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diabeticman

(3,121 posts)
Wed Jul 8, 2015, 10:22 PM Jul 2015

How would you balance office politics.

My brother got a job as an inventory clerk. He is being trained by the person who use to have his job and has taken the job of a person who retired and the accounting manager. Both seem very nice and helpful but today He was being helped by the manager get inventory out of the system (with document papers for items) for wholesale. This wholesale is done about once a week. They had gotten a lot of it done and brother went to lunch. When he came back the other person was helping my brother double check the new list.


Co-worker was demanding the list for last week. My brother did have it in the wholesale file but he didn't have it when he came back from lunch. Co-worker had my brother going insane looking for the last week list. stating he has to hold onto that list from pervious weeks. that the other person would never throw out the list that my brother must have misplace it. The other co-worker comes back from lunch and my brother ask if co-worker remembers where he place the list. The co-worker pulls the list out from his waste basket stating my brother didn't need to save it from week to week.

The other co-worker stated he always did and the senior co-worker stated it was my brother's choice.

My brother is getting the impression that the one co-worker has had issue with executive account director person and He insisted it would be a good thing for the lists to be save.

My brother is also noticing he is being told two different ways to do his job. He doesn't want to upset either co-worker but is getting stressed out.

11 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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How would you balance office politics. (Original Post) diabeticman Jul 2015 OP
ask for guidance in writing from the supervisor nt msongs Jul 2015 #1
Thanks diabeticman Jul 2015 #3
Save it. MicaelS Jul 2015 #2
Thanks. diabeticman Jul 2015 #4
I'm not getting the problem pinboy3niner Jul 2015 #5
They pull certain items for Wholesale so they have to pull certain pieces documentation on the item. diabeticman Jul 2015 #6
Then I have to wonder why this is posted in GD. nt pinboy3niner Jul 2015 #11
Hard to tell from the one situation... TDale313 Jul 2015 #7
Thanks. diabeticman Jul 2015 #9
Can I ever relate laundry_queen Jul 2015 #8
Thanks diabeticman Jul 2015 #10

MicaelS

(8,747 posts)
2. Save it.
Wed Jul 8, 2015, 10:55 PM
Jul 2015

If it's only one week then it should not be a big deal. If it starts piling up week upon week, then get guidance.

diabeticman

(3,121 posts)
6. They pull certain items for Wholesale so they have to pull certain pieces documentation on the item.
Wed Jul 8, 2015, 11:06 PM
Jul 2015

Main thing one person is telling him one way to do things while the other is telling him other ways.

TDale313

(7,820 posts)
7. Hard to tell from the one situation...
Wed Jul 8, 2015, 11:08 PM
Jul 2015

If it's just a difference of opinion or if there's a bit of a power struggle going on and between these two that your brother could find himself dragged into. On the question of the list- one said keep it, the other(senior) coworker basically said it didn't matter, right? Neither said he couldn't or shouldn't keep past lists. So it might be just as easy to hang on to them. If it turns out there are bigger issues and personality conflicts at play, that can get tricky. Do his best to avoid being dragged into things. (Sometimes easier said than done) Ask for clarifications if things aren't clear, maybe check with a supervisor if there are conflicting instructions?

laundry_queen

(8,646 posts)
8. Can I ever relate
Wed Jul 8, 2015, 11:08 PM
Jul 2015

similar job here too.

How did I handle it? At first, I just followed the most prudent path. I asked myself which one I'd get in trouble for more if it was the wrong way to do it - and I did the other thing. After I had been at the company for awhile, I asked our department manager and VP of finance, in front of both supervisors that were giving me conflicting information, - "So which way is the proper way to do it? Because I'm a bit confused here I was trained to do it both ways - if you could clarify for me which is the proper solution because I really want to make sure I get this right for the auditors and for the best interest of the company."

However, my issue wasn't with documentation, but which accounts certain transactions needed to be coded to. With documentation, ALWAYS keep everything. If there is any doubt about transactions and the paperwork is essential, I scan it in and save it in my folder. Can your brother just scan the list every week and save it on his computer (or in his email), just in case? Honestly, I would just keep it. Keeping those papers you aren't 'sure' about has always served me well. I've had more than one co-worker tell me, "Oh thank GOD you still have it!" LOL. You never know what will pop up down the road. Recently one of our satellite offices was damaged beyond repair, and I had saved all the paperwork that we thought was no longer necessary. Good thing I did, we had to pull it all.

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