I am an Executive Assistant. I have over 20 years' experience, a degree and am part way through my MBA. I started a new job 3 months ago. The girl who did the job before me (Claire) was here for a couple of years. There was somebody here between her leaving and me starting, but it did not work out. She gave her a 2 week verbal handover. Obviously, she couldn't then do the same for me as she had started her new job. Fair enough. So, I started with no handover which was difficult, but I have managed.
However, my boss refuses to accept that Claire has left. Whenever I do something new, he insists that I check with Claire to see how she would have done it. He complains about things nonstop, for instance he says the coffee is horrible. He keeps asking me which brand it is, as it is obviously not the one Claire used. In fact, it is. And made to Claire's exact instructions.
Whenever I attempt a new piece of work, he says "oh, Claire had this fantastic spreadsheet that did all that, it was amazing. What I find, however, is that they are invariably half-arsed attempts at analysis that are never finished and only understood by Claire. So, he insists that - rather than me starting the work afresh - we get Claire in to explain it. I am sick of Claire coming in to the office to 'explain' things to me that I have been doing for 20 fucking years.
He doesn't trust me to do anything. He speaks to me like I am 5 years old. When I say, "actually, I know how to do this. I have been doing for years..." for instance, he'll say, "will you just let me finish". Then carry on explaining. It's ridiculous.
He had the nerve to show me how to book something online, something that I have been booking online regularly for about 10 years. Also, if I question something, he'll misunderstand and assume I do not understand the basics. Like, for instance, asking a question about a complicated pivot table and somebody saying, "well, you see all these little boxes... they have numbers in them. You can add them all up like this, see?"
He just doesn't listen. I don't understand why he is like this and what to do about it. As for Claire, she seems to relish her role as 'consultant' and is always trying to 'help' even though I don't need it. Last time Claire was here, she cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom. The kitchen was already absolutely spotless and sanitised. I felt completely undermined and insulted. She even replaced the cloths and sink sponges, even though they were brand new.
The thing is, my boss is a really lovely guy. He has been an absolute sweetie, but I just can't cope with him assuming that I am stupid, or whatever it that makes him behave like this. Also, if I hear the words, "well, Claire used to..." once more I think I'll scream.
What can I do? Should I look for a new job?