Workplace How To Handle Ridiculous Co-Worker

msJenna

msJenna

Member
May 12, 2007
991
1
#1
Currently I work part time for a small company.

Recently an ex employee who used to be a manager came to the owner of the company begging for a position. He was offered a position of an employee at one of our locations (they are all nearby in the same building).

He was not offered a management position- he's just a normal employee.

Within his first few days working here again he would come to the other locations and tell people how to do their jobs. He even bossed around my manager and moved things around creating issues for other employees. He's been told off by three employees.

I came to work about two weeks ago and my boss had a sit down with me.
My co worker from another location and I will meet up when there's no customers and have a cigarette outside which takes 5 minutes. We are allowed to do so.

The ex management employee told my boss me and my co worker went outside for 20 minutes (not true) and that we are having an affair...and he thinks we go outside to hook up with each other. I'm not even kidding.

My boss knew it was BS and wrote a complaint to the company owner.

The ex management employee also told my boss everyone hated her (not true) and told her to fire my co-worker that I smoke with!

I came to work today (two weeks after this incident) and my boss seemed upset.

She told me the ex management employee once again made complaints about me and my co worker. The ex management employee has no reason to complain neither of us have done anything. Yesterday I had a woman offer to write a letter to the owner telling her how wonderful I was to her when no one would help her. I take my job pretty seriously, I do a good job I go by the book and I am excellent at customer service. He literally has no reason to complain- I have been doing everything by the book lately and it's not even his place to complain- he doesn't work at this location!!!! He complained to the company owner and suggested we should be fired and if not, we need to be re-trained. He offered to take over the night staff and re train us! I've been with this company for 7 months and my co worker has been with the company for two years!!!


My manager knows the ex management employee is trying to take over management and everyone knows he's trying to kiss the owners bum and suck up and make up lies so he can pry his way into a management position. I called it two weeks ago and now he's making up more BS and offering to re-train us, IE take over management at night, plus telling my manager no one likes her, to make her feel bad and maybe want to quit!

So now my manager has to come in at night time to supervise me and my co worker (which she is upset about) and the owner has made her adopt a 3 strikes you're out rule so if I make a slight mistake (something on the computer or I forget something) I can get fired. All because this idiot is making up lies about me and my co worker which have no basis- and he isn't even a manager!

My manager gave me permission to tell him what I've heard and give him a piece of my mind. I am beyond fuming and don't know if I should say something to him, say something to the owner, ignore him or what...but I'm PISSED!!!

I don't want to lose my job over this guy and I'm super tempted to chew him out. GRRRR
 
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#2
JMHO small company politics are the worst. keep your cool and don't give him a 'piece of your mind' because it could backfire. see what happens next, I think you're right this person is just trying to get their way back to management
 
#3
wow. this guy truly sounds like a psycho. i'm afraid because the owner of the company is jaded by his lies and obvious jealousy towards you and your co-worker, you may just have to do what he tells you while he's training you. otherwise, he will most likely make something up to the owner and act like you're disobeying him and not showing an interest in the company.

i'm sorry you're dealing with this. my last few jobs were a small, locally owned company and tbh, i'm done with it! working for a larger company is so much better because you always have someone above your supervisor to go to if needed. when there's an owner in a situation like that, you're screwed!

good luck and just do your job and listen to this schmuck—as much as you don't want to, or i'm afraid he will run to the owner immediately thereafter!
 
#4
i'm sorry you're going through this as well. i went through something sort of like this at my last part time job (i was there for 7 years). and it was new management that was screwing with me. I got so fed up that i actually went to the owner, but the owner was such a coward. He would tell me he wanted to help me and get to the bottom of things but then i knew he was going back to the manager and the manager was telling him lies.
sadly, it didn't end well for me. i lost the battle. but all you can do is fight fight fight. and honestly, this guy isn't management for you so i would call him out on it. better yet - contact the owner and tell him you want a meeting with him and the person that's causing the issues and get it all out in the open.
 
#5
Can you and your manager speak to the owner? I don't think you should attempt to speak to him on your own since he already has a tainted view of you. I would also give this guy a piece of my mind, but after work when he can't complain about you taking work time for something personal.
 
#6
Is there anyone in HR you can talk to? Speaking as an ex HR person, I think you might be able to make a sexual harrasment complaint against him since he is discussing your "sex life" with another employee. Slander is also a form of sexual harassment. JMHO.
 
#8
OMG. I'm so sorry you're going through this. He really does sound like a psycho. You need to be careful around him. He has psychological problems!

Are guns legal in your state? :P No, just kidding. But seriously, be careful.

Just keep doing your job and it seems that he won't last long. He's just causing problems- no manager likes to deal with troublemakers. They just make management tougher.

I agree with the recommendation to call a meeting between you, him, and HR. Even if nothing gets resolved, there will be documentation that YOU complained about him too. Not only that he complained about you. Documentation is everything. Really, everything. File a complaint and move on with your job. Management will handle the rest. But, they need help. Someone needs to complain about him. This will give mgmt a reason to fire him.
 
#10
chanelbelle7 said:
Is there anyone in HR you can talk to? Speaking as an ex HR person, I think you might be able to make a sexual harrasment complaint against him since he is discussing your "sex life" with another employee. Slander is also a form of sexual harassment. JMHO.
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This might not be a bad idea. If you file a formal complaint, HR has to deal with it. If the company is professional at all, they will be cautious and want to avoid a lawsuit from you. I believe (Chanelbelle correct me if I'm wrong) that you'd have to specificatlly state in writing or verbally that you want to file a complaint. Just having an informal chat with HR might not be sufficient. If this person doesn't have any special relationship with the current owners, hopefully management will get him in line.
 
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