Well…
I had an emotional break down the next day after I posted my last entry. To put it bluntly, Santa’s Helper has been put into his place and I AM the management of the project. The conversation that morning followed like this:
SP: What number did I leave off on the sand cones?
ME: Ten I think
SP: Are you sure?
ME: Pretty sure. Check the notebook.
SP: What’s your problem this morning?
ME: Huh? I’m a little tired and… (gets interrupted here)
SP: (dropping his voice to where it was like a father would talk to a child caught doing something they weren’t suppose to) Don’t you get snotty with me. I won’t put up with your attitude.
ME: (getting snotty for being accused of something I’m not quite sure of when all I did was answer a question because I also will not be treated like a child) I have been extremely good in my interactions with you these passed few weeks. Don’t you dare talk to me like that.
And I got up and I left. And the more I thought about how he talked to me, the more angry I got and the more upset I got. I ended up calling the field manager and leaving a message (him and a bunch of guys were on their way back from Denver for the something I haven’t had much freedom to talk about). He called me back after getting it and I broke down over the phone and told him that I couldn’t take being treated the way Helper treats me. KL showed up to site shortly after that and I hadn’t been able to get control of myself. And while I call him the biggest air head I have ever met, I give him props.
He was in the passanger seat, I was in the driver’s seat driving and crying and being a little on the hysterical side. He just let me talk and get it out. And I don’t think he gripped the passenger door once in my whipping around of corners on the haul roads.
KL had a chat with Helper. Helper has been interacting with a forced politeness to me the last two days. And if that is how it has to be, then that’s how it has to be. But the next time he treats me with disrespect, he’s out of there or I’m out of there. I’ve made that clear to both TS and KL.
One thing that KL did confirm - I am QC management. I am the one in charge. And Helper just has to deal with it.
WOW, that it had to come this far is probably typical in business but finally, yes finally there is some clarity in the situation, someone has actually seen fit to set hierarchy rules which should have been in place from the beginning. I hope that you, well, I mean; You know when you are in this situation, you have just finished the real emotional part of crying and are drying away the last of the tears that are still coming and then someone makes a joke that you half laugh, half cry at, it would have been a good time to half laugh, half cry the following question: “and now I’m QC management, do I get a managers pay rise?” and then sort of laugh/cry again, hey, you never know. Glad to hear you got rid of some/all of the months of pent up emotion, it’s just to energy draining to keep it locked away
November 19th, 2007 at 2:16 amI could never put up with that much crap from one person.
You are a pretty strong person. Hang in there.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:18 amRick - lol, I do kind of laugh about it now… it’s just only so much that one person can take… I should ask for a raise… considering they only bill me at a junior engineer’s scale for the job :)
Karnov - Stubborn to fix my own problems is more like it… a normal person probably wouldn’t of let it go on as long as I have oiy
November 20th, 2007 at 9:02 pm