As the office tension increases... (language alert)

[Eireann]

Some of you will remember that I posted last month about advice on the best way to handle the person who is "in charge" of the work that I do - work that is not performed as an employee, but as an external contractor.

This is important to remember. I am not an employee.

So, today the "in charge" person was bugging the holy fuck out of me, asking me over and over a question that she shouldn't even be asking, since I gave her the information last week. I asked her if she remembered receiving the information. She just kept asking the question. I asked her what the problem was. She gave me a song-and-dance routine of bullshit. I asked her if there had been any complaints. She claimed that it wasn't important. I asked her, again, why she didn't remember what I told her last week. She didn't answer.

So, some time later, I discovered a communication from one of the employees at this company. We do the same work, but he's an employee and I'm not. Seems this employee has huge problems with me.

So, what did this employee, in all his maturity, wisdom, and professionalism, do?

a) Tell me that he had a problem.
b) Indicate, in some way, that some issues needed to be resolved.
c) Ask for a meeting so we could discuss certain things.
d) All but ignore me, then go behind my back and lodge a snotty, childish complaint about me and my work habits to the "in charge" person, asking for anonymity.

Right. Bad, BAD idea to do so where I could find it - and it's simply a stroke of luck that I did.

One of the other independent contractors is deeply pissed off with the "in charge" person - her lack of professionalism, her lack of qualifications, her stupid rules, the way she fucks up every goddamned thing she does, her insistence on being answered RIGHT NOW RIGHT THIS NANOSECOND despite the fact that she's interrupting the work we're trying to do. Said contractor has lodged a complaint.

I did the same thing today, talking to one of the higher-ups in the company, someone I know and trust, stating the problems that I have, and suggesting what I think is a very reasonable solution. Said higher-up wasn't having a great day, and I hated to add to it, but enough was more than too much. I wouldn't mind at all if both the "in charge" person and the employee were fired immediately, but I didn't suggest it or even hint at it; that's the company's job.

I try to view this as a learning experience. It's showing me that I do have options out there that have nothing to do with the company, and if I'm pissed off, I can go elsewhere. It's also showing me how to stand up for myself.

What a headache!

[wagegoth]

I sincerely believe that what doesn't kill you, leaves scars, but scars are an excellent reminder of what you've learned. I've got a bunch of visible and invisible scars and I've learned a hell of a lot from them.

Good luck! And keep us updated.

[Eireann]

This is reminding me of the time when I worked for another company, and the owners were two of the vilest people I've ever come across. I was afraid to stand up for myself at that time. Once, when I did let one of the owners know (with my tone of voice) that I was very displeased, she was actually helpful. I suppose that in order to keep her off my back, I would have had to treat her more or less the way she was treating me. Yuck.

With this company, I let it go too long, hoping that things would improve. The person I talked to yesterday suggested that Control Freak might just be settling into her job, not sure what to do, maybe things would get better, etc. I said that I had been hoping the same, but that things had grown worse, not better, and that things couldn't go on this way. It seems that Control Freak was hired in order to take some of the load off another department, but the problem is that Control Freak is creating problems every day, rather than being a helpful go-to person.

I also strongly suspect that the employee who bitched about me has a personal problem with me, rather than a professional one, given my response to a sick joke that he made to me several months ago.

Maybe they'll both just quit.

[Broomjockey]

Maybe they'll both just quit.

Don't *ever* rely on fate to solve a problem like this. It's true 99% of the people I disliked at a job quit or were fired eventually, but that's because they were part-time retail jobs with an average turnover of about 3-4 months. In a position like yours, it could be a very long time before they move on.

[Eireann]

I'm not relying on fate, or else I wouldn't have made a complaint about the situation. It would be best for all involved if they did quit, but if I had any faith in that, I'd just be sitting there passively, while Control Freak created an even worse environment and Employee bitched about how hard I am to work with, not even bothering to tell me what sort of a problem he had.

Employee strikes me as a spoiled brat who whines to any authority figure around rather than solving his own problems, while Control Freak is an unqualified, incompetent worker. It's a hellish combination.