So I have a problem with a bully at work.
I don't know what to do.
I am trying to change my carrear and at 40years of age it takes quite a bit of courage to do that! Dropping back down to minimum wage, travelling 100 miles a day to get to work.
I could work closer and earn much more money than I do now working as a chef.
But I like welding, no I love welding. I don't know why, but when I am welding all day I am just happy. My wife can tell when I have had a bucket on my head all day and a tig torch in my hand, I come home smiling.
But as you know it's not all welding and I need a bit of help with the fabrication side of things. Having never been in a workshop before, everything is new to me as it would be to a 16 year old.
The boss knows this, but he doesn't get me working alongside anybody, just on my own. So I am teaching myself a lot of the time.
I also spend many days tidying and cleaning. Now I know as the most junior member of staff Sweeping the workshop, emptying the bins and making the tea is your job and I do it with a smile. I pick up after people and don't say a thing, the swarf on the lathe doesn't just majicly dissapear does it.
So any way, my workplace is a bit weird. I was telling my wife that no-one speaks to each other. As an experiment I went in the next day and realised that I did not say one word to my workmates all day and i was not the only one to do this.
Could you imagine not saying a word all day? I eat my lunch not four feet from a guy and all we both did was stare at a wall for a hour, not saying a word.
Now I have tried to be nice, every day I walk in and smile and say goodmorning, even if it had been raining for the hour I have meen riding my motorbike and am freezing and wet. I always say goodbye as well. Try and make conversation about weekends off, outside social lives, make jokes.
The staff look at me like I am mad or just grunt an answer.
I'm not trying to be their best mate or anything, just trying to work in a cival enviroment.
The person who ruins the place is the bully. He walks up to me and calls me an idiot when I do things wrong, ******** tells me that I know nothing and I should just give up.
Somedays he won't say a word other days he really goes on at me. it wrecks my confidence and makes me unhappy. Now he does this to the other guys as well. He laughs about how he enjoys ******* people off. All it does is drive everybody further apart.
So when he has ****** off the other guy, the ****** off guy will end up lashing out at me because he is ****** off and then I am ****** off but I can see what is going on and can see the bully smirking and coming over and saying what an ******** the other guy is.
It's like he is trying to play little games with us. His problem is that I have never jumped into his little game, I can see straight through it.
I think this makes him go at me more and more. I won't be nasty to people, I won't upset people for the fun of it. Now I'm not opposed to workshop banter and with the other guy who is not a bully we have an occasional laugh and joke. It's hard because of the atmosphere and the fact he is not used to somebody talking to him. Which may explain why people hardly talk to each other.
To be honest I am starting to hate going into work, I am becoming depressed.
The other day I had enough of the bullys antics and walked into the office and told the boss I was going home for the rest of the day because the bully had been having a go at me. He said that he knew what the bully did and the fact that he has been there 23 years doing the job and I have been there three months makes him much more valuble than me. And if anyone goes, he has to keep the bully.
The bully knows this.
Two weeks ago I had an accident on my motorcycle on the way home and will be off work for maybe another couple of weeks or a couple of months it depends how I heal.
So what would you guys do?
Would you go back?
If I do go back, how would I deal with the bully?
Or should I just look for a new job, maybe one where they will teach me how to do the job better and have a nicer working enviroment?
Where do I find a junior position, though? They all want time served welders, My welding is ok, but I am slow, but with each run I get faster.
Do what do you guys think?
I don't know what to do.
I am trying to change my carrear and at 40years of age it takes quite a bit of courage to do that! Dropping back down to minimum wage, travelling 100 miles a day to get to work.
I could work closer and earn much more money than I do now working as a chef.
But I like welding, no I love welding. I don't know why, but when I am welding all day I am just happy. My wife can tell when I have had a bucket on my head all day and a tig torch in my hand, I come home smiling.
But as you know it's not all welding and I need a bit of help with the fabrication side of things. Having never been in a workshop before, everything is new to me as it would be to a 16 year old.
The boss knows this, but he doesn't get me working alongside anybody, just on my own. So I am teaching myself a lot of the time.
I also spend many days tidying and cleaning. Now I know as the most junior member of staff Sweeping the workshop, emptying the bins and making the tea is your job and I do it with a smile. I pick up after people and don't say a thing, the swarf on the lathe doesn't just majicly dissapear does it.
So any way, my workplace is a bit weird. I was telling my wife that no-one speaks to each other. As an experiment I went in the next day and realised that I did not say one word to my workmates all day and i was not the only one to do this.
Could you imagine not saying a word all day? I eat my lunch not four feet from a guy and all we both did was stare at a wall for a hour, not saying a word.
Now I have tried to be nice, every day I walk in and smile and say goodmorning, even if it had been raining for the hour I have meen riding my motorbike and am freezing and wet. I always say goodbye as well. Try and make conversation about weekends off, outside social lives, make jokes.
The staff look at me like I am mad or just grunt an answer.
I'm not trying to be their best mate or anything, just trying to work in a cival enviroment.
The person who ruins the place is the bully. He walks up to me and calls me an idiot when I do things wrong, ******** tells me that I know nothing and I should just give up.
Somedays he won't say a word other days he really goes on at me. it wrecks my confidence and makes me unhappy. Now he does this to the other guys as well. He laughs about how he enjoys ******* people off. All it does is drive everybody further apart.
So when he has ****** off the other guy, the ****** off guy will end up lashing out at me because he is ****** off and then I am ****** off but I can see what is going on and can see the bully smirking and coming over and saying what an ******** the other guy is.
It's like he is trying to play little games with us. His problem is that I have never jumped into his little game, I can see straight through it.
I think this makes him go at me more and more. I won't be nasty to people, I won't upset people for the fun of it. Now I'm not opposed to workshop banter and with the other guy who is not a bully we have an occasional laugh and joke. It's hard because of the atmosphere and the fact he is not used to somebody talking to him. Which may explain why people hardly talk to each other.
To be honest I am starting to hate going into work, I am becoming depressed.
The other day I had enough of the bullys antics and walked into the office and told the boss I was going home for the rest of the day because the bully had been having a go at me. He said that he knew what the bully did and the fact that he has been there 23 years doing the job and I have been there three months makes him much more valuble than me. And if anyone goes, he has to keep the bully.
The bully knows this.
Two weeks ago I had an accident on my motorcycle on the way home and will be off work for maybe another couple of weeks or a couple of months it depends how I heal.
So what would you guys do?
Would you go back?
If I do go back, how would I deal with the bully?
Or should I just look for a new job, maybe one where they will teach me how to do the job better and have a nicer working enviroment?
Where do I find a junior position, though? They all want time served welders, My welding is ok, but I am slow, but with each run I get faster.
Do what do you guys think?