately start a group message with me, him, and the closest person to my boss and with multiple paragraphs all of my mistakes while not doing any of the work himself.
  • Keep in mind my boss never answers this, and it really just becomes a thing between him and me going back and forth.
  • But I'm a contractor, and he's full-time, so for me, it's a little bit more stressful.
  • Smiling woman shaking hands with a man across a desk during a successful job interview in a modern office.
  • Another thing that makes it annoying as h l is that he's always changing how he wants me to handle these issues.
  • If I use a tool that he taught me, and that tool leads me to make a mistake because of the issues with the tooling, suddenly we no longer use that tool.
  • Then two weeks later, he's asking me to use that tool again. If I make a mistake when talking to a major client, he will chew me out but then expect me to continue to work with that major client when this is his project.
  • meanwhile he has told me multiple times That he didn't something for a client because "They were getting on my nerves".
  • Anyway, the straw that broke the camel's back for me. About a week ago, he was laid off for a bunch of other coworkers, but they realized they needed him for some project and brought him back..
  • Since all my direct supervisors were laid off as well, he's a person I'm supposed to tell when I'm having issues, and he's supposed to bring it up to Gina, the command.
  • However, he has now taken upon himself to monitor the work that I do and ask questions.
  • The problem is I have six years of experience in this kind of work and in the nature of it, whereas he doesn't know anything about the work and doesn't know when something is right or wrong.
  • So he privately messaged me saying that he didn't understand why I was having a back-up client, and then before I could answer, he copied and pasted the same message in a group message with the director of the department and asked the question again.
  • Of course, the director didn't answer because they never do, and I chewed him out, telling him that this is common practice.
  • Now, I think it's a good thing that my directors and bosses aren't responding to this, but I need this behavior to stop.
  • Again, I'm a contractor, so l don't know how much I can really push back, but what should I do?
  • MadMule Sounds like he's just solidifying why you are needed. When communicating stay mission. focused and communicate in that manner. It will make you look strong instead of defensive.
  • QuickScore9933 Original Poster's Reply Yeah I never approached him with any tone and I'm always coming from a place of being kind and informative, but when he asks questions about why am I communicating this way, or why am I handling this that way, it gets to wear on me because it's literally not part of his job to worry about it.
  • lemony 197236 If you are a contractor, do you have a company supervisor and a contracts officer or contract administrator? I would report these issues up the company chain and have them address the issues with this person. That way you have documented with your company.
  • QuickScore9933 Original Poster's Reply I have someone for the contract company that directly is my point of contact so I guess I could tell them. But the only other person that handles my contract is the director. I've already expressed to them that I don't feel comfortable working on a lot of projects with this person because they keep changing the metrics but I think he clearly sees that this guy is stepping his bounds as he is CCed the director in multiple slack messages before all without ge
  • Carerin I've found that people who send long complaining emails and cc everyone are only comfortable behind a screen. My advice next time it happens is to respond to everyone that it would be best resolved by talking and asking when would be a good time to call and discuss. Edit to clarify that it would be a one-on-one call with him.
  • QuickScore9933 Original Poster's Reply Thanks I will definitely do this
  • Automatic_Dog5358 Is it possible this is coming from the director and your colleague is just the middleman? The director is possibly making these metric changes. You also mention in another post about things not being done perfectly and it's also communicated via cc. It sounds like there are meetings between the director and colleague that you are not invited to where this proje t is being discuszed. The CC's to the director are the colleagues way of showing that he's communicated to you what th
  • QuickScore9933 Original Poster's Reply Again, this is something I would see if I didn't have my own meetings with the director and he not give me anything but positive feedback. On top of that, HE was temporarily let go and they kept me around.
  • Hmmm__whatever Two sides to every story, sounds like a similar situation im in. New guy thinks everything he does is golden but its not, I tell him it needs fixed and he doesnt do it so I email him and our boss that its incorrect, yeah the boss doesnt reply to the group email but the boss does directly to me. To me its documenting that yes I see your mistakes and covering my own a because by him not fixing his errors it looks like im not checking his work. So in your situation sounds like its hi
  • QuickScore9933 Original Poster's Reply I would say that you were correct but at the same time I can easily explain everything I do, every time I make a mistake it's because it's tool isn't providing me the information, he changed the metric for what a mistake looks like, and he also doesn't understand the work that I'm doing. But again this has been an issue for months and if it was so bad anybody else would have a problem with me. None of my other coworkers or my boss has ever expressed having
  • Turk1518 Sounds like the real issue is that you two aren't communicating well. Yes, a lot of it is in him. But these things should all be documented. Projects need to be scoped out. Changes need to be verified and agreed upon before making them. Expectation of timing and priority need to be aligned.
  • QuickScore9933 Original Poster's Reply Well the thing is that all of my priorities are well documented. There's literally a sheet that this person could refer to to see what are my priorities and what is not. I I essentially see that he doesn't wanna do this work as if I don't touch the thing I'm supposed to "help him out with" it doesn't get done. Whenever I get wrapped up and have too much other work to do and he is left on his own to handle the project, suddenly he wants to automate it
  • KiloChonker Just respond to him face to face or not at all when he's being ridiculous. Notice the hire ups don't comment, why should you?

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