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Conflict with permanent staff members

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    Conflict with permanent staff members

    Hello everyone. First I should introduce my self. I am a 27 year old IT engineer, working in mainly first and second line user support. One way or another I have found myself working quite a few contract roles, and enjoyed the benefits of contracting. I'm sorry to spring such a deep question in my first ever post on this forum, but it is a forum I have read many times as a guest and think this might be a good spot for some advice.

    I am currently working for a large public sector organisation in Oxfordshire. I have been working there for approximately 6 months now and coming to the end of my contract. Largely, I have enjoyed working for this organisation and it been rewarding. I have got on well with almost all the team. There is a lot of banter which flies back and forth through the small room we work in. I love nothing more than a good bit of banter at work. I think it's great fun if noone is getting hurt and the work is done; I think it can be team building. I am not sensitive to humour. I find a lot of Jimmy Carr syle humour quite funny, although he does over-step the mark for me sometimes.

    For the purpose of this post, I will call the bloke concerned "Shellam". Shellam is very animated and always cracking jokes left right and centre. At his best, he can be a pleasure to talk to and have a bit of a laugh with. I think he possibly suffers Tourettes because he seems to have certain ticks and not be able to shut up for more than one minute without making a multitude of sounds! The problem is, many times he has made some very very crude and frankly inappropriate jokes. He often makes jokes about rape and make random "joking" sexual references to children (in general, there are no kids on site). A lot of this stuff I have cringed at but sort of let it go over my head.

    There are many times Shellam is very difficult to work with. I find him quite obstructive when I need to know things in order to do the job. Sure, I don't expect anyone to teach me how to support EYE-TEE's, but I find as a contractor, there are always new things to learn about certain procedures and rules in the organisation. Sometimes I will have a customer on hold and I'm trying get some vital piece of information out of him and he just cocks around telling me to look at incomplete documentation and just trying to make me look silly, pretty much backed up by his pathetic side kick who giggles inanely at anything he says.

    Today however, hit a new watershed. He was making comments to the effect of "oh a woman can't be raped, she must be asking for it", in such a serious voice, it's sent chills down my spine, although because of the tone he says things in, you can't always tell if he's joking. "Joking" or not, I was absolutely disgusted by what he said today and I'm pretty sure I am going to report him to the manager tomorrow; I wonder what she will think of his views on a womans' human rights? I told him "my sister was raped, so do you mind?" (I don't even have a sister, but the point stands). To which he just giggled like a ten year old and said "oooh we can't joke about rape any more". I finish in three weeks, but I think this is something quite serious and totally unacceptable for a workplace or anywhere in civilised society.

    Have any of you been in a situation like this? How did you deal with it?

    Sorry it's so deep and ranty, but I've had to get this off my chest, and get some opinions.

    #2
    Originally posted by sockie
    but it is a forum I have read many times as a guest and think this might be a good spot for some advice.
    Do you like films about gladiators?

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by tinsel84 View Post
      Hello everyone. First I should introduce my self. I am a 27 year old IT engineer, working in mainly first and second line user support. One way or another I have found myself working quite a few contract roles, and enjoyed the benefits of contracting. I'm sorry to spring such a deep question in my first ever post on this forum, but it is a forum I have read many times as a guest and think this might be a good spot for some advice.

      I am currently working for a large public sector organisation in Oxfordshire. I have been working there for approximately 6 months now and coming to the end of my contract. Largely, I have enjoyed working for this organisation and it been rewarding. I have got on well with almost all the team. There is a lot of banter which flies back and forth through the small room we work in. I love nothing more than a good bit of banter at work. I think it's great fun if noone is getting hurt and the work is done; I think it can be team building. I am not sensitive to humour. I find a lot of Jimmy Carr syle humour quite funny, although he does over-step the mark for me sometimes.

      For the purpose of this post, I will call the bloke concerned "Shellam". Shellam is very animated and always cracking jokes left right and centre. At his best, he can be a pleasure to talk to and have a bit of a laugh with. I think he possibly suffers Tourettes because he seems to have certain ticks and not be able to shut up for more than one minute without making a multitude of sounds! The problem is, many times he has made some very very crude and frankly inappropriate jokes. He often makes jokes about rape and make random "joking" sexual references to children (in general, there are no kids on site). A lot of this stuff I have cringed at but sort of let it go over my head.

      There are many times Shellam is very difficult to work with. I find him quite obstructive when I need to know things in order to do the job. Sure, I don't expect anyone to teach me how to support EYE-TEE's, but I find as a contractor, there are always new things to learn about certain procedures and rules in the organisation. Sometimes I will have a customer on hold and I'm trying get some vital piece of information out of him and he just cocks around telling me to look at incomplete documentation and just trying to make me look silly, pretty much backed up by his pathetic side kick who giggles inanely at anything he says.

      Today however, hit a new watershed. He was making comments to the effect of "oh a woman can't be raped, she must be asking for it", in such a serious voice, it's sent chills down my spine, although because of the tone he says things in, you can't always tell if he's joking. "Joking" or not, I was absolutely disgusted by what he said today and I'm pretty sure I am going to report him to the manager tomorrow; I wonder what she will think of his views on a womans' human rights? I told him "my sister was raped, so do you mind?" (I don't even have a sister, but the point stands). To which he just giggled like a ten year old and said "oooh we can't joke about rape any more". I finish in three weeks, but I think this is something quite serious and totally unacceptable for a workplace or anywhere in civilised society.

      Have any of you been in a situation like this? How did you deal with it?

      Sorry it's so deep and ranty, but I've had to get this off my chest, and get some opinions.
      No.

      Comment


        #4
        I just thought you should know... Charlie don't surf.

        Comment


          #5
          Well if you can prove it… then he is probably committing harassment, and harassment is both a criminal and civil offence. Problem being proving it, and it's very expensive to pursue a harassment case through the courts, although folk with legal bills funded by trade unions do it now and again and generally win big pay outs. Any half decent HR department should know that even as a contractor they are on very weak ground if you can prove harassment. So that’s the nuclear option, and if you have proof and can afford a likely couple of hundred grand legal bill I would seriously consider taking them on as you could well win enough to retire on.
          Doubt any other legal remedies apply.
          Back in the real world, you only have a few weeks left, I have worked with bigger idiots than this, but I would certainly be making this visible at an appropriately senior layer within their organisation.

          Comment


            #6
            Yeh **** it you;re leaving in 3 weeks. Just be glad you're leaving him behind.
            Rhyddid i lofnod psychocandy!!!!

            Comment


              #7
              Try beating him in a joking contest.

              Comment


                #8
                Holy Fook. That was a long post.

                What's your point? This ain't Oprah.
                Knock first as I might be balancing my chakras.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by tinsel84 View Post

                  Have any of you been in a situation like this? How did you deal with it?
                  .
                  Are you male or female?

                  If you are male did any women overheard him?

                  If you are male and no women overheard then ignore his sexist comments.

                  If you are female then you should have given him sh*t there and then very loudly so the entire office could hear.

                  Oh and in future don't post serious threads in General post them in the professional forums.
                  "You’re just a bad memory who doesn’t know when to go away" JR

                  Comment


                    #10
                    You are a contractor, why are you bantering with permies ? Do you also go camping with them and share some donuts ?
                    Vote Corbyn ! Save this country !

                    Comment

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