jealous shop floor supervisor?

Has anyone experienced this?

he is always harassing, always second guessing my skills, he is a liar. its bizzare

I have 40 yrs exp. as a fabricator/welder. Im not here to brag or anything like that. If I was a supervisor, I would welcome a guy with experience. I would give him a job or a stack of prints and basically let him get it done. All of my projects come out good. zero complaints from the big boss or customers.

He knows my skills. I have been there for 7 yrs. I dont know what to think.

any advice would be appreciated.

Mike

Sometimes you just have to recognize that people can be massive assholes. I've found it best to ignore them when possible, leave if intolerable. Don't let HIM bring you down to his level, and especially, don't be stupid.

It won't help, but for perspective you can be sure this is an issue from centuries ago, and will be centuries hence.

Have you considered he is looking to reduce staff in the shop and zeroed in on you. I fell victim to just such an individual after years of employment.

You being independent, as smart, smarter jeopardizes his position (in his opinion). It doesn’t do you any good to point that out and likely makes more stress for both of you. likely better if you support him more even though he may not deserve it.

I have seen the scenario play out before where an a hole guy setts his sites on another worker and pushes him / her out. I agree with Milland don't stoop to his level, From what you have said you are better person than that.
If you like your job and are good at it, as it, (sounds like you are) then just decide.
Suck it up and just yes sir him. Or bide your time and secure a new job, then leave.
IMHO there is no reason to put up with his bull, Just strive to be a better person, he will get his soon enough.
At my Uncles factory 1n the early 70's people like him were given an attitude adjustment after their shift, and it worked like a charm.
Now a days you cannot do that, but your a better person, set an example it will make him look bad.

Sorry to hear about your problem, good luck hope things work out for you.

Happens all the time in this world.

My suggestion would vary based on the rest of management.

People in supervisory roles are usually that way because management allows it for one reason or another. Pick and choose the battle. If being open and honest with the person on how it affects you gets you no where, then either leave or ignore it.

Check your attitude. We went through this from the other side of the coin. They hired a guy with an equal amount of time in the trade as you, wouldn't listen to anything anyone tried to tell him. Almost got people hurt, machined into the table of our mill, (wasn't his fault), crashed a plate into the quill handle of another machine and broke it (wasn't his fault), bragged about how they sent HIM to DeVleig for training on using their jig mill early in his career. Came by us and forgot how to use it and blamed me for fucking it when he had one of the handles in the wrong position. Got really pissed when someone had to show him ("those cocksuckers fucked it up") how to set the bolt hole function on the DRO. He must have been allergic to oil because he never oiled a machine let alone cleaned up after himself. We all get crunchy in our old age, me included. Lord knows I can be pretty stubborn too. Not directed at OP but we all need to check out egos sometimes. "FRED" retired, ended up passing away from a heart attack ALONE in his back yard. Sad ending to a sad life.

Life is way too short to mess around. You can yes sir it if you want and subject yourself to this abject slavery if you wish yet in the long run it gives you nothing but baggage.

Yes guys like this are fostering physical conflict because that is how they get to you by playing that game. It is intentional just like any authority that wishes to help you lose your cool.

Lose your cool then you lose your job. Just like with the police do not let them make you mad because that is what they are trying to do with a lot more pain delivered if they succeed at making you angry.

gmach10 said:

Check your attitude. We went through this from the other side of the coin. They hired a guy with an equal amount of time in the trade as you, wouldn't listen to anything anyone tried to tell him. Almost got people hurt, machined into the table of our mill, (wasn't his fault), crashed a plate into the quill handle of another machine and broke it (wasn't his fault), bragged about how they sent HIM to DeVleig for training on using their jig mill early in his career. Came by us and forgot how to use it and blamed me for fucking it when he had one of the handles in the wrong position. Got really pissed when someone had to show him ("those cocksuckers fucked it up") how to set the bolt hole function on the DRO. He must have been allergic to oil because he never oiled a machine let alone cleaned up after himself. We all get crunchy in our old age, me included. Lord knows I can be pretty stubborn too. Not directed at OP but we all need to check out egos sometimes. "FRED" retired, ended up passing away from a heart attack ALONE in his back yard. Sad ending to a sad life.

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I would like to add onto this. If OP wants a real honest opinion, maybe he is seeing something (or exaggerating in his mind) that is not there. AND it will tell depending on how or if he responds to this post. Sometimes we just aren't quite as good as we think we are.

Myself included. Just when I think "I got this shit down PAT!" I do something really stupid like crashing a probe, or forgetting to make a touch off. I think in my 25 years or so in the trade I can hold my own with some of the better 'chinist's, BUT I know there are some things I am lacking. Macros... my eyes glaze over when people rattle off if/when statements and #500=#102+1 set variable xxx to xx.... and so on and so forth.

He’s probably doing this process, it’s a competition or job security for his position.


S.....Strength
W....Weakness
A.....and
T......Threat assessment

Your probably a perceived threat ...


Just be polite to him.

I’m always getting something like that from my boss, stupid shit, but I was polite in my response.

It gets under their skin drives nuts..

Got a shit job ..ok ...np...

imo you are experiencing the single biggest problem in business - ego. Rather than put his aside and act in accordance with what is best for the company (what a manager is suppose to do), he continuously uses his position off authority not to help the company but instead to to bolster his sense of self, or ego.

Its a wide spread character flaw often manifesting as the common asshole. Being made a manager and given some authority should come with a bit of training about being aware of ego (we all have one) and to subordinate it as it will find this new found authority fertile ground. Not a lot you can do about it, suck it up or move on, you do get to pick who you work for. Come work for me, I'm only a bit of an asshole, but I need guys who can read a drawing and make stuff

There are rats in every trade. There are some people, often in supervisory roles, with whom its impossible to reason or deal with. I had such a boss for more than ten years. The only cure for a rat like the OP is faced with is to leave and go somewhere else. That's what I eventually did.

Every coin has two sides.

From your side, you very well might be 100% right about your skills and him being a liar, lousy supervisor and in general pain in the arse.
From your side of the coin, you can live with it. It's only a job, yes'em to death, try to get on his good side, smile and remember at the end of the day...its all over.
You can confront him or the Big Boss...but that CAN and most likely will come right back at you in spades.


Then we have what nobody likes to hear...the "Other side of the Coin".

Big boss and customers usually complain to the supervisors, not the guys on the floor.
YOur good and what they want can be two very different things. I have a gent here that deburs parts TOO GOOD. Now most would say thats not possible. Well it is, sometimes a Single, One Second pass with a Roto-bur is more then acceptable BUT I'll get 5 minutes with a needle file from him with perfect 1/32 radius's. Customer is happy as a clam, parts look great. But for me, ("The Arsehole" in my employees eyes)I quoted customer for a 1 second operation and that is all the time I aloted, so his better cuts heavily into our profit and machine is not running so we will fall behind on delivery.

Sometimes what you perceive as perfect may not be exactly what they see as perfect.

I had a guy here that never made mistakes...my machines made them. A welder that put all the parts into the Jig correctly and somehow they got rearranged after. So it was cut up the assemblies and reweld. He'd tell me he did on his own time and didn't cost me anything more ( I never wanted it done on his time) but I was still pissed and he couldn't understand that while the assemble fit just fine...it looked like crap with all the cut and grind marks. I am sure he went home calling me an Arsehole...after all it was a perfect job.

In any case...you can ask. Its there ballgame, their rules. If the game is not to your liking we are a free society, you give your notice, take your stuff and go work elsewhere where you are a better fit.

SIM we have a guy just like that. Uses the smallest file and does an excellent job but takes soo much time doing his deburring just to throw the parts in the tumbler at the end of the day. Its almost comical, i've started quoting accordingly.

weldman said:

he is always harassing, always second guessing my skills, he is a liar. its bizzare

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He's a sociopath of some degree or other, a not uncommon problem to run across at work. If it has reached the point where you are spending your own time thinking about him, then you have a choice: either develop a thicker skin and be nice to the guy (which will often disarm an asshole), or find a better work environment somewhere else. After 40 years experience, though, opportunities for the latter may be limited. I say this in the full knowledge that even after only 25 years experience I had essentially become hardcore unemployable, and would probably never have made it to an interview. Next time you're in a discussion about how to do something, start your comments with, "Do you think it might help if we...?" I used that once on a foreman I had actually hated and, lo and behold, just that small gesture changed the relationship. He was more pleased to be asked than I would ever have imagined. Just sayin'...

Good luck either way.

Guy might just want to get your goat..so you walk or get fired...don't let him win that.

Some guys don't care how valuable you are to the company, they just want everybody to treat them like the honored boss.
Best wy to get along with jerk bosses is to do your job well and be nice

The owner knows who is valuable...That is enough.

Oldwrench said:

He's a sociopath of some degree or other, a not uncommon problem to run across at work. If it has reached the point where you are spending your own time thinking about him, then you have a choice: either develop a thicker skin and be nice to the guy (which will often disarm an asshole), or find a better work environment somewhere else. After 40 years experience, though, opportunities for the latter may be limited. I say this in the full knowledge that even after only 25 years experience I had essentially become hardcore unemployable, and would probably never have made it to an interview. Next time you're in a discussion about how to do something, start your comments with, "Do you think it might help if we...?" I used that once on a foreman I had actually hated and, lo and behold, just that small gesture changed the relationship. He was more pleased to be asked than I would ever have imagined. Just sayin'...

Good luck either way.

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Good and very wise advice. Avoiding staying there in that hostile environment should be avoided if the boss can not be reasoned with.

I agree with the “try to be nice approach” as a first tactic.

But I don’t necessarily agree with bailing on the job to look elsewhere.

I wouldn’t let him force me out of the job, especially if I liked it and was good at it.

If the “nice guy” approach doesn’t work, down here in the south we like to use the term “straight talk works best.”

If necessary, ask him to his face what the hell his problem is. Tell him you’re fed up with his shit, that you’re doing the job well and don’t require supervision, and if he don’t leave you alone you will have to go over his head.

If the big boss upholds him over you, then you may be looking at other employment, maybe voluntary, maybe not.

Near the end, he would be told if you cost me my job with your BS, we are going to have a friendly conversation outside the plant somewhere....

ToolCat

Next time you're in a discussion about how to do something, start your comments with, "Do you think it might help if we...?"

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Standard supervisor trick to get your people to take ownership, and feel like they are valuable and needed.

Never thought of using it on a supervisor, but if the supervisor needs to feel valuable and needed, then so be it.

My experience with rats is that their ego is directly proportional to their insecurities. And if you don't suck up to them, they can make your life hell.

And a lot of people don't have the balls to face themselves. So the rest of us have to put up with it.