Nasty colleague

LegacyUser

I started work in a new job a few weeks back, 6 of us started altogether.
The job is sales-based and we get bonuses if we are above our targets.

There is a guy there who is really nasty and I cannot stand him anymore.
He is constantly making nasty remarks and I am sick of it.
I am the highest achiever on the team and received a bonus because I was making so many sales, along with one other person. We have been given some extra responsibilities as a result.

All day long this guy bitches to the person next to him loudly about how many sales he has made that day and "it probably isn't as many as certain people, they are so great".
Part of my new responsibilities include spot-checking his spreadsheets and he has also been making loud remarks about "Oh I better do this right in case anybody moans at me over it".
Whenever I am happy, for example if I hit the target, he makes nasty remarks about "oh aren't you great".
He has already been given a talking-to about how low his sales were because he was just sitting on his ass all day messing on the internet. His sales miraculously shot up afterwards but mine are much higher.

I am really going to snap at this guy sometime and I don't want to.
All he ever talks about is the big company car he had in his last job, his huge salary and all the benefits and how awful this job is. I am sick of his condescending attitude.
He acts like he is too good for our job and "doesn't care" about how well he does but yet never stops the nasty comments that are clearly aimed at me.
I don't want to go telling tales to the boss but I REALLY can't stick listening to this guy anymore.
Has anyone got any advice?

looksee

Don't leave the job for him, he won't be there long.

When you hear him complaining just turn and grin smugly at him, then ignore him. Its a pain I know but you are in the strong position. Don't bother complaining, just treat him with superior humour, as though he's not worth getting involved with. Which he is not.

When you are checking his work try and maintain a distant, calm, fair approach, totally ignoring any provocative remarks. Don't try and 'get back' at him. You are getting a valuable lesson in people management, which will stand to you and help you up the ladder.

He really is a minor irritation in the scheme of things, he can only become a serious irritation if you let him. Good luck with the job.

dashboard_hula

I agree with the above - I get along with most people in my various jobs, but with a healthy understanding of the clique-ridden nature of a lot of workplaces. Sometimes you're in, sometimes you're out. And if you're the new kid on the block, and you're being held up as an example to this joker who's probably lazy as all get out and thinks he's hot sh!t, then he probably does actually hate your guts. Misdirected angers great isn't it
Solution - shame him. Be so, so sweet to him. Smiles, salutes, hellos. All very very public. When he starts bitching - big, beaming smile. Seriously. You'll feel like a bit of a gom at first, but one of two things will happen. Either he'll cop himself on when he realises that you're not going to take his crap, and come around to you, or, he'll go too far one day, but you'll be publically seen as a pleasant, easy to get along with co-worker, and his snide remarks won't make a dent.
Best of luck

A

LegacyUser

The two of us actually started on the same day.
The difference being, I have learned my job and progressed very quickly, when secretly I actually was very nervous the first few days and went into that job thinking it might be too hard for me. The opposite actually happened.
This person, because of his last job which was oh so executive, obviously thought he was too good for this job and that he could do it with his eyes closed, and I think it bothers him that he is actually not very good at the job- he is the least productive person out of all 6 of us.

Obviously I am massively tempted to ask my boss for a quick word in private and say what's going on, but in my own experience, these things are never "private" and word will soon get out very quickly that I was "telling tales". I don't want to have a reputation as a "rat", nobody will trust me and I will be the talk of the office. I have worked with rats before and I find that nothing ruins morale faster- regardless of whether the "ratter" was right or wrong.

I think maybe this person is trying to get a rise out of me. He cannot get me on my work- I literally sell double of what he does- so I think he is trying to rattle me into saying something nasty back to him. I am thinking maybe to try being disarmingly nice to his smart remarks, sickly nice that he will know is fake.

gandalf

To be honest you should tough it out. Every sales team tends to have someone like this. Your Managers will look at the figures and realise your worth to the organisation and his worth. By the sounds of it he has already marked his card with the powers that be and given the way things are these days he may not be far off being replaced.

As some one has already said just be respond with a smile or pretend to take whatever comment he makes as a compliment and leave it at that. He will either realise that he isn't going to get a reaction from you or he will go too far and it will be noticed. Remember he has no credit with the management at all based on his return to the business, you have.

wyndham

"I can give you a few pointers on selling sometime if you like!" would be my response.

mikemac

He won't last in this job, don't leave over him.

Management will sort this for you come annual appraisal time