Patronising colleague

[sweetiehuni]

So I have started a new job in the same industry in which I have 10 years experience. Of course every place is different which I understand and have been more than open to learning this companies way of doing things and was looking forward to it.

However, the colleague who is showing me the ropes has been very condescending towards me since I started. I am 27 but I look allot younger and she keeps talking to me like a teenager who is fresh out of school and this is my first job. She has shown me how to do certain tasks and obviously I will be a bit slower as the tasks are done in a different style so obviously I'm learning and instead of letting me do it she says ' Tell you what, let me do it I'm faster' then I never get to understand it properly.

Anyway she has now gone to my manager and told her that I'm not cut out for it. I haven't even had chance. I've never been in this position before and I'm annoyed with myself for letting her make me feel inadequate as I'm usually quite a confident person and now I feel like everyone has this idea that I'm not very good now.

Any advice of how to get on without letting it bother me is appreciated.

All I can think is to speak to your manager directly. Aside from that, speak up more when she's with you. Reiterate that you have ten years experience. Forget being nice.

The colleague sounds threatened by you and wants to keep you n your place. Ensure you keep up with regular 1x1 meetings with your line manager

Proactively start sending s once-weekly summary email to you LM entitled " sweetie Progress Report week commencing xxx " to include a bullet list of everything you're working on, with a brief comment specific to your contribution to the task, any experience and knowledge you've brought to it.

Be your own PR agent.

I will be honest and say that if I hired someone with 10 years of experience, I would expect them to be able to work independently from day one and come to their line manager with queries. Surprised at the amount of supervision you are under.

Is this a 'handover' from someone who is moving on / sideways?

Weekly emails to line manager sounds good.

Ask line manager what exactly 'colleague' is involved for. They are not your manager after all.

Thanks for the replies. Daisy that's a great idea in regards to the progress emails, thank you.

Exactly, soprano... those are the sort of questions you expect to be asked of someone with a decade of experience... they know what to do and are asking specifics about where things are, not how to do the job. Whether an accountant or a barista, I think it’s weird I’d be shadowed by a colleague and her feedback is that I’m not performing up to the expected speed.