Boss Hates Me: Younger Coworker with social skills Advanced

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WonderWoman
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28 Nov 2014, 12:27 am

I'm 62 and have very little savings for retirement. I work for a "good" company. Lots of stock options. They're my only hope that I know of now. Bad news: My boss hates me. Good news: we grew as a company so someone was hired to manage our team who's very nice, but the mean boss is still above her. Her desk was just moved near mine and the new person they have me working with is half my age, very naive, but a happy-go-lucky neurotypical who won't take on challenging calculations for our payroll documentation, but asks everyone questions and has been recognized as a senior technical writer, while I'm just a technical writer. It's an insult. She's a real self-appointed alpha-dog who doesn't know her ass from a hole in the ground. She seems to be very excited about the stupidest little things and goes to all the meetings, as if she doesn't have enough to do. Meanwhile, I'm huffing and puffing just to get my work done. I think this has to be half them and half my attitude, but I don't know how to sort it out. I always feel like I'm going to be fired any minute. I feel that way in all jobs I've ever had. School was great. I was a big success and recognized as very smart. In corporations i'm a weirdo. What the hell is going on.

Any insights, or holes you can help me poke through this blackness?


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WonderWoman


progaspie
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28 Nov 2014, 1:37 am

If this mean boss is as bad as you say she is, she will soon be found out by her immediate superior and moved on, so I don't really see that as a problem for you, as long as you support your team leader (who you say you do like and respect) and do your job well. Sometimes we just have to put up with with people we don't like, which is part of working in a team environment. Don't put pressure on yourself that because somebody doesn't like you, it therefore follows that you could lose your job. Work performance is generally the main reason someone loses their job, not because someone doesn't like you.



izzeme
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28 Nov 2014, 4:20 am

simple: social skills are more important then practical skills in the modern world.
expertese and knowledge can be bought/hired, friends cannot, so those are valued more.

this younger person has an easier time connecting to other workers and clients, so he is a stronger asset (as far as the boss is concerned). as long as the jobs he gets assigned are finished in time, the boss won't care who actually did them; the more charismatic person will get the credit by default.

if this fair? nope, in no way. it is, however, how the world works nowadays, ain't nuttin' changing that.

as long as you do your job, this charismatic subboss should know what you are worth, meaning you can keep your current job. and you chould also skip a step and speak to someone in management about your complaints, but be careful as this can put your job in danger if you appear too angry about the situation (appearing is the keyword, not being)