Problem with male colleague not doing what asked

[tropicalfizz]

I'm new, been in my job a few months. He has been here over 10 years so I understand he has experience etc. He has moved into a higher role than he was before and this is his first time doing this role. Within my role I have to task colleagues to do things and I also have to make sure it's well documented. If I don't do this it could have extremely bad consequences on others safety. WE are in different departments but have to work together. Last week I had push back from this colleague when I asked if he could call someone . He sent me an email telling me he didn't think this was the right course of action with others copied in. My line manager backed me and told him he needs to do it and explained we need to follow the procedures we have in place to keep others safe. He said he had called the appropriate people but he didn't record this down and I don't believe he actually did it.
Today I've tasked him with something else. Instead of replying to me, he went to a colleaugue who is in my department and said something like he has been doing what I asked. This colleague asked if he had recorded it though, he said no he had not. He's now updated the system but again has ignored what I've asked and is not following what we need to do to keep others safe. It seems he thinks that he thinks what he does in his department is just his decisions and what our department asks (or just me) he will not do. My department has say over every department because we ultimately keep others safe.
Another colleague in my department tasked him to get one of our customers a referral, he has come back and basically our customer has improved and he doesnt think any further action is needed. It's not his call to make, he is not trained to make this call.
How can I deal with this kind of colleague? I'm starting to feel anxious when I email him now because I think what is he going to throw back now.

This is the best advice on this thread.

I think, especially as it is a safety issue, you need to concentrate on making sure you are doing and documenting everything that you are required to do. You also need to be escalating to your superiors in a way that makes it clear you have concerns about safety so the onus is on them to follow that up. Remember that if you do this and something bad does happen, the responsibility will lie with him not doing as he should or your superiors not doing what they should to bring him into line. There are limits to what you are responsible for.

When I am dealing with tricky characters I always email and cc my boss because then if my boss thinks I've made a mistake they can get to me immediately rather than building up a bad situation. If they don't, then that is on them. The fine art of covering your back!

Fwiw, I totally recognise the type of character you describe. I've seen it in work many times over the years. Good looks and apparent charm can mean people get away with far too much sometimes. Especially men in female dominated work places. It's infuriating. I'm kind of jealous of the people upthread who clearly haven't experienced this.

Why? When discussing personnel issues, you need to discuss the person. These are his tasks and he isn’t doing them. They actually need to talk about that. Not the disingenuous nonsense of “oh my, this task hasn’t been done, I wonder how that’s happened.”

Can you word your email requests in a specific way? Can you please do x and confirm when x y and z are complete for my records? Thank you.

Then it requires him to confirm he has fully completed the process including whatever it is he needs to log on the system.

This then gives you every opportunity to collate information to take to your manager (for them to raise with his manager) to show what you’ve asked for and when it has not been completed as requested.

Keep a spreadsheet log. Don’t make it personal. This is wholly professional, he’s either don’t his job or not and, if he isn’t you raise it with evidence to back your claim.

@Butnothingsclear has nailed it above!

OP, YANBU.
And the world's gone mad at all this talk of not referencing his sex

if she talks dispassionately about the facts of what needs doing, why it needs doing, what has and hasn’t been done and presents the data on that, it’s professional. It’s very clear, very quickly where the loose cannon is. She is not personnel. She is health and safety. It’s up to his line manager and HR to do their job. She just needs to present the facts and make sure the right people have the right facts. If she starts taking about the person and what they have or haven’t done, sadly she opens herself up to a counter claim of bullying. It’s sad but true. I’ve seen it happen three times now. Each time the incompetent narcissist has kept their job and the person holding them to account has moved on due to stress. Presenting and seeing the facts dispassionately and not personally also decreases her own risk of finding it stressful.