to be upset/annoyed by this, and unsure what to do next? (work related, and long sorry!)

[golderone]

have nc for this, and will change some of the more identifiable details.

basically I work as a troubleshooter type person, part of a small team. We are employed by company A, but effectively subcontracted to company B, and based in B's offices.

Our role is to identify areas which are not working efficiently/correctly, put measures in place to fix these (by training, monitoring etc), that oversimplifies it but you get the idea.

Part of it of course isn't that comfortable as it involves drawing attention to people who aren't doing their job terribly well. Increasingly, this is resulting in us taking a lot of flak, and its' that which is getting me down.

So far this week I have had a nastily worded email from person W accusing me of being unprofessional, not giving rounded feedback (that isn't the purpose of my role) and that I basically was doing my job badly.

On Weds person X (who is employed by B, and is therefore in no way responsible for my management in any sense) gave me a 10 minute 'chat' about using my mobile phone in the office (I have to as I don't have a landline because I am not a member of B staff), how it was impossible for X to manage their staff's use of mobiles if I was allowed to use mine in the office (this ignores the fact I am not under Y's control, and indeed the entire office is full of people from other departments, contractors etc who hot desk and are constantly on their phones). Y's ineffectual management is an issue which my team have identified, so this appears to be a clear dig back at me.

Today, in a meeting of 15 people, person Y (when I was explaining justification for a particular approach we were recommending) shouted at me 'You're wrong, be quiet' even though I was entirely correct, and the documentation we were going through supported it. Later on person Z commented on something and said v patronsingly to me 'make sure you write that down won't you' as I had been keeping my own notes of the meeting.

W, Y and Z all do a job I used to do previously, but are more junior/less experienced than I was. Technically, X is in a more senior role but as we are part of different organisations our roles are not directly comparable.

Frankly after all that I feel pretty shit, and not at all looking forward to going to work on Monday....how would you handle it?

Sorry, in the paragraph about X, it should say I'm not under X's control, and it's X who is an ineffectual manager.

Who is the manager of W,Y and Z?

Your manager and their manager need to agree the conditions of your companies, and as a result your remit.

That needs to be communicated to W,Y,Z and anyone else that's relevant.

Expectations need to be understood by both parties otherwise you could look to them like a medlar trying to impose change for change sake.

If this has been done, escalate back through your manager to theirs saying you need to re-group.

W, Y and Z are all technically employed by company A, as am I, but are more closely tied to company B than I am.

Their management is shared by X (who is employed by company B) and another person, T, who also is employed by company A.

X and T's manager is entirely supportive of me/my work, however is at v senior level so is out of the office a lot and I doubt has any awareness of most if not all of the above.

I have been doing the job for 18 months so my remit should be clear. I deal with people in 4 other branch offices and haven't had anywhere near the same issues.

They're scared. And probably should be.

I understand, from friends who went into management consultancy as graduates, that management consultants (the process/ trouble-shooting kind) are often used by companies to implement solutions that they are too scared to implement themselves. If that is the case, you'll have to accept that you are being used as a tool, and that's what you're being paid for. It sucks, but hopefully your own managers will back you up, and the project won't last much longer!

Agree you need to email your line manager saying that their misunderstanding of your role and responsibilities is obstructing you performing effectively. Give examples of XWYZ's behaviour. Ask that they be fully informed of what is within your and their remit. Suggest a meeting if your manager thinks the communication would be better as a discussion rather than just an email to their manager, but you are happy to let them decide how to approach this and to please let you know what course of action will be taken.

Look for another job? This one is making you feel "shit".

I do really like my job - the previous year or so has been fine, it's this particular group who (without wishing to sound like a victim) seem to have it in for me.

My immediate manager was in today's meeting and agrees it is unacceptable, and will be raising it with their manager, as my manager considers there is no point going to T or X about it as they have their own agenda.

I go to work to do the best job I can, having people speak to me like shit is not something I'm used to, it's certainly not at all the way I would ever behave.

We'll if I were T and X's manager and paying for your services and that service wasn't being delivered because people didn't understand what they needed to do I'd be pretty fucking cross.

Ultimately that's what you're saying is happening. Tell your manager and get him onto boss of X and T.

I'm glad you like your job. You seem to be quite clear in your own head that they are in the wrong, and you want to stay in your job. I guess the only thing you can do is rise above it and not let it bother you, then, easier said than done, but you should not have to feel like this in your private family time after work!

X-post

People don't like change. Fact.

What people that don't like change don't realise is that when the change comes, they're first out.

Your problem people would be better off by far if they embrace change by seeing it as a positive.

But that requires their seniors to be reassuring them that change is good, they need to change, bad things will not happen if things change.

Until that happens you are the instrument of their torment, and they will resist and be unco-operative.

I'm actually quite surprised you've not come across this before. It's fairly common reaction IME.

I'm going to be a bit harsh here and say you might be in the wrong job sorry.

You are there to highlight issues, you are a trouble shooter, ultimately you might end up losing one of these people a job (quite rightly if they are not very good or not required). So they aren't going to like you. And the more unprofessional they are then the more likely they are going to be snipey and bitter.

They aren't going to be your friends, they aren't doing themselves any favours but you need to A.stamp your authority and B. Rise above the crap or C. Get another job where you can be nice

To use a common term, they are seeing you as a "hatchet man" and are trying to discredit you so that your directives and recommendations don't hold any weight.

With regard to what to do about this - that is up to you. Is it enough of an issue to take it up the chain of command? Do you have adequate objective evidence and witnesses to back up your claims? Is this a career you can see yourself in a decade from now? If the answer to all three is yes, you know what you need to do.

If the answer to any or all of these is no, then it may be time for some introspection and tough decisions.

You can't change the people around you - they have shown their true colours. They feel threatened, and are lashing out.

The next move, however, is yours.

It sounds a nightmare job. People don't want to be criticised even if they are hopeless. You will either have to find a new job or just develop a very thick skin. I do sympathise though as it can't be pleasant. Just think you're not there to be liked or even to be agreed with. You're there to do a job.

I agree with softly. Surely this kind of scenario is not unusual in your line of work?

I've been doing this job for 18 months or so - it evolved out of a previous role I was doing for another organisation (whilst still employed by company A), that role was similar to the job that W, Y and Z do - part of their 'issue' with me is the fact that I used to do a similar role, which is nonsense because it's the fact I did that role which means I can see all the areas they are not currently covering, and that excuses like they are too busy are nonsense.

I should add there is almost no chance of anyone losing their job, the problems are fairly endemic across the organisation (although most others have taken it in a far more positive light, as mentioned in the other branches) if all the poor performers were booted out there would be about 25% of people left, so this is about retraining, monitoring etc.

My problem isn't so much that people are unhappy but that they are being unpleasant to me directly (as mentioned, I haven't had this with staff at other branches who have exactly the same issues, just this group). The fact management like X are also digging at me (when X doesn't manage me and really has no business telling me what to do) is also niggling.

The whole thing feels really unprofessional - all these people have professional qualifications, are in fairly well paid (£40k+) roles....I just didnt expect this kind of reaction.

I'm of the softly school of thought too, though not to the point of thinking you're in the wrong job entirely.

You mustn't take this personally. It's bound to be a feature of the sort of role you describe. This sounds like it will be a really useful learning experience. Can you talk to your manager with that perspective? "This is probably common but not encountered it before; what are your top tips for coping?" kind of thing.