My Interview

[StiinaQT]

I interviewed for a promotion yesterday and came away from it very upset.  I have all but one qualification, I know the product, I know the system...they like me and you know what their concern about having me in that job?

Back up.  There is a group of women (loosely applied here) that take great pleasure in dissing specific other women.  They run to their boss when ever they make a mistake (whether they fix it or not, they go and tattle), they refuse to work with them at times, but no matter how hard you make nice and work with them, they treat "outsiders" like dirt bags.

These women have a HS education and life experience.  In some cases, they are barely capable to do their job and in most cases, they are jealous of anyone who is more successful.  The day I walked in, they immediately hated me because I have a degree and well, that's enough.  I have always done the job, gone out of my way to help, I never talk down to them, and yet, if I forget to dot an eye, they are all over it, telling my boss and making a huge deal out of nothing.  Usually, I have already fixed it by the time the hub-bub is even raised.

So what is the potential new boss most worried about?  My ability to work with these women--no names, just references to "some women."  I was flabbergasted that he felt that the issue was me, my inability to change the situation.  He even told me that if I was a man, there would not be an issue to start with.  I told him that I didn't see an issue, that I work with them every day and we get the job done.  If they have a problem beyond that, it was their problem.

I am on vacation today and around 1:30, my coworked called me with a problem that I could not help her over the phone with.  I happened to just finish having lunch with DH and we were headed to the hardware store.  Since there is one about 1 mile from work, he dropped me off and went to get his stuff.  It took me about 5 minutes to help her and I was done.  I sat at my desk and waited for DH to get back and before I know it, I'm HELPING ONE OF THESE WOMEN get some product out the door--I even told her to call if she had problems and I would talk her though this special form that she needed to fill out.  She knew I was on vacation and helping her people.  Do you suppose she will go tell my boss what I did?  No, she will probably complain that I was there on the shop floor in sandles.

She did note out loud to me that I actually came in on my vacation to help.  I told her it was no problem.  If I was like her, I would have been very cutting and noted that it was the professional, grown up thing to do.  But being a grown up professional, I kept my tongue.

All I can think now is, and that potential new boss thinks it's my problem.  right...

Any suggestions?

[mommypip]

Sep. 4, 2010 at 8:17 AM

I would take that "If you were a man" comment straight to a lawyer! I hate working with people like that. I hope things work out for you. You sound like a great worker and I'm sure you will find the right fit somewhere, maybe just not at the place you currently are.

[LoveMyDog]

Sep. 7, 2010 at 10:48 AM

I would point out to him that the problem is manager's for giving them an ear.  I'm not sure how exactly to do that without pissing him off.  Maybe if I think about it....  Oh yes, well "It is a shame that the first time these hourly wage women pulled their junior high crap that THEIR BOSS didn't tell them to cut the crap and get back to work."  Hopefully that boss was not him, but even if it was it would have been a younger less confident him.  I could tell you stories about working with the hourly wage production women.  I had one woman change my test batch number on me while I was out a day. She did get another engineer's permission and my lab tech warned me the minute I walked in the next day. So no harm done expect realigning some paperwork.  I had another nice grandmotherly type complain to me that a fellow female engineer hadn't said good morning to her.  I kindly told grandma machine operator that fellow engineer's tests weren't going well that week and she was surely thinking about other things. (In other words work isn't about chatting with our neighbors when you are the person whose behind is on the line when the production floor has to wait for you to find the solution in order to make good product.)  She seemed to grasp the concept that it wasn't about her and work wasn't a social opportunity for us.

The problem is your potential new boss (or his cohort in manufacturing) doesn't know how to manage. (He might be fine with men, but horrible with women. Or maybe he only has women because he would be a total disaster with men.)  Is the manufacturing manager a woman who goes running to the engineering manager with this nonsense? 

It does seem like a comment along the line of "Let me get this straight, you are willing to discriminate against me on the basis of my sex because so-and-so doesn't know how to manage his/her people and you are afraid to call him/her on it." would turn the light bulb on over his head.  If no light pops on follow it up with "a first year law student would find this case fascinating..."