Every office has one of these. Is there a word that describes them? (job, company)

[rosie_hair]

Every office has at least one of these critters. They do not work well with others. They like to blame other people for their mistakes. Rather than trying to right a wrong, they blow up the whole thing to cover themselves. Etc. You know what I'm talking about.

First of all, let me be clear on this. I have absolutely no doubt of these people's abilities. Particularly this one guy in my office. He is a fountain of knowledge. He knows just about everything about everything. He has decades of experience. After having worked with him for months now, the question that came to my mind is why isn't he an RE or assistant RE or even a project manager? I'll call him Bob (not real name) to make my explanations easier.

For my current job, I work as an on-site resident engineer. I'm the guy that make the decisions and signs off on everything. I report directly to the project RE (the big boss).
My first week on the job I was suppose to just follow the other engineers around and get a feel for the job. Anyone who's ever worked in a technical field knows that the first week is hazy at best because you are hit with all these plans, calculations, concepts, and jargons. I know during my first month I was still trying to make heads or tails out of the plans.

Anyway, my first week out observing there was a mistake in one of the orders. And the RE happened to be there at the time. My boss quickly corrected it, and later we found out that it was Bob that made the mistake. Later on, Bob was talking with the project manager when I walked by. Bob called me over and in a very loud voice said "I'm very disappointed in you for making that mistake today. Don't do it again!" He was loud enough to make sure everyone around heard him.

Well, while it's common practice to pin the mistake on the new guy, how he did it raised a red flag in me. After that, he acted like he was my father/mentor. But he kept doing things that undermined me in front of the others. And I continued to be someone he blamed his mistakes on.

What I've noticed is he is deathly afraid of being burned for a mistake. The first thing that always comes out of his mouth after every decision is "he gave the order" pointing to someone else. For instance, one time there was a concrete pour that was too stiff. So, he "recommended" that they put in superplasticizer to make a better flow. I happened to be there at the time to take down some details for my report to the RE. When the RE came by later on and lightly asked about the stiff pour, before I could say anything (and I swear), the first thing that came out of Bob's mouth was "he gave the order" pointing to the quality control guy. What he did wasn't wrong, but it showed just how afraid he is of responsibility. In my head I was like "dude, you're a construction manager, act like one".

I've worked here long enough to do my own thing without being bothered by anyone. Still, every once in a while he'd pop in and check up on me. And every time he does so, he makes sure all the laborers, all the foremen, all the operators, and all the other engineers around (they're suppose to report to me for me to sign off on what they need to do) that I was only hired last year. He continues to describe me as "the new guy" every time he pays a visit to my site.

I don't mind people knowing I started working this job last year. In fact, I regularly tell them that and ask for their help. What I do mind is every time he pops into my site he tells everyone that I'm "the new guy" and they should "go easy on me". Sometimes, he would go as far as jokingly say "he doesn't know anything..." referring to me. It completely undermines my authority as the site engineer and manager to my men.

I think he feels threatened by me, considering the RE is giving me more assignments than him nowadays.

And let me be clear. I'm not one of those ahole managers that force people to respect me. I regularly joke around with my men and really talk to them. I'm very easy going with them. I sometimes ask for their help when I don't know something. And I think I'm pretty reasonable with their times. Like sometimes I would give them the extra half hour or so to boost their work time up by an hour. These guys are hard workers.

Is there a word that describes Bob?

[STT Resident]

Basically, "Someone You Only Deal With When You Absolutely Have To". Other choice descriptions come to mind but there's no one word I can drum up.

Hopefully you're not reacting with even a raised eyebrow when he makes these comments around your team. They likely know he's got a fragile ego, self-esteem issues and, if they don't, they'll quickly figure it out. That he's never been promoted to a level which his years of experience would otherwise merit denotes that his superiors know exactly what they're dealing with.

[bande1102]

I would call him out on his behavior. I would consider getting him alone and saying something like, Bob, you know I didn't make that mistake so stop telling people I did. I know you're lying and you know you're lying, so knock it off. When he said things like, "he's the new guy"': I'd respond back with something like, "Bob, we're busy right now." and brush him off.

I wouldn't give him a break because he's old or smart or more experienced. He's a bully and a jerk and he's trying to interfere with your ability to make a living. Who cares what his issues are? He gets away with his behavior because other people tolerate it. This would make me question the integrity of the organization.

[Suncc49]

Construction can be an interesting industry where not everything is politically correct..... Toughen up, cover your azz, and let your work do the talking. Chances are other people have had run ins with Bob too.

[thatguydownsouth]

There are certain people you encounter in the working world, that the English language has failed to devise a properly satisfying word for.

[rosie_hair]

Originally Posted by Suncc49

Construction can be an interesting industry where not everything is politically correct..... Toughen up, cover your azz, and let your work do the talking. Chances are other people have had run ins with Bob too.

Well, I just ignore him every time he belittles me in front of others. He's an old guy, so I do give him a little respect and leeway.

And you are right, other people have had run ins with Bob. They've told me all about it, which fit very accurately with my experiences with him.

In fact, I recently found out something about his past that I'm not suppose to know. Found out that he used to work for my brother's company. My brother works as an RE over there. Back over there, Bob made it to being an RE once. His first RE job was with the tollway. When he was presented with what the tollway wanted and their pre-plans, he started criticizing this is wrong that is wrong. The tollway reps pulled my brother aside and told him they did not want Bob to be the RE for the project. Bob was quickly pulled aside and my brother personally took over the project. Recently I overheard my boss talking to Bob down the hallway. My boss said he'd rather work with someone that corrects the mistakes instead of raving on and on about who made the mistakes. I remember thinking to myself "wow, it's pretty much what my brother said about Bob".

In a way, though, I feel sorry for him. Again, he is a fountain of knowledge. He's the only person I've ever known that can recite the chemical formulas of the chemicals we use in the industry. He just doesn't have the right personality to go with it.

[laorbust61]

If this were a woman acting this way, I think Queen B*tch would be the proper term.

[nybbler]

Usually the word for them is "boss".