"A coworker went directly to my supervisor with an
e-mail alerting him to a problem on a project..."

Dear Office-Politics,

A coworker went directly to my supervisor with an e-mail alerting him to a problem on a project that I have been indirectly involved in. The coworkers boss was copied, our department admin person was copied and the replacement for my boss who is in training was copied but not me. None of the others were remotely involved with anything on the project.

My name was used in the e-mail as a possible link to the problem on the project which started with a client representitive saying that I said something and then passed it along to some one else in their company until the story about the problem grew and grew.

In the past I helped my co worker many times over when he needed it. I have always been there for him. All of the latest activity however has jogged my memory and after some reflection I recollect that he has done the same thing to me on two other occaisions. Looking back I had to expend alot of effort to clear my name from the misunderstandings. I see the coworker as someone obsessed with making high sales numbers in a territory that has never experienced growth up until lately. He also thinks he is up for a regional manager's position next year. So he has a lot of motivation to keep his slate clean and I believe he is looking for someone to blame whenever something negative happens on his projects.

I am not in direct competition with this person since I am in a support position.How can I break this coworkers habit of going directly to my boss and teach him to respect me by discussing his project problem with me first If I am involved?

Greatly Peeved

Dear Greatly Peeved,

Teaching other people anything -- especially if they are unwilling is very difficult. Think of your own experience. Did you always cheerfully accept your parent's or teacher's discipline? Probably not... so what can you do in this situation, especially when you have 'no authority' over him?

This troublesome coworker is an obstacle to your happy employment. He's a thorn in your side. You can't get rid of him. You don't have the power to fire him. And to construct a trap to prove he's a conniving jerk would be unethical and dangerous to your own career. Try to work around him. There will always be people like him that you encounter through your life. You need to up your resilience factor.

Your best path is to make sure you are 'selling' your value to your Bosses. Don't take it for granted that they will notice your hard work. Find ways on a daily and weekly basis to show them -- in a factual way -- that you are earning your keep. If a client praises you, forward the email to your Bosses -- that is 'gold'. By tracking your progress and achievements on a project by project basis you will also be building your resume -- just in case you need (for mental sanity) to go elsewhere.

Good luck. Thanks for writing to Office-Politics.

Franke James
Creator, The Office-Politics Game
www.officepolitics.com

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