Office Politics ... Help, Please!

I'm listening... will wait for more examples before responding.

2) The phone debit incident: We can take checks by phone for some clients. I asked my manager what to do with the form after I was finished with my steps and he said I was to hold on to it for 3 days and when the payment posts, shred it. I told him I was concerned about leaving what amounts to "cash" on my desk and that I would prefer to leave it in his locked drawer. He said he didn't have a locked drawer. I advised him I did not want responsibility for $1,200. Evidently, the 3 managers had a meeting on that recently and there was some concerns. My manager took it to his manager and then emailed the new procedure, which involved shredding immediately the form.

sozobe, thank you. I appreciate your input.

3) The email vs spread sheet conflict: When an employee of the client is past due, the client will often handle the collections in-house. Our written procedures for a client specify putting the info on a spread sheet we email to them at the close of business. I did that, and a supervisor emailed me that I am to remove it from the spread sheet and email our contact directly.

The next time it happened, I emailed the contact and cc'd both supervisors. One responded asking why I had not included in on the spread sheet. I forwarded the other supervisor's previous email to him. Several emails went back and forth with no clear resolution. So, I took the last person's email and replied with something like, So it's settled then? To send the email, not place on the spread sheet.

The next day, the situation came up again. So I emailed the contact, and cc'd my two supervisors and my manager, who quickly jumped up and asked me why I had done that. I replied that I would send him all the emails explaining why I had emailed the client. Later I asked my manager if I had done the right thing and he said yes.

Yet, again, the situation came up, so I emailed the client and cc'd the two supervisors and one manager. The first supervisor responded, explaining that she had been in error, that the info goes on the spread sheet. I replied that the manager had confirmed emailing the contact and she referred me back to the original written information regarding procedures.

I feel awful, because it probably made her look bad, and I don't think she deserved that, and a lot of time was taken up for something minor and I was in the middle of it, where I don't want to be.

It seems that my coworkers get to do their jobs with minimal constroversy and confusion, but somehow, I can't.

Hmmm. This isn't my area, so there may be something I'm missing, but it really seems to me like you were doing your job and doing it well, and there is nothing to apologize for.

Is there anyone specific person whose opinion you are worried about, who you feel was most upset? One suggestion I have is to maybe bring up to that person, if the person is a supervisor, that you are concerned about lines of communication -- that you feel badly about the recent issues (1, 2, 3, above) and that you'd like to ensure that things go more smoothly in the future.

This could be both proactive and let this person know that you feel badly about the situation without admitting any fault (as I don't immediately see any fault to admit.)

4) The when-to-update-the-phone-number incident: This one is my fault, if trying to understand your job is a fault. (And the next and last incident is the current fiasco.)

Anyway, I noticed that my coworkers were not updating the phone numbers for the members as often as I do. I emailed my supers for "hard and fast rules" or "soft and slow guidelines." One responded saying it was a gray area and a judgement call. I verbally told him, that perhaps I was updating too much and that if they really didn't care, that I wouldn't update as much.

He took it to mean that I was threatening not to do my job. Later, my manager asked me for a list of examples. So I made an excel worksheet of 13 examples with a slot for "yes" or "no." All my work, not my teammates'. Before he went over them with me, he said that some people thought that I thought that I was the only one doing any work.
And I asked who, said that as far as I knew this topic was solely in the hands of my supervisors, not with any teammates.

So, we went over the 13 examples and it turns out that I was update too much.

I sent an email to my supervisors and cc'd my manager apologizing for the "untentional accusatory tone of my email." And explaining that I had been updating phone numbers "willy-nilly and often not in the best interest of the member, the client, the company, or the team." And that I now had "criteria upon which to base those 'soft and slow guidelines.' " And thanking them for their guidance.

Later, at the Christmas party--I was afraid to go! Afraid my team mates would throw tomatoes at me!--my manager apologized that he came down so hard on me. I told him that "whether or not to update phone numbers is minuscule as compared with having offended my coworkers."

He again apologized for coming down so hard on me and I said it was okay, that we could always make up later.

So ... with those in mind ... here comes the current situation ...

Oh didn't realize there was yet more! Looking forward (if that's the right term) to finding out about current situation...

4) [continuted] Also, my manager asked me to keep a list of examples of any coworkers not updating phones numbers and I told him no, that I wouldn't do it. I said that here he was accussing me of thinking I was better than my coworkers on the one hand, and asking me to report them on the other. So I flat out refused and there was really nothing he could respond with, so he let it drop.

Sounds to me like whatchya got there is a failure to communicate. Seems there are some gaping holes in your policy blanket. I ain't there, so I dunno, but I'd think establishing a committee to examine, revise, develop and institute relevant policy might be a good idea. An outside legal advisor oughtta be part of the process, too. Among other things, it sounds to me as though some of the confusion arisn' from these situations exposes your firm to considerable liability risk, apart from the evident organizational chaos and territorial infightin'.


Just my take, but that's what I think.

Yeah, dupre. You are a classic example of the most hated person in the office. You probably don't waste over twenty minutes of worktime, if that. You really do care about your productivity and want assurances you are doing your job correctly and efficiently.

No one except other people with this affliction (about .0001% of the workforce) will believe you aren't just being a prima donna or an asshole or a brown noser. They just don't have a reference point for who you are and what your motivations are.

The only way to be more popular at the office is to watch everyone else and do what they are doing. Never go to a supervisor with questions, never bring up things that may improve productivity, and waste more time on the job. You will be popular in no time.

timberlandko: Thanks! You are probably right. As an underling--which is where I'd like to stay!--I have no control over that. Only what I do and how to get out of the middle of their management-by-crisis strategy.

Leah: Ha! Ha! Oh my, but you do have me pegged! Thanks for the specificity of your response. Your sense of sarcasm is most illuminating and effective. If only I could be that person, how much easier everyone's life would be! I think that I will try, because I do have other things to do with my time and energy.

sozobe, thanks for your gentle, direct approach. I will do that. At the very least, perhaps they will give me a break and back off till I can catch my breath and lick my wounds!

I hate to see you let them win, dupre--but you're right. Its not worth the headache.

Tally-ho on your voyage into mediocrity!

I understand you, and I like you. To Hell with the other 99.99999% of office barbarians.

5) Not trained to handle the request: My manager asked me to contact the client regarding an insurance issue. I did. The contact had some questions as to the ethics of the situation. I advised my manager of her concerns and talked to my boyfriend--also in contact with the member--who told me that the request is ethical and that he would educate the contact. He didn't. I got an email from my manager asking me to follow up with the member, which I couldn't because I didn't have the information. So I went to my boyfriend's deptartment to ask him to follow up. His manager--gently--told me not to go to him directly, but to go through my manager.

So I emailed my manager that the client has some ethical concerns with the request, that I didn't have the information, that if he would guide me to the information, then I could follow up with the client. But, until I had the information I would be unable to proceed with his request and I cc'd it to my boyfriend's manager and to our trainer. Both of them responded with written information--which did not apply direclty here--and with research and an offer to have someone contact the client and guide them to the infomation--a grandfather clause in the insurance policy. I cc'd their responses to my manager.

I feel my approach with my manager was too confrontational, yet I had no way to proceed, having already informed him that I didn't have the information.

And, I fear that our working relationship may now be strained.

My manager never responded to my email and left without addressing the issue.

dupre, there'd be nothin' to prevent you from mentionin' to your immediate supervisor that both legal and productivity concerns might be well addressed by settin' up a committee to work things out in the interest of overall benefit to the firm. You don't hafta be part of it if ya don't wanna be on the committee yourself, but your choices are pretty clear:

Do nothin' and continue to get caught in the crossfire,

Seek employment elsewhere,

or

See if you can try to do somethin' to get at the root of the problem and make things better for everyone concerned.


That's the way I see it, anyhow.

timberlandko: Out of those choices, I would choose to seek employment elsewhere.

And it's a shame because these problems exist everywhere, and I need to learn how to avoid them or deal with them from my underling role, or I will be job hopping for the next twenty years and I don't want to do that.

I'm getting a headache just reading this, never mind
working in such an environment.

To me, this is a prime example of too much red tape and
no efficiency. Policies should be clearly defined so no
co-worker, manager or client is second guessing anyone's
doing.

Without proper regulations and policies dupre, you
always will be running around and asking your managers
for the right procedure, while manger A is telling you one
thing, and manager B another.

If you have the opportunity to change employment,
I'd do so.

Well, mostly the reason the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence is just that your poop ain't on it yet :wink:

CalamityJane: Really? I thought it was me, that I didn't have the teammate or communication skills to work in such an environment.

I hope you are right. Because leaving really does sound like the best, easiest path.

And after the last two weeks, "easy" would be such a welcome relief!

timberlandko: Thanks for the laugh!

Yer weccum, dupre. Another thing to bear in mind is that if work didn't suck, it wouldn't be necessary to pay folks to get 'em to do it :wink: