Dealing with difficult co workers who wanted my job.

[Jamesp23]

So I started a new job about a month ago and there are 3 of us in the main office. Im the operations manager then there is a branch administrator, lets call her Kylie and a service manager which we will call Tim.

Kylie and Tim have been with the company 5 months and 11 months. Kylie did most of my initial training showing me how to use their system etc etc.

Tim is an obnoxious pedantic Pr%#k. He speaks to me in a condescending tone all the time and isn't very helpful at all. If I go and ask one of the mechanics something he gets $hitty about it yet when I ask him something its always way too hard or he says I don't know or goes out of his way to not tell me anything.

He barely says hello in the morning yet will ask Kylie how her weekend was etc so I know he doesn't like me. He's never asked me anything to make conversation etc or be friendly and only speaks to me when he has too.

 

The sales reps told me one day that they are like that with them too and said he does it so you won't ask him anything so he doesn't have to do as much work.

I mentioned something to my manager but he said thats just the way Tim is and you will get used to it. He's just very rude and seems to crack it or have a go at me about anything he can. An example is one time we had a break down and I kept asking him what I need to do about it and he just looked at me and said "I don't want you to do anything" in a very rude tone. I had only been there 3 weeks and had no idea what to do.

 

Kylie was okay at the start but lately Ive noticed she can often be short and sharp with me especially when I ask her something or for help. Their computer system is crap, and looks like something out of 1999 and hard to get used too So Im often asking how to do something.

 

I then found out that Kylie wanted my job but they told her she wasn't experienced enough so advertised and put me on. I feel that Tim also thinks Kylie should have got the job so he is going out of his way to make things difficult for me so maybe I will quit and it can be just him and Kylie again.

 

One of our reps also told me that I am above both of them in the branch so they probably don't like that either. Even though Im still new and haven't actually show my authority so to speak.

 

So at this stage Im not sure what to do and how to handle this. At first I wanted out and started looking for another job. But now I think stuff em why should I.

I also think Tim is maybe intimidated by my experience in our industry as he doesn't seem to know much.

 

My boss doesn't think its much of a problem so I don't think he's said anything to Tim even though I know the sales reps have complained about him before. I have started pushing back a bit and not putting up with his crap. An example is the other day I took a phone message for him and when I told him to phone Bob about this machine he says "Whats the ID number of the machine" but said it like I was an idiot because I didn't ask the customer.

I said "I don't know, why don't you ask him yourself when you call him back"

He was just trying to make an issue out of nothing as he had to call him back anyway. And once again Im new and don't know exactly what details he requires.

 

So anyway there you go... Any suggestions on how to deal with this??

[d0nnivain]

Call a meeting with them & ask them for suggestions about how to make interpersonal communications among you run more smoothly.

[preraph]

I would ask the manager if he's okay if you stand up to them when they do that. Let him know and then if they go complain, he'll say, Yeah, I told him to.