Getting bitter at collegues making decisions that involve me without my knowledge....

G_Model101

First of all, I am happy that i have a job in a recession and I don't know if this sounds like a strange, silly complaint, but at the moment I can't help but feel like someone who is not "in the loop" in my job. I believe myself to be honest and hard working and generally just keep schtum, get on with my work and try not to complain too much.
Today I come in to see that my colleague ( who has the same job title as me and has been at the company about 1 and 1/2 years less than myself) has had a meeting with my supervisor and they have decided that I will have to go off to help out at another location tomorrow because of staff illness. I don't mind helping out, but I can't help but feel being bypassed in this way is a tad disrespectful to me and don't really want this to be a marker for the future. My sometimes asks me to do things in a way as if he is the boss and whilst a hard worker, is a bit of a busybody.

However I feel I can't really "complain" to my manager about decisions like this as surely it gives the impression that I am being petty? Is the naivity of my youth showing here in that I am letting myself be manipulated? Does one need to be "in the loop" or am I just not standing up for myself enough?

Proc

Sounds like your colleague has already got good rapport with your boss and therefore has some clout. Either that, or he's a whinger and your boss is spineless, so instead of making the best decision, he makes the easiest (i.e. send the guy who doesn't moan to do the !!!! stuff).

If you want to sort this out without appearing like a moany jobsworth, when you are told by your boss to work elsewhere I would just say, with a smile on my face; "Ahhhhh, I'd be interested to know how it was me that got chosen? I didn't even get a chance to draw my straw!". Now see what he says in response. He probably won't expect having to justify himself so he'll mumble some poor excuse and think twice in the future before taking the pi55.

To be fair though, you sound like you need to be more assertive in general. They obviously feel as though they can walk over you.

DVardysShadow

View it as an opportunity to dump some stuff with deadlines on the busy body. Don't ask, tell. And tell the boss. It will soon put a stop to it.

PasturesNew

In the meeting, did the colleague also get something to do? Maybe you only know half the story, maybe they've got the short straw and are doing something even more mundane/annoying and they're actually jealous that you got the duties you did.

ninky_2

people will often treat you as you act at work. if you define yourself as a leader, then you will often be treated as a leader. your colleague is playing office politics and you need to join in if you don't want to be left behind. it is not enough merely to be hardworking and efficient. often people will take advantage of this - why not let you go on being hardworking and efficient whilst they move on.

can you ask your boss for a one to one meeting to appraise your performance and get feedback? make sure you spend a couple of weeks before this dressing smartly and authoritatively. if your colleague is delegating tasks to you when it is not his business to do so come up with a reason why you can't do it - "my workload is quite full on at the moment" etc. you could also try delegating tasks to him/her too. it also might be worth dropping casually into conversation your longer serving status - "we used to do this before you joined"..."when i joined the company xx years ago" etc. when you talk to your boss discuss that you feel you are ready for more responsibility, that you feel you are ready for more supervisory tasks etc. always be willing to praise your collegue if he/she is doing well - but in a way that makes it seem as if your praise is important.

there is no need to be nasty or underhand but you need to be assertive and dynamic. don't just suffer in silence and expect the situation to change.