In a difficult situation at work

[reactor_sa]

Some people are just not meant to be managers.

 

[RustyPrincess]

Ask if you are doing it right every ten minutes. Tell him you don't want to disappoint him. Make sure you do this loudly in front of others.

 

[OGroteKoning]

Ask if you are doing it right every ten minutes. Tell him you don't want to disappoint him. Make sure you do this loudly in front of others.

This will not end well

 

[Beachless]

Like the others have said make sure you have a paper trail if your manager wont send instructions in an email then send one to them stating your take on the deliverables before starting the work.

 

[techead]

I'm currently in a situation at work where a certain person, recently got promoted and is above me, finding devious ways to get me into trouble. I'm at my wits end and don't know what to do. I have done nothing wrong to this person and we were in a good working relationship and I can't see why I'm targeted. I'm fearing that I might end up loosing my job.
Sure I can look for another job but I need to deal with it now before I loose my job.
Please help! What must I do?

Hi J Apologies in advance for wall of text

As an employee, and Manager, I've seen both sides of these. Allow me to assist based on my experience.

You need to sit down with the person, and let them know that you feel like you are being treated in an unfair manner. Tell them that, and be quite clear,

1. you are more than happy to work under them,
2. you are more than happy to follow his instructions
3. you dont have any issues with authority,

Then make it quite clear that you do have an issue with being made to look bad when you "haven't followed instructions". Listen to him, and allow him to have his say. It's quite possible that there is some miscommunication somewhere and what they have to say might shed some light on your situation, and you will both be able to walk away with the matter resolved.

The other response could be something along the lines of a more negative response. Ie. they tell you that they dont like you, they have a personal issue with you, things of a more personal nature. This would explain why they making your life hell.

A word of advice. Record the conversation. Get a app installed and just leave it running while you have the meeting. It's good to keep your bases covered like that. What you DONT WANT is you trying to approach him, only to find out that he does have a personal issue with you, then he goes to the boss and tells HIM a load of crap. Then you have the conversation to cover your ass.

Be polite and conservative throughout the conversation. Dont get loud, and dont get worked up no matter what he says. If it does some down to personal stuff, make sure that you let him know that you dissapointed to hear that. Tell him that you would like to work together to find a solution to the problem. Usually by this point you know whether he's a dick or not. Then you can decide whether you want to let him know that you will only be following instructions in writing going forward.

Remember, if you cannot prove that you doing a GOOD job, then they cannot prove you are doing a BAD job. CCMA will eat them for breakfast if they go the dismissal route, but lets hope it doesnt go that far.

Hope this all helps

 

[bokdrol]

Ask for instructions in writing and keep a journal. This happened to me a few years ago. The person would make veiled accusations during meetings with the big boss and because I didn't have evidence in front of me, I couldn't defend myself. After the meeting, nobody was interested in my side of the story. I started a journal and every time he started at a meeting, I calmly opened my journal and said, "No, that is not enterely correct. In fact, on on x June you asked me to do this and this, and I did this and that and confirmed via email to you on y June". He never tried it on again.

 

[Shi]

Anyone else affected by this behaviour?

 

[CamiKaze]

1) Join a union
2) Speak to HR and keep things confidential with said HR to notify him/her that xyz is going down, If a warning comes your way, then HR was kept in the loop from the get go.
3) Keep all emails (maybe try to bait him in your emails), and keep a journal.

 

[Kano]

Ask for instructions in writing and keep a journal. This happened to me a few years ago. The person would make veiled accusations during meetings with the big boss and because I didn't have evidence in front of me, I couldn't defend myself. After the meeting, nobody was interested in my side of the story. I started a journal and every time he started at a meeting, I calmly opened my journal and said, "No, that is not enterely correct. In fact, on on x June you asked me to do this and this, and I did this and that and confirmed via email to you on y June". He never tried it on again.

Thank you for this. I've never realised how important a journal could be and makes sense to keep records of everything because we all don't have that capacity to remember every detail.