Made an enemy - need advise

Friends come and go but enemies accumulate.

I think you're SOL. Just leave asap.

.
.....BELCH!

Hello...

You have a no-win situation. You should find another job and get out of there.

I guarantee you that your boss' boss knows all about your boss' behavior and s/he doesn't care for whatever reason. They _always_ know. Wouldn't you know? How could they not know? Going over your boss' head will accomplish nothing. Don't waste your time.

But, while you're still there, there are some things you should do. These will require extra effort from you that you shouldn't have to expend, but you must because of the situation.

You need to do your job. You need to occupy the space that your job should occupy. You've really got nothing to lose. For example:

- If your staff are not providing you with information you request, you should have weekly, daily, whatever face-to-face meetings to get the information you need and should have.

- If any of your staff are insubordinate or uncooperative, you should initiate disciplinary action on them.

Like I said, you have a no-win situation and should get out. But, while you're still there, push back.

Good luck.

-----Steve

I have had the same happen, I was in a company for 10 years had 3 different bosses and 1 was nasty ( but somehow I outlasted her ) - she ended up moving on not me.

Your options are:-

Directly confronting him with your issues

Sit back take it and do nothing and look for another job

Speak to HR about your issues or go over his head

All will have some repercussions

"For every action there is equal and opposite reaction."

Every human thought, word and deed is a Cause that sets off a wave of
energy throughout the universe, creating calm and desireable, or stormy
and undesireable Effects.

It sounds like a real unhealthy situation for you. I would give a detailed status report to upper management immediately to show that I had a handle on my project and to prevent any further negative PR from my boss. I would try to limit or circumvent any contact with the boss as much as possible. Email would be my preferred method of contact so I have a record.

Belching as an answer to a question is just unacceptable behavior and very unbecoming if it is the boss. I would secretly record my Q&A sessions with him. If he belches again, the tape goes to HR or upper management. Thats harassment.

You really need to get another job. Try to create as much positive PR about your project as possible. Get your references lined up. Don't quit. Wait for your "severence package" if you have one.

Sometimes you go out in flames. It happens. Try to generate positive PR wherever you can with the right people before that happens.

burn that mother to the ground,don't forget to grab your swingline on the way out the door.

The diplomatic approach might work, but my experience with HR has shown me that they only have the company's interest in mind,you know what they say,don't bite the hand that feeds you(that is the official HR motto).
if you can't just pack it in and leave,work your arse off,do everything in your power to complete every project on time,under budget,allow your work to speak for you.

I would document every single communication with this a-hole,hell I'd even make him aware that face to face and phone communication are being recorded,tell him it's so you don't miss any details that could easily be forgotten.I'm positive his attitude will change when the recording starts.
This a-hole knows what he is and he feels untouchable you just need to prove him wrong.

BTW if all else fails,an assault and battery charge might be worth it.

Hi pm_chump,
It has been almost a year now and I was curious. What advice did you end up taking and how are things going? I hope you took the high road.

You've rattled off 4 layers in your post. Do you work for the State of NY? If so, I believe you have some protections. If you've already got your boss PO'ed to the point that your looking for another job and if you're pretty sure that you can't reconcile, then along with the suggestion to document everything, I would advise you to copy your boss' boss on everything.

Got a report due? Copy upper mgt. Project plan moving along? Copy upper mgt. Memo to your reports asking for project status? Copy upper mgt. This technique will keep upper mgt alerted to the fact that you're still doing your job, and it'll let your immediate boss know that he does not have 100% control.

If there's hope that you and the boss can get it back together, then this might not be the best course of action. Best of Luck.

Edit - Holy cow, I just noticed this thread is a year old. Sorry (again)