problems with a colleague

[susia]

Hi, I have a problem with a colleague and have posted on here before.

Basically him and I jointly manage a small team but the team has got smaller due to people to leaving and now there are just 5 of us.

My colleague has always had a major problem with me since 2 years ago he had the managing responsibilities taken off him due to complaints etc.

For the last two years he has tried to undermine me in every thing I do and goes through long periods of not talking to me and then months later 'forgiving' me.

We are now in a situation where our team is under review and after August the team will be amalgamated with a much larger team but there will be redundancies etc. We have one team member who I manage who is returning from maternity leave on Friday and her maternity cover is employed to stay until the end of April.

I have spoken to the person returning about how she and I will split the work when she returns and she is intending to stop working on something she has previously done because she doesn't want to do it any more and I do (mainly to get some extra skills because of the redundancy threat).

On hearing this my colleague is trying his best to get the maternity cover to stay till August. I know this is to spite me because he doesn't want me to do the thing I have always wanted to do (even though it is only for 4 months). Is actually nothing to do with him as he manages neither of them. But he is so spiteful and manipulative that he is trying his best to do this.

His behaviour over the years has been awful towards me and many times I have thought of going to HR but am afraid to at the present time in case I look like a trouble maker.

I just don't know what to do.

[Simplysally]

I would speak to your line manager about this - to document that you want to take on the extra job and that the returning lady doesn't want to do it.

[susia]

I will speak to him tomorrow that is my plan. My boss hates being involved though as he is worried about his own job and is quite distant.

There are so many other things this colleague does that makes my life intolerable though. Eg I am doing a one day course, actually recommended to me by my manager and my colleague started questioning it and saying he was going to discuss it with our manager. Needless to say he wouldn't have got anywhere as he didn't realise that our manager had recommended it.

I just hope my boss does do something, it seems mad and totally inappropriate for us to pay a temp to stay on to do work that we can manage within the team just so that I don't do it, which is what it amounts to.

[rookiemater]

Susia, it doesn't matter about your bosses own concerns, he is paid to manage his staff.

This member of staff is being ridiculous and back stabbing and it's not up to you to put up with it. If he isn't keen on listening to you (and fwiw I know some bosses try to label all staffing issues as petty and beneath them so they don't have to bother dealing with him) then outline your proposal in an email, don't mention the negative words and get him to agree it in writing.