I’m posting this here because it’s technically a relationship issue, not your standard man/woman relationship, but a relationship just the same.

I’ve been working as a contractor for a division of General Electric for nearly two years now. My job title is Engineering Assistant. I took the position although I was overqualified because the job market is so brutal here, and I didn’t know when something full-time in my field might open up. After two years, I’m still waiting for something to open up…

My problem is this. After about 5 months with the company, I went from assisting all department to helping only one, the Pipe Support group. I reported directly to one person, who out of respect, I’ll just call Bob. My time in this department was supposed to be about three months, I’m still there now. Bob, who is the dept Lead, has become a major pain in my *****. He started by coming to me daily and talking very badly about the other members of the dept. After a few days of this, I told him that it made me very uncomfortable when he did that, and asked him to stop. He got very offended that I wasn’t willing to listen to it and stormed off. He didn’t speak to me for days. I’ve found out since that he makes derogatory comments about me on a regular basis. Our working relationship had degraded to the point where the only time he talks to me is when he wants to tell me that I’ve done something wrong. Now, I don’t profess by any means to be perfect. I’m human and I make mistakes. My 95% of the time when he calls me on a mistake, it’s not a legitimate error, it’s because I didn’t do something his way. Even if it’s blatantly wrong, it’s still his way.

My background and degree is in Mechanical Drafting and Document Control, and because of that I’m always looking for ways to streamline processes and procedures. Things to save time and ultimately money. Whenever I’ve shown an idea of mine to the Lead, the response has always been, “No, we’ll just keep things the way they are”, and he’ll walk away. But almost every time, within a week or two, maybe a month, my idea will be implemented, and the lead will take full credit for it without so much as ever mentioning my name. You have no idea how much that pisses me off.

There isn’t a single person who works in this dept who has a bit of use for him. You can always overhear an argument of some kind taking place between him and one of the member of the group. No one in the group can stand him, we just at best tolerate him. He is one of the most disliked people in the company. In fact he has been written up for his attitude. But, our whole group is made up of contractors, and we are all afraid to approach the HR dept about him in fear that it might backfire and one of us would lose our jobs. None of us can afford that.

I’m one of the most gentle, easy going people you could ever meet, really. But there have been times in the last few months that I’ve thought about what it would be like to jump this guy in the parking lot after work. I don’t like that feeling at all.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to survive with this guy? I’m really at my wit’s end.

Thanks for reading.

bptoo

"A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart."