Predator and Prey in the Workplace

This evening's entry is what one might call a cathartic exercise. That's the polite term for being mad as hell and having to vent somewhere, or simply having my head explode.

It is a well-settled fact that one can only be betrayed by a trusted person. You'd think after a few years in the legal profession, I would have picked up on that one by now, and taken appropriate steps to safeguard from such attacks. Wrong. My better half tells me time and time again that my naivete will be my undoing. She's probably right.

Without getting much into the particulars, I got stabbed in the back by a coworker, about as badly as I could have ever imagined. This co-worker was the first one to tell me when I got on this job how bad the bosses were, how lazy everyone else in the office is, and what a model employee that she is. To make matters worse, she's a person that I have supervisory duties over. So I've already stuck my neck out for her on a couple of occasions. I've done what I thought is the right thing by her. Namely, I've stuck up for my employee's position.

A situation came up, and I thought I gave pretty clear instructions on how to handle it. I'm learning the system here, I still make mistakes. But I learn best by doing it as I go. As long as I don't commit some form of malpractice, there's not much that can't be fixed. This was one of those situations. I goofed a bit, but nothing that hurt anything, or that couldn't be fixed relatively easy.

Apparently, my handling of the situation was not to the employee's satisfaction. I had talked to one of the bosses about it, and he seemed ok with how I was handling the problem. It certainly wasn't like I was hiding anything from anyone, or trying to pass it off on somebody else. At any rate, my answer wasn't good enough, so she goes over my head to the other boss. It draws a bit of fire my way.

What is the biggest deal here is the betrayal. This incident really should clue me into the nature of this person. After hearing her rag on the bosses with a vengeance, I should have known something like this was possible. This person strikes me as an opportunist, with no interest other than making herself look good at the expense of others, at any cost. Even me. The person who stuck his neck out for her.

Well, I've had it with people like that. I have a tendency to be more of a friend than a boss to my coworkers. I've always liked people, and I think they generally like me. I think people will work better for you if they like you. But there's a fine line there. Your supervised employees also have to respect the fact that you can crush them if they get out of line. That message hasn't gotten across, apparently. I guess I have to do something I abhor, and start establishing my status at the top of the food chain.

I hate doing stuff like that. It's just not in my nature. But I'll be a monkey's uncle if I let this sort of thing happen again. I like my new job. I like the guys that I work for. I'm going to keep this job.

So here's how I'm going to deal with it: 1. Tell her flat-out that problems or disagreements need to be handled by us, between us. If something needs to go up the ladder, it's my job to take it there. 2. No more griping about the office situation to me. She's lost her ally forever more on that, because the trust has been destroyed. Her word is up there with politicians, at this point. If she has a problem with conditions or what her coworkers do, she can live with it or leave. I don't care which. As stated, I'm not sticking my neck out anymore for her. 3. Make it clear that if this ever happens again, one of us isn't going to be working there anymore. I'm going to keep my job. Do the math. 4. My kung fu is greater.

End of story. Venting complete. Tomorrow is not going to be a fun day for me.