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Coping with bullying in a contract (long post).

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    Coping with bullying in a contract (long post).

    Hey everyone!

    Haven't been on here for a while but wanted to pop in to get some advice.

    Am currently being bullied (I guess it is bullying) by two members of staff in the department. Basically I was brought in to fix an ICT department that was falling apart and they blame me for pointing out the issues but not themselves at all. There is one 3rd line guy didn’t complete the list of project tasks on one of the sites. He went on holiday leaving the entire site down without any network access or setting up their printers. Then he emailed the whole team cc’ing the Director saying what is the point of the ICT’s Service Desk if not for cleaning up after him when he couldn’t be bothered to do the project work he was assigned. Literally they are a bunch of amateurs playing at running an ICT department.

    Am travelling a lot for the contract trying to sort out issues across their 260 sites across the country and every time I go back to the office I find things have been stolen from my drawers (I had a box of chocolates which I was going to open for them all and they took it and nobody would own up to it), cables ripped out from my docking station, all the cables to my screen pulled out, my chair sometimes hidden. Then they all address the staff in the office to say good evening and then stare at me then walk off.

    I have tried talking to the Director but he says there is little he can do as he is not around much. Also, said that he thinks they are a strange bunch. Not very helpful although he is a lovely guy.

    To be honest am getting tired of it as it is all very childish. Am quite strong but was wondering if anyone has any tips on how to cope with it all as I have been offered an extension after the end of March and am going to raise the paperwork this week with my agency. At the end of the day it is work and a great experience (work wise) but not sure what to do to cope till September.

    Thanks,
    A

    #2
    Make sure that any extension paperwork has a decent notice period in it, and start looking for other work.

    Make sure that the IT director (even if he's not around much) is still aware of the issues - they may be a strange bunch, but they are HIS responsibility to manage. If necessary, make sure that he knows that you are looking to leave because of the staffing issues that he needs to resolve.

    Make sure that you let people in the office know that you have just signed another 6 month extension because you are really enjoying the challenge of working there - if they realize that you aren't going to go quickly or quietly, it may stop.

    Employ a gimp and let them pick on him / her instead.

    Smack one of the c***s and let it be known that they can all expect the same treatment - try including the words "I ain't nobody's bitch!" like the contestant on Hell's Kitchen did last week before offering Ramsay out.

    OK, maybe not the last two, but the others are a possibility.
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    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by *Alterego View Post
      Hey everyone!

      Haven't been on here for a while but wanted to pop in to get some advice.

      Am currently being bullied (I guess it is bullying) by two members of staff in the department. Basically I was brought in to fix an ICT department that was falling apart and they blame me for pointing out the issues but not themselves at all. There is one 3rd line guy didn’t complete the list of project tasks on one of the sites. He went on holiday leaving the entire site down without any network access or setting up their printers. Then he emailed the whole team cc’ing the Director saying what is the point of the ICT’s Service Desk if not for cleaning up after him when he couldn’t be bothered to do the project work he was assigned. Literally they are a bunch of amateurs playing at running an ICT department.

      Am travelling a lot for the contract trying to sort out issues across their 260 sites across the country and every time I go back to the office I find things have been stolen from my drawers (I had a box of chocolates which I was going to open for them all and they took it and nobody would own up to it), cables ripped out from my docking station, all the cables to my screen pulled out, my chair sometimes hidden. Then they all address the staff in the office to say good evening and then stare at me then walk off.

      I have tried talking to the Director but he says there is little he can do as he is not around much. Also, said that he thinks they are a strange bunch. Not very helpful although he is a lovely guy.

      To be honest am getting tired of it as it is all very childish. Am quite strong but was wondering if anyone has any tips on how to cope with it all as I have been offered an extension after the end of March and am going to raise the paperwork this week with my agency. At the end of the day it is work and a great experience (work wise) but not sure what to do to cope till September.

      Thanks,
      A
      Unfortunately you already know the answer to your question. Nothing is going to change until September, the director has pretty much made that clear. So its simple. Do you want to work in the same conditions youre currently in now for the next 8 to 9 months? If not, and youre confident of finding another position, I'd just jump ship.

      Comment


        #4
        Permies or contractors?

        If contractors, just dismiss them. No messing.

        If permies, contact HR and ask what their disciplinary & dismissal procedure is. Then put every misbehaving permie onto it.

        Make sure everyone in IT has a job description; if they haven't got one and you are there to put in best practice, give them an SFIA job description (use HR to make this happen; it may take months).

        Anyone that gives you grief, give them a formal written warning telling them they are now in the disciplinary process.

        Do not be afraid of losing the whole lot of them. Building a good IT support, operations and maintenance team from scratch only takes about 3 months.
        If you read the best 3 books in any subject, you'll be in the top 5% of experts in the world.

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by *Alterego View Post
          Hey everyone!

          Haven't been on here for a while but wanted to pop in to get some advice.

          Am currently being bullied (I guess it is bullying) by two members of staff in the department. Basically I was brought in to fix an ICT department that was falling apart and they blame me for pointing out the issues but not themselves at all. There is one 3rd line guy didn’t complete the list of project tasks on one of the sites. He went on holiday leaving the entire site down without any network access or setting up their printers. Then he emailed the whole team cc’ing the Director saying what is the point of the ICT’s Service Desk if not for cleaning up after him when he couldn’t be bothered to do the project work he was assigned. Literally they are a bunch of amateurs playing at running an ICT department.

          Am travelling a lot for the contract trying to sort out issues across their 260 sites across the country and every time I go back to the office I find things have been stolen from my drawers (I had a box of chocolates which I was going to open for them all and they took it and nobody would own up to it), cables ripped out from my docking station, all the cables to my screen pulled out, my chair sometimes hidden. Then they all address the staff in the office to say good evening and then stare at me then walk off.

          I have tried talking to the Director but he says there is little he can do as he is not around much. Also, said that he thinks they are a strange bunch. Not very helpful although he is a lovely guy.

          To be honest am getting tired of it as it is all very childish. Am quite strong but was wondering if anyone has any tips on how to cope with it all as I have been offered an extension after the end of March and am going to raise the paperwork this week with my agency. At the end of the day it is work and a great experience (work wise) but not sure what to do to cope till September.

          Thanks,
          A
          It is bullying. They clearly feel threatened by you as you are competent. The director should fire the bally lot of them. If he is as lilly livered to do nothing about it then his neck will be on the block soon enough.

          Try and drop a few political grenades in with those influential to the business exposing them for the unprofessional incompetents they are. You don't have to do it directly.

          "Hi John, did anyone follow up on that query? No? That suprises me, they have been discussing it, perhaps I can help" yada yada.
          Knock first as I might be balancing my chakras.

          Comment


            #6
            I find things have been stolen from my drawers (I had a box of chocolates which I was going to open for them all and they took it and nobody would own up to it)
            Can't you leave some booby traps for them to steal? Perhaps a bottle of coke that has some extra additives?
            Speaking gibberish on internet talkboards since last Michaelmas. Plus here on Twitter

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by *Alterego View Post
              I find things have been stolen from my drawers (I had a box of chocolates which I was going to open for them all and they took it and nobody would own up to it)
              When I used to work on 24/7 shift basis, stuff would go missing from my drawers too, cakes/biscuits/etc... so what I did was a make a load of those chocolate rice cripsy and corn flake cakes, with 3 or 4 boxes of ex-lax thrown in for good measure and left them in my drawer. The thieving so and so on the night shift didn't manage to man the phone for much of it apparently.... and strangely enough, that was the last time anything went missing

              Originally posted by *Alterego View Post
              Am quite strong but was wondering if anyone has any tips on how to cope with it all
              See above... take extension, get baking!

              Comment


                #8
                Am not that confident of finding another contract easily at the moment but have been looking. Have had moments of telling them where to stick it. I have a 1 week notice period in the contract and was going to start spamming my CV to every agent I know with it.

                It could help letting them know that I am being extended till the end of Sept and that they will have to work much harder to make me quit.

                Unfortunately they are all permies. Have spoken with HR and they are just the same as the ICT department. They have no understanding of what the ICT do. One of the guys wiped all the London back-up tapes in order to cover up the fact that he had not been doing back-ups and they didn’t fire him for that.

                The Director is currently performance managing them and I each month build up a case of all the work they have not done and screwed up but have yet to see anything change. There was an ICT manager but he resigned in December as so much stuff started crawling out of the woodwork and I really thought the Director would get someone in with some balls to manage them as he is not around. Nothing yet.

                Booby traps and laxatives! I had to search the office for some keys to my drawers to stop theft. Sad isn’t it.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by *Alterego View Post

                  I have tried talking to the Director but he says there is little he can do as he is not around much. Also, said that he thinks they are a strange bunch. Not very helpful although he is a lovely guy.
                  There's plenty he could do if he was so inclined, evidently he is not. He is paid to take reponsibility but he is happy to let things ride. Is this public sector by chance?

                  But as the others have said ultimately it's your call - only you know how much it is affecting you, how deep your warchest is, how many dependents you have, how likely you are to find another gig...

                  Good luck whichever way you go.
                  Numbly tolerating the inequality as a way to achieve greater prosperity for all.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Yep Public Sector. I normally work for Blue Chip and thought it would help me in this economy as so many agents say you must have PS experience to do certain roles. Am at the point of never again.

                    I could live off my Mr as we don't have children and rent a flat but I quite like working as I get very bored being at home on my own. Took 2.5 months out before this contract and was climbing the walls towards the end. I guess I need to decide which is worse sitting at home or being in the office with them.

                    Am travelling all next week for work so I guess I have some time to mull it over whilst on the trains and not seeing them every day.

                    Comment

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