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Work Colleague Ignoring me

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  • 19-02-2019 11:14pm
    #1
    Unanimous
    Closed Accounts Posts: 143 ✭✭


    I have this report I run every month that I need to tie back to a colleague's.
    We have had differences in our report from time to time and I would email this person with my parameters and ask if they seem different from what they have but my emails are ignored.
    I am in this role 7 months and the person who was doing the job before me happens to be best friends with this colleague and so would normally do more of investigating the differences in the past.
    On one occasion, I had sent my parameters to this colleague to find out if they had them in their report but it was ignored. My handover later looked into this and found out that there was a new parameter that was in the report that would not have been in this colleague's report.
    Take home lesson was that I should have not allowed anything to be included under that parameter and I should try to look for this variances in advance. This would have been resolved if this colleague had taken time to check if they had my parameters and would have noticed there was a new one in it.
    Recently, my there has been differences that even my handover can't identify and suggest I put in time with this colleague to go over the parameters in advance. This was after this colleague ignored me over a fairly significant amount that my handover was putting pressure on me to investigate.
    I put in time recently and this colleague didn't respond so i sent an IM to find out if they would be able to attend the meeting and they ignored the IM as well.
    I mean, if you ignore me like that, then you are disrespecting me especially when I am only trying to do my job. I don't want to start retaliating or behaving funny as other people my misinterpret it and think I am the one with the problem especially when they don't know what this colleague has done.
    I plan on saying this to my manager to say it to the head of the team to say it to this colleague but want to seek advise here first since I am not sure if I should say it to them first.


Comments

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    #2
    _Brian
    Registered Users Posts: 18,494 ✭✭✭✭_Brian


    Life is too short.

    Report it to your manager and let them manage the situation.


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    #3
    dudara
    Registered Users Posts: 33,519 ✭✭✭✭dudara


    Have you actually spoken to this person?


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    #4
    Seraphimx
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6 ✭Seraphimx


    CC’ing their TL or manager into the emails should get their attention.


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    #5
    Unanimous
    Closed Accounts Posts: 143 ✭✭Unanimous


    @Dudara, I am not sure what to say to them because they have been doing this regularly.
    I would even go over to them when they ignore.
    I feel like a nuisance but then they will always say if you have any questions *just ask*
    I don't even know what to say because it is obvious they are ignoring me purposely.
    they have time to IM other people over non work relatednstuff, take tea breaks where they see me.


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    #6
    Unanimous
    Closed Accounts Posts: 143 ✭✭Unanimous


    Seraphimx wrote: »
    CC’ing their TL or manager into the emails should get their attention.

    I thought of that but that won't do much as their manager won't do anything.


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    #7
    beauf
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,651 ✭✭✭✭beauf


    I would take their report and run both so they match.

    Do what ever it takes so your work is independent of theirs.

    Which may require moving to a different team where you don't have to interact with them.


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    #8
    skallywag
    Registered Users Posts: 2,987 ✭✭✭skallywag


    I'm a little confused at your response above, have you went over to where this person sits and asked them e.g. could the two of you sit together for five minutes to discuss this?


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    #9
    homosapien91
    Registered Users Posts: 380 ✭✭homosapien91


    Whenever I experience a difficult colleague I just CC their supervisor in any emails and it always gets a response


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    #10
    OMM 0000
    Registered Users Posts: 3,733 ✭✭✭OMM 0000


    Stop sending e-mails and do everything by going over to their desk.

    Alternatively if you send e-mails you know they will ignore, cc your manager.

    But please, just stop doing everything online and start doing things face to face.


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    #11
    witchgirl26
    Registered Users Posts: 2,078 ✭✭✭witchgirl26


    OP I agree with others. From the sounds of it this person is not good when it comes to replying to emails or IMs (I know a lot of people who hate IMs and ignore them). That being the case, go and actually speak to them at their desk. Say you want to talk through it.
    If they've said to them to just ask then do that. If at that point you're not getting anywhere, definitely raise it with your manager but you need to really attempt the face to face first. And don't set it up as a meeting or an invite. Just drop over.


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    #12
    Sardonicat
    Registered Users Posts: 12,378 ✭✭✭✭Sardonicat


    I would stick with the emails. This creates a trail of proof in your favour should things start to backfire later. As deadline approaches email your manager directly, referring to the CC'd correspondence and ask to please advise as no response to the above. This should force your manager to intervene as you now have proof that they are aware of the problem. If the issue continues, get on to HR, with a copy of the emails.


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    #13
    ongarboy
    Registered Users Posts: 5,201 ✭✭✭ongarboy


    I think so much workplace as well as social interaction today is done online, through IMs or emails that you could have two people sitting next to each other and only communicate via non verbal technology means all day. It's the only way many millenials operate also. Face to face or calling a colleague on the phone is an unknown strategy and intimidating to them.

    This whole CC'ing of managers to get someone to do something is irritating and passive aggressive. If someone is clearly ignoring something, then yes maybe, but if it's the first request to someone for a task, then do not be cc'ing the entire management chain of command. It makes the requester look precious and irritating to work with and ironically put people off responding to you as quickly as they otherwise would if you are consistently or known for doing so. Crying wolf and all that....


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    #14
    homosapien91
    Registered Users Posts: 380 ✭✭homosapien91


    ongarboy wrote: »
    This whole CC'ing of managers to get someone to do something is irritating and passive aggressive. If someone is clearly ignoring something, then yes maybe, but if it's the first request to someone for a task, then do not be cc'ing the entire management chain of command. It makes the requester look precious and irritating to work with and ironically put people off responding to you as quickly as they otherwise would if you are consistently or known for doing so. Crying wolf and all that....

    Who said to CC the manager in the first request? The point made was to CC the manager if the person continues to be difficult.


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    #15
    beauf
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,651 ✭✭✭✭beauf


    This is office politics and manoeuvring pure and simple. Even bullying.

    You need your game face on for this kinda messing.


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    #16
    Sardonicat
    Registered Users Posts: 12,378 ✭✭✭✭Sardonicat


    But OP is not crying wolf. This has been an ongoing issue whereby even when directly approached the colleague is blanking the OP. Bullying, I believe it's called.


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    #17
    Gazzmonkey
    Registered Users Posts: 816 ✭✭✭Gazzmonkey


    homosapien91 wrote: »
    Whenever I experience a difficult colleague I just CC their supervisor in any emails and it always gets a response

    Yeah this works when staff wont respond.... works every time for me as they know a superior now has visibility to their shenanigans.


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    #18
    homosapien91
    Registered Users Posts: 380 ✭✭homosapien91


    Gazzmonkey wrote: »
    Yeah this works when staff wont respond.... works every time for me as they know a superior now has visibility to their shenanigans.

    That's what I meant by difficult, when they won't respond


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    #19
    skallywag
    Registered Users Posts: 2,987 ✭✭✭skallywag


    ongarboy wrote: »
    ...Face to face or calling a colleague on the phone is an unknown strategy and intimidating...

    I agree strongly with this.

    We often will encounter the normal enough situation where a team member needs something from another (could be someone on another floor, or perhaps even someone in the same room) in order to make progress with their own work. The norm can be to send a mail or an IM to request this, which I am completely fine with, as long as it produces the desired result.

    That said, it can quite often happen that no answer is forthcoming, and someone is waiting days with still no response. If this is then brought to my attention, and I then ask as to how the situation is being handled, I can be shown multiple IMs to the effect of 'Hi, did you see my message from two days ago, can you please share this x with me', with more often that not (and I kid you not) a string of smileys following it.

    This behaviour really frustrates me, and I have been quite vocal about it within the team. If something is holding you up like this, then don't send a trail of additional IMs / mails, don't add someone in authority on CC, but rather call this person directly on the phone, or, if location allows, go to their desk directly and politely ask for what it is that you need.

    It does seem though that quite a few people have a phobia to acting in this way, and that they interpret anything which does not have a trail of smileys after it as being something aggressive and confrontational. Calling a colleague seems to be something completely intimidating for some.


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    #20
    razorblunt
    Registered Users Posts: 17,300 ✭✭✭✭razorblunt


    By all means do a desk visit if you need a response but don't stop sending emails, this is your audit trail.

    I would have a word with your manager and have them cc'd on to the mails or just cc the person's direct report too.


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    #21
    0127647
    Closed Accounts Posts: 226 ✭✭0127647


    Sardonicat wrote: »
    But OP is not crying wolf. This has been an ongoing issue whereby even when directly approached the colleague is blanking the OP. Bullying, I believe it's called.


    Complete garbage presuming its bullying. There can be many reasons for someone ignoring someone else at work. Maybe he/she is stressed (work or personal) etc....


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