When a coworker undermines you...

[Watercolors]

What do you do? Do you report it to your supervisor, or do you keep quiet and do nothing?

 

Background: I just got a new job and the gal who I replaced (she's 20 years younger than me and has been there for 2 years), has completely undermined me in a few ways;

 

*she has literally taken mail out of mailboxes placed there by me, and accused me of not putting them in the correct mail box.

 

*she told our supervisor that she and the other admin should deliver packages instead of me doing it when the mail comes in, so that I will stay at the front desk (this is a receptionist role I'm doing, fyi)

 

*I was promised in my interview that I would be given opportunity for advancement into higher admin roles but now that offer has been 100% removed, b/c the supervisor decided after hiring me, not to give the receptionist opportunity advance, on the advisement of the previous receptionist who she advanced to a higher admin role.

 

I feel duped. Admittedly, I took the 1) b/c I needed a job asap and 2) was promised I would only have to do it for 1 year before I'd be advanced into a higher admin role which is now taken off the table completely.

 

Now, I will stuck sitting at the front desk with NOTHING to do all day long. I'm not allowed to bring a book to read, or surf the internet. This.is.hell.

 

I feel like I'm being undermined in a new job and now that it's dead end, I'm back to square one: Looking for a job while I have this awful job.

 

Advice welcome.

[Mr. Lucky]

Nor sure why you led with the coworker when the lack of potential advancement is a much bigger issue.

 

I'd have an immediate and frank discussion with the decision-maker about your goals and how they fit in with the company's plans. And then depending how that conversation went, I'd start looking for an job while making sure I was fulfilling the basic requirements of this one.

 

There's at least a chance you may not have all the information, so time to talk about what the future holds...

 

Mr. Lucky

[schlumpy]

We've all been there. The stars align against us and every attempt we make to correct the situation fails. You need the job.

 

I admit that visions of destroying your enemies and emerging triumphant on the business battlefield will play like movies in your mind but what you will use the tactic of wisdom - withdraw and hunker down. You are overmatched and you can't fight a multi-front war on foreign territory.

 

Keep up the job search and meanwhile smile and be pleasant. Try to change the rules by creating your own job. Consider being a gopher.

 

Look for jobs that other people (especially administrators) don't want to do or find onerous and take them on. Once they come to depend on you for all those nuisance small details you find yourself in a much better place.

 

This isn't wishful thinking on my part as I actually witnessed a fellow worker use this strategy and he benefitted quite handsomely for it.

 

BTW, I've always wanted to ask you about your avatar. Did you paint it? If so it's very nice and if not its also very nice.

[Lotsgoingon]

Sometimes we need the help of others in figuring out a strategy when we run into roadblocks and jerks on a job, especially a new job.

 

Is there anyone at the job who you trust--that you can talk to?

[Watercolors]

Nor sure why you led with the coworker when the lack of potential advancement is a much bigger issue.

 

I'd have an immediate and frank discussion with the decision-maker about your goals and how they fit in with the company's plans. And then depending how that conversation went, I'd start looking for an job while making sure I was fulfilling the basic requirements of this one.

 

There's at least a chance you may not have all the information, so time to talk about what the future holds...

 

Mr. Lucky

 

I led with the undermining coworker because I believe her undermining actions are the reason why my job role changed. Remember, she's been here for 2 years already whereas I just started less than one month ago.

 

This morning as the c.o.o. walked into the office I asked her to stop and speak to me for a few minutes. I repeated what the former receptionist told me about the removal of my job duties and she corroborated everything the receptionist told me yesterday -- even the fact that the job role has 100% changed and no advancement roles are now possible. So, she gave me all of the information and now that I know I'm in yet another dead end job, with no advancement, I have to continue my job search.

 

But I obviously can't use this company as a job reference if I plan to quit here. How does one get another job while they have a job -- a terrible job.

 

We've all been there. The stars align against us and every attempt we make to correct the situation fails. You need the job.

 

I admit that visions of destroying your enemies and emerging triumphant on the business battlefield will play like movies in your mind but what you will use the tactic of wisdom - withdraw and hunker down. You are overmatched and you can't fight a multi-front war on foreign territory.

 

Keep up the job search and meanwhile smile and be pleasant. Try to change the rules by creating your own job. Consider being a gopher.

 

Look for jobs that other people (especially administrators) don't want to do or find onerous and take them on. Once they come to depend on you for all those nuisance small details you find yourself in a much better place.

 

This isn't wishful thinking on my part as I actually witnessed a fellow worker use this strategy and he benefitted quite handsomely for it.

 

BTW, I've always wanted to ask you about your avatar. Did you paint it? If so it's very nice and if not its also very nice.

 

I wish I could ask the agents here for work but I was told this morning by the c.o.o. that no, I will not be helping anyone. I will solely distribute mail, answer phones, and book the conference rooms. That's literally IT.

 

There are only 3 admins here (incld. the former receptionist) so unless I were to beg them to let me help them with a mass mailing, I don't know if they'd give me their overflow of admin work to do.

 

But I fully believe that the former receptionist undermined my role. I don't know why the c.o.o. would not want to tell me herself that my role was obliterated to just the bare minimum of duties. It's bad leadership to say the least and very top down-esque. Clearly, advancement stopped with this receptionist who was promoted into the admin role she has now.

 

I will keep up my job search but I don't know who I can use as a job reference (I don't have old job references either, fyi) from this company if they won't advance me beyond receptionist. So, what do I do?

 

Sometimes we need the help of others in figuring out a strategy when we run into roadblocks and jerks on a job, especially a new job.

 

Is there anyone at the job who you trust--that you can talk to?

 

Here? Nope. I am brand new. Everyone here is loyal to the company and I'm brand new. I don't think I should complain to anyone here as I have worked here less than one month. It's a small office too of about 30 people.

[preraph]

Spend your time at that boring desk looking for a job. They can hardly blame you since they went back on the agreement for advancement.

 

Meanwhile just be nice to everyone and don't worry about this lady since you are leaving anyway. You still need a decent recommendation. You don't want to be fired.

[Watercolors]

Spend your time at that boring desk looking for a job. They can hardly blame you since they went back on the agreement for advancement.

 

Meanwhile just be nice to everyone and don't worry about this lady since you are leaving anyway. You still need a decent recommendation. You don't want to be fired.

 

Yes, I will hunker down and smile and do the silly job since it's quite simple.

 

But, what if they won't give me a good job recommendation after all is said and done when I find a new, better job more suited to my interests and skills? What then? I have no other professional references other than some social acquaintances who I trust would lie through their teeth for me. But, why would this company want to give me a good recommendation if I am looking for a better job and plan to quit when another company wants to hire me? I'm really stressed out about how to maneuver this to my advantage.

[Watercolors]

BTW, I've always wanted to ask you about your avatar. Did you paint it? If so it's very nice and if not its also very nice.

 

Sorry I totally forgot to answer this question, schlumpy. No, I didn't paint it but i do love watercolor paintings.

[divegrl]

Hi,

 

Didn’t you have another thread about a choice between 2 job offers? Is the other position still available?

 

Otherwise start looking for a new job ASAP. Come into work, get your job done and avoid the drama. Hopefully something new will open up soon.

 

Have a beautiful day!

[Watercolors]

Hi,

 

Didn’t you have another thread about a choice between 2 job offers? Is the other position still available?

 

Otherwise start looking for a new job ASAP. Come into work, get your job done and avoid the drama. Hopefully something new will open up soon.

 

Have a beautiful day!

 

Yes, I did but the other job was a temp job, not a permanent job. And, I'm very much through with temporary income.I'm too old to be walking a continuous tightrope of "where will my next paycheck come from?" that is the temp world as there are no guarantees for ongoing work contracts EVER.

 

This is a permanent job that I was promised would morph into a higher paying admin role in one year (as had been the tradition at this small company for 15 years with the c.o.o. the first receptionist to advance all the way up the corporate ladder to her role now as the chief operating officer).

 

How do I use this company as a good professional reference if I'm going to quit. Wouldn't they give me a bad job reference once companies start contacting them for professional references? They'll find out I'm job searching that way and I don't want them to know.

[divegrl]

Sometimes people get lucky and enter a small company at the right time. As the company grows so does their position. If this company is now stagnant, unfortunately there’s just no way for you to move up.

 

When you apply for new jobs, just tell them not to contact your current employer. This is pretty standard.

 

Have a beautiful day!!

[Eternal Sunshine]

I personally speak up in those situations. Either to the person directly or to the manager. When I think someone is undermining me at work or manipulating me, I call it out. I have said: stop manipulating me just last week. Results are usually that that person starts avoiding me and finds another target. I have never been into fake politeness.