Strange behaviour 1

[Badwolf]

Hi, We recently (well three years ago) had a new boss in the drawing office. The old boss was far from perfect but at least you knew where you stood with him. The new boss has bought in a few people who along with a couple of the old guys can do no wrong. They get mentioned in meetings and praise heaped on them for the slightest thing, where for the rest of us, anything we do is just our job and no more than is expected. He also seems to go out of his way to undermine certain people by almost arbitarily assigning their tasks to other people. Is this guy just an empire builder? What's the best way of dealing with this character?

Thanks in advance.

 

[flamby]

3 years is quite some time and you must go into introspective mode immediately. Before you think of how to deal with that person, you deal with yourself and examine yourself hard. Are his guys really good when compared to you or just promoted because of some past loyalties? An impartial analysis will lead you to the way.

Ciao.

 

[Badwolf]

Hi Flamby, thanks for posting. I guess it's one of those things that has crept up on us. We have a monthly meeting where thanks are given for jobs well done amongst other things. His guys get thanks the simplest of tasks such as printing in color rather than black and white, whilst the rest of us would have to invent a cure for HIV to get mention.
There has been no actual promotions but I just don't like the way things are headed. People who have been here for a long time feel marginalised. Trouble is, if you complain about anything, they just put a black mark against your name as a troublemaker rather than ever try to deal with anything on a professional level.

 

[PSE]

I agree with flamby's advice and would add that it might help you to keep a document of your successes for use in either promoting your work or if necessary, defending it.

It is a difficult situation to be in. Keeping the boss "looking good" to his superiors will unlikely change the behaviour of favoritism you describe. At the same time, if things start looking poorly for him, well, you probably know how his response to that would be.

As flamby indicates, step back and try to get a clear view of the situation and how you fit within it before reacting.

Regards,

 

[HVAC68]

What does "his guys" and "us" mean ?

Just do an analysis of all the guys who belong to your "group" and "his group" - do you see a pattern ?

Do the analysis in a constructive manner and being as impartial as possible, without getting emotional.

Maybe, you will find a clue there.

HVAC68

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

I have worked in a couple of places where that situation existed. The new boss didn't get the automatic respect or adulation that he was used to (or thought he deserved), so he "bought" it by hiring either new people, or previous colleagues. IMO respect has to be earned ... it isn't given just because you carry a title.

There is little you can do about it other than befriending the "newbies". Once the "new" boss sees that the old & new are OK with each other, he may come to see all of you as equals.


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[schnipp]

I was recently stuck in a situation similar, where my plant manager seemed to play favorites. I wasn't. My boss was. I made my boss look better than he should and didn't trumpet my own horn enough. It ended up being a less than tolerable solution. After getting back from an overseas assignment (6 months), the plant manager passed me up on a promotion I thought I deserved (as well as most everyone else in the plant). I now work for a competitor of the original company and am extremely satisfied. The former plant manager is now no longer the plant manager, either. His favoritism was part of it (so I was told).

Just my story. I know I did a lot of things wrong with the whole situation. Goldeneye, document everything you can. It will at least help when it comes to reviews. Go into them firing on all cylinders touting your praises.

If it doesn't work, update that resume.

 

[Badwolf]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for your useful ideas. I have spoken to a couple of the other "old" guys and they feel pretty much the same as me. Left out. Trouble is, they're quite a bit older than I and are by their own admission they are past caring. I am going to try a bit of self promotion and get my name around and under the noses of people outside the department and try to make sure that I get any credit I deserve, whilst at the same time updating my resume. One question though. If my boss allocates a task to someone else, and that task is specifically in my job description, what can I do oabout it?

 

[PSE]

goldeneye,

Offer to assist or be a resource of information for that task. That way you might be able to keep from getting blindsided if anything goes wrong (If you can be considered at all responsible for the results based on said job description). If your boss does not go for your offer to assist, the individual given the task might take you up on it.

Regards,