I'm looking for help from any assertive women, especially those who know how to be assertive in corporate environments where you can't just tell people to f/off (as much as you might like to). If you mentor or coach and feel you can help please feel free to p/m me.
I have been involved in a project for about 10 days, overseas on site. I have worked for my company for about a decade, believe I am reasonably well respected and good at collaborating with a range of people. Since I arrived in this situation, a man seems to have singled out and targeted me. I am also neurodivergent, don't always understand what is going on and may be completely missing something that is obvious.
To describe what he is doing, we had worked together on zoom for several months, so not complete strangers. Since I arrived in the first day he approached me, began to sit next to me and tell me things. That I shouldn't be on the project, that I should work on site A (which is very crowded and I wouldn't be helping) rather than where he is. Lots of things that tell me or infer my professional competency of 20 years is in question, and he knows better. Lots about his relationship with our CEO and his influence there. No matter where I sit, he finds me and starts telling me all of this. Also about his skills with people, in climbing the corporate ladder and do on.
At first I engaged, politely and nicely thinking he was making conversation. It's like this almost gave him permission to get meaner. I'm so tired of it after a week. I've been avoiding him, and the restaurant we all go to to eat. I've stopped engaging when he tried to talk to me. I wish I had done that sooner.
I've become really upset that someone feels they can treat me this way, and wondering what I did wrong and what I should do differently next time. How do you shut puerile like this down, in a corporate space, without being accused of being rude yourself.
If it matters he's over 60, so the boomer generation.