I’ve been in my new role for about 6 months now and it’s taken me this long to realise that the CEO’s PA is lying about me to my boss (the CEO) and causing major issues for me. He does not work in the same office as me (but she does).
As an example, I need to change a policy on something so needed to book a meeting with him which I have to do with her and she asked me why, I told her (so she can put the meeting in his diary which she did for Wednesday) and she has run to him to tell him I am changing a policy for the worse. It is absolutely none of her business to tell him my plans before I’ve spoken to him.
He raised this with me and had a go at me for changing something without speaking to him. I said err I haven’t, that’s what the meeting is for on Wednesday and he went bright red and I said ‘oh your PA has said this has she’ and he sort of mumbled something and then said other people had also raised it, so I said who (as I had gathered opinions on this policy) so he mentioned one other senior executive who loves whining - so I said yes I’m gathering opinions but nothing has changed and wasn’t going to until I spoke to you.
I’m a v senior executive and I feel like I’m back in the playground. I’m in my 50s and tbh I have never not wanted to go to work as much as I do now. He is absolutely the problem here as he is encouraging this behaviour and she is absolutely lapping it up. I saw her call him aside and bitch and moan about me for an hour the other day (I can lip read as I have hearing difficulties - she doesn’t know that). He also complained about me to one of the junior employees in my team (who immediately told me) about me changing this policy without speaking to him when I hadn’t but he had decided to believe his PA (this was before he spoke to me).
I think my only option is to find another role? All I can do is be professional but I’m finding it v hard to stay sane!