Tyrant PM - Quit or not?

[pauldee]

Personally, I'm very good at detaching myself emotionally from my work when dealing with someone like this. I can just take their tulip, go home and get over it. As long as I'm getting paid I'm not bothered. I have to say it's a very different situation when the person giving you a hard time is the person responsible for renewing your contract but I don't think that is the situation here.

I enjoy my work, and take pride in doing it well and getting along well with my clients. But if someone is going to be an arsehole to me then I'm probably not going to go the extra mile for them. Surely even the most moderately competent PM should realise that they're not going to get the best out of their contractors if they treat them like crap.

I like to keep my periods of work as long as possible on my CV, and this is one of the first things agents look at, so personally I would drag it out as long as possible.

You're not going to enjoy every contract. Some will be great, some will suck, and if you're a pro you'll take the rough with the smooth.

Keep calm and carry on invoicing.

[pauldee]

It's also worth noting that this behaviour hasn't gone unnoticed with management, and the fact that she's still there suggests to me that she has other qualities that make her worth keeping and putting up with the negatives. Don't overestimate the impact walking out is going to have - chances are management aren't going to suddenly decide to reassess their lives.

[quackhandle]

Fight fire with fire.

tulip in her coffee.



Okay, forgot this isn't general, have a quiet word in the shell like, say we can either play nice for next six weeks or I'll play sodding hardball. Make stuff up, say you have the ear of the hire n fire of people, get her worried, see if her behaviour changes. If not, my first suggestion still applies. Then walk away with a big smile on yer Chevy.

qh

[squarepeg]

Get another contract asap and leave. When the current clientco asks why, you tell them and walk away.

I had to deal with a male version of an asshole who instead of helping the team was treating everyone like tulip. He too didn't know how to use Jira. I told the managers we'll have none of that and the guy is looking for work.

[Brummie]

Is the PM an Indian or worked long enough with Indian consultancies? I have noticed that many PMs who are brought up in that kind of company culture tend to micro-manage primarily because they do not understand the concept of contractor/contracting. They are full of arrogance and reasoning doesn't go well with them. Remind them that you are not a subordinate but a contractor and have no need to suck up to their ego.

[psychocandy]

Keep invoicing. Keep looking round.

Try to get as much as you can in writing.

How do the other team members feel about her?

Personally, I would sign her email up to pr0n sites. Put an advert for her on AW with her mobile. Find her home address and put fish heads and maggots through the door just as she goes on holiday. However I am incredibly childish.

You forgot the classic one - tulip in a jiffy bag and post it to her.

[BrilloPad]

You forgot the classic one - tulip in a jiffy bag and post it to her.

I expect you have plenty of full jiffy bags after Glastonbury?

[psychocandy]

OP - joking aside. Some people can cope with ignoring and invoicing. Some can't. I renewed once thinking I could handle working for a similar sort of client because it was close to home etc. In the end, it just made me ill to be honest.

This guy was relentless - would follow me to meeting in other offices to make sure I hadnt gone home, would get permies to write down what time I came in/left, insisted I dont leave site at lunchtime, checked internet logs and called me up for things like visiting bbc website (even though the permies spend an entire afternoon once watching the Ryder cup and did zero work all afternoon all around one desk.

6 weeks would probably sit tight. But depends on your financial situation. If I was minted I'd leave asap.

When I left, I just didnt renew. I wasnt going to say anything but, the senior manager was a bit peeved because they were short and hassled me to tell him why I was leaving a gig close to home. So I told him exactly - he was not pleased that his guy had been doing this. Tried to talk me round saying he'd sort it but I'd had enough by then.

[psychocandy]

I expect you have plenty of full jiffy bags after Glastonbury?

Tell you what BP - woke up yesterday morning, queue for the toilets. One cubicle out of 10 still in working order. "Alternative" arrangements were almost made.

I believe the term is "Prairie Dogging" :-)

[ChimpMaster]

Hi Pip

So what happened?