To want to punch my maternity cover in his egotistical face?!

[McFox]

I come off work in 11 weeks - yipee! However the boss has thrown me a massive project before I go off, so I've had very little time to go through the whole advertising and interview process to find a replacement. We were offered someone from a sister organisation with the same background to me, albeit from a completely different industry (I work in a very specialised part of the healthcare industry) and so we hired him and brought him in early to take over the more routine bits of my job while I concentrate on directing the major project.

So far so sensible, but he is really ambitious, a total climber. When I've asked him to do something over the past 2 weeks (that's how long he's been here) comments I've had back include "I don't understand the context so I can't give you an opinion on whether that's the right thing to do or not" and "I'm not sure that you're coming at this from the right angle, I would suggest..." - I want to scream. I wasn’t asking for opinions, I was asking for it to be done!

He has also: kept ideas to himself until we're in external meetings with clients where he makes the suggestion, putting me in an awkward position; been telling my staff to make changes to things without discussing it with me first; telling me that I should be considering doing x/y/z. This is all driving me mad – partly because I’m a control freak and have built and been successfully running this department for 3 ½ years, and partly because I have a horrible feeling that the minute I leave he is going to dismantle lots of my hard work to show what he’s achieved while he’s been in the post.

He’s on a fixed term contract, I’ll only be off for 9 months, and will be working a couple of days a month from December onwards, so he knows that I’m not walking away entirely (and I don’t think that he’s happy with that, but tough, my CEO is very happy with that plan).

So, what do I do – he has an awful lot to learn about this industry and is going to cause problems if he carries on being so opinionated. Several colleagues have commented that he rubs people up the wrong way/thinks a lot of himself, so should I keep schtum and let him hang himself so to speak, or speak to my boss and raise these concerns? I am so nervous about leaving at a critical time in the growth of the business anyway, and my boss knows this, that I don’t want to come across paranoid, but neither do I want him messing things up!

This is what he's doing 3 weeks in - 3 fucking weeks!!

Yep he's a total pos...

Woah, he did what? On authority does he have to tell a member of staff he is changing their job like that? Show him the door and the business end of a stapler.

Oh lord, that's some willy waving of the highest order and an astounding lack of professionalism several times over.

He can't just tell people their job is changing like that .

I find it very worrying when there's someone who doesn't do assigned tasks, pushes people around without consultation and undermines their colleagues. It's a sign that they won't stop until everyone is unhappy.

Get in there now and speak to management or HR if you can. Completely unacceptable behaviour.

Oof. You need a meeting with you, him and your boss, where you document some formal handover process and very clearly state what is in and out of scope.

Then when he transgresses, your boss is completely on side and its documented how he's gone off piste.

But then - and this will be hard for you, I'm a control freak too so I know - when he does overstep (which he will) you have to leave it to your boss to deal with. He is your bosses direct report, not strictly speaking yours. You have to separate yourself from the process so it doesn't come over as sour grapes.

3 weeks!!!! Oh no. No no no.

So assuming you want to get rid, do you have a plan for how to replace him? I ask, because obviously that's what HR/CEO will think first. (Obviously you now this, just saying.)

Write all this down. If it's in your power to bin him, do it. If not, speak to your boss.

Mamet with your boss first, not him, becuase this has potential to mess up the department.

I say screw the punching and staple his balls to his desk. 'Sit there. Stop what you are doing, and listen!!'

Yup, you are all right, I need to document all of this and discuss it with my boss when he's here tomorrow. I can't believe that a 35 year old would have such a lack of professionalism as to behave like this. Its lucky that he's not in the same office as me today or I would have gone through him already.

This is why you should never meet your mat cover, you should cone back to work with everyone relieved you are back

If only!

Talk to your boss then formal warning time for this entitled guy.

I tend to work short term contracts, anything from initially a month to sometimes lasting well over a year, usually with the purpose of covering maternity or bringing specialist skills to a project. Contracts are usually initially 3 months with option to extend. First thing I have to do is learn how the organisation works, and fit myself into this. Even if I've been brought in specifically to change processes I have to learn how to work with the existing systems & not throw the baby out with the bath water, and work slowly & carefully to make sure I understand all the ramifications and politics involved.

I would hazard a guess that this guy graduated from a good Uni and went straight into a management consultancy or somewhere similar. I've met a load of people like this & they all reckon they are god's gift to wherever they are working and know so much more than people who have been in the field for years. I had one guy who at 24 had just completed his Graduate Trainee programme at a large bank, thought he know better than me with almost as many years in the field as he'd been alive!

Update - I have a meeting with my boss tomorrow...wish me luck!

Take no prisoners!

Write it ALL down, name names of those whom he has pushed around and push for written warning and or dismissal. The problem with people like this is that they can result in good staff jumping ship.

Good luck with the meeting. May be a case of me teaching grandmothers, but make sure you have all your points down in writing, you have specific examples of where he's stepped over the line etc. If you and your boss agree anything, send him an email afterwards summarising the main points and who should be responsible for carrying out any actions.

Another one here cheering you on. I can't believe he had the sheer audacity to try and change part time working hours - I bet the rest of your team are quite worried as to how the next few months will pan out. It sounds like you have a great relationship with your boss, which definitely helps. Any chance you and he can agree on getting rid of this guy - spurious 'doesn't fit with the organisation' reasons?

Yy, all incidents in writing. As 'concerns', of course. And to discuss how best to handle the situation for the best of the team.

Im glad you have set up a meeting with your boss, you say you get on well so they sound like they would respect your opinions, good luck.

Good luck.

I used to work with a bloke who was a complete PITA. It turned out his personnel file was a mile thick, he'd worked for the company for 15 years and had just between shuffled from dept. to dept. when he became too impossible to work with. He never did anything sackable, but he upset an awful lot of people that he worked with.
There might be a reason why your sister company was happy to lend him to you for a year.

Not good, I'd make lots of notes ready for tomorrow.

good luck. no mud slinging - just facts.

Good point MrsCakes I've just noted in the OP she says they were offered him . . .

Whether or not you are a control freak OP this person sounds like he thinks he has landed himself a golden opportunity to bollix things up.

Good luck tomorrow.