Workmate = headwrecker - need advise pls

tk123

Firstly i'm not sure if this is a PI or if it should be in the Work forum - sorry if it's in the wrong place mods!!! Anyhoo here goes with my venting...One of my workmates flipped out at me in the canteen in work today. Basically one of our more "demanding" users called looking for me - I had just walked into to the office and I was handed the phone to talk to her. Now normally in this situation the person who takes the call says that they will get the technician to call back OR tries to sort the problem themselves. Now this guy is just plain lazy - he's 20 years older than me and has been in the company abt 6 years but he's CRAP at his job. He has a bad reputation with users because he always fobs them off(especially vips!) and leaves the rest of us to clean up his mess. So to get back to my tale - Me and the 3rd HD person were having a coffee and yer man comes in and starts shouting(he's known to have a bad temper) that he's not going to lie and put his job in jepordy - end of conversation(he actually said that!!grrrrr )Anyhoos I told him I didn't want to argue with him BUT I'd didn't appreciate having the phone thrown at me the minute I come in +it wasn't the first time. The guy starting shouting over what I was saying - I told him to calm down(it was the canteen after all!!) but he just kept going on and on until my other workmate told him to calm down too and said that he was in the wrong. I'm really pissed off about this because I'm always having to fix his mistakes etc but I've never confronted him abt it beause I didn't want to cause any bad feelings/atmosphere because we all have to work together!! I don't know whether to tell my boss because I don't want to cause trouble or look like I need to go running to him everytime theres a prob but there's an atmosphere now and it's really stressing me out especially since he sits right beside me. If he apologises I don't know what to say - he shouldn't have spoken to me like that but it's more that fact that no matter what he's done up until now I've always held my tongue!! Any advise guys??? And sorry for the longwinded post too

Gordon

Ye, probably better in the Work forum.

good luck

tk123

How do I move it?

Edit - Thanx Gordon!!

Supercell

If your boss is worth his salt , he probably knows what this person is like already. Frankly the canteen behaviour is well out of line, I'd speak to the boss, that said am lucky enough to have one that is approachable and fair and clued in.

secret_squirrel

Definately speak to your boss - that kind of behaviour is unacceptable. Although if you are feeling charitable ask him for an apology for his unprofessional actions in private before taking it any further. Personally I wouldnt let anyone talk to me like that in public.

Next time cut him off - tell him this isnt the time or the place and walk away. Tell him if he has a problem to either talk about it professionally in a most private place or to raise it with your boss if he's completely out of order. I hope you have a decent boss?

Bear in mind that you may have to work with the tosser for the foreseeable future though...

tk123

Thanks for the replies guys. My boss is actually really sound. The only thing is that a few weeks ago I had somebody giving out to me(in front of a bunch of people) and I told the boss because he said he had noticed people we're treating us all like crap and to let him know. That's why I wasn't sure if I should mention it to him and look like i'm running to him again - especially since this is one of his guys instead of somebody who thinks they're really important(fix my puter NOW IT minion etc etc!!! ). When the boss took over he had one-to-one meetings with us all and asked if we had any issues - when I brought up yer man the boss was finishing my sentances cos he had already heard complaints from the other guys!! I'm a bit worried that if I do go to the boss yer man might go mental again especially as like secret squirrell says - I have to work with this guy...

Unpossible

why are you fixing this mans mistakes? leave him hanging over his own mess. If he is bad at his job and gets found out or gets into a huge mess then he will either be fired or will quit. If somebody shouts at me I leave it seem like what they are saying means nothing to me. I reply calmy and then act as if they are not there, it will frustrate them further (of course Im really rattled and shaken inside but I dont give people the satisfaction of seeing/noticing this).



this rambling post has bee brought to you by
the deranged mind of mike
deranged since 1982

Raz

Basically one of our more "demanding" users called looking for me - I had just walked into to the office and I was handed the phone to talk to her. Now normally in this situation the person who takes the call says that they will get the technician to call back OR tries to sort the problem themselves.

You didn't quite finish what happened here. Did you take the call or did you tell him you can't take it?
When he said he's not going to lie, what did he mean? Lie to the caller or who? What are the implications of him telling that kinda lie?
I'm just trying to get a fuller picture of the situation. His perspective and yours.

tk123

I took the call but told him not to do that again - i.e. just throw the phone at me because he does it all the time. He has a habit of doing this and it can be with anybody in the company. Say i've been in a vips office and the vip calls to say something isn't working when I'm at lunch or off somewhere else - yer man will tell me to call them when i come back leaving the person waiting instead of trying to sort it himself. My prob is with having a 45 year old man shouting at me like I was a child - he hasn't even apologised!! It's ok thou because I asked my boss if I could move desks today and he said it was fine with him - I think having some distance from the guy will stop him getting on my nerves so much!!

RicardoSmith

Ask the boss what way they want the calls dealt with.

Take ownership, and run with it..or who takes the call resolves the call.

Its a bad idea to have people ringing support unless you are tracking both the calls and their resolution. You need stats and metrics to prove that you are better than the other guy. The stats would show that he takes the calls but doesn't resolve them.

tk123

No No we HAVE a tracking system and all - yer man just does what he wants! Still waiting for an apology but not holding my breath...

RicardoSmith

tk123 wrote:

No No we HAVE a tracking system and all - yer man just does what he wants! Still waiting for an apology but not holding my breath...

If it can do what he wants, then you'll be waiting forever.

tk123

My supervisor noticed I was out of sorts and took me aside to ask what was wrong. When I told him what happened he said he'd have a word with the other guy. He offered to mediate but I said I didn't think it was a good idea cos I thought yer man might freak out so he's going to deal with. Apparently our boss is aware that this guy is crap and if he doesn't improve/gets worse he'll be let go....

Raz

The desk move was a good idea. Do you think the offending colleague (sp?) noticed it was because of him? Seems like the boss is fully aware of how unproductive the guy is. If he's half as bad as you make out you can expect to be several levels ahead of him in the chain of command within a few years.
Then the fun beings

tk123

Haven't moved yet but - he STILL didn't apoligise the wanker but I don't care anymore. I'm doing really well and hanging out with all the boss dudes and he's stuck in his rut! Like you say Raz - I'm moving up the chain and well he's the weakest link - couldn't resist that pun!!

ReefBreak

If anyone starts shouting at you in a workplace with other people around, you should simply get up and walk away. You'd definitely be in the right. There is no circumstances in any workplace where an employee should shout at another employee in "public view" like that - if there's gonna be shouting, it should be done behind closed doors.