I just started working at a big financial firm as an analyst and it’s been 8~ weeks. My manager usually checks my work before I send anything off but she’s on vacation now so she stuck me with another lady (about 48 y/o) who’s been working there well over 15 years.
She’s just constantly criticizing me and it almost seems like that’s all she wants to do, it feels malicious. For example, she cc’s my manager in all the emails I send her to check my work when I make mistakes but never cc’s her when she tells me everything is good.
She criticized me for sending too many emails to her and to only send one email after she’s told me to go fix things and I apologized then said I will do that moving forward.
Today, she was like “I thought you weren’t working today” and I told her “oh am I not supposed to be working?” Then as usual she sends me screenshots proving it and saying when am I going to log off? I was in fact working today I don’t know where she got that from. When I said I’m not logging off she tells me why not it’s a free day you know that right?
I then tell her “lol not trying to be rude but why are you so concerned?” She’s like I was under the impression that everyone was off but if you want to work you can. 10 minutes later she messages me again saying FYI I’m covering for the manager so I must know who will be working on the team.
Even the way she corrects my work sounds like she already resents me. Am I too over invested in this? Advise on how to proceed?
My own manager never had much to say about my work (mostly things were good).
TLDR – manager on vacation and is replaced by a higher level (senior analyst) and I’m having lots of friction with her. How can I proceed ? She’s like 47 y/o
5 comments
You are new. Take a breath.
Be respectful and always agree. She is senior and you are brand new. People may tell you to rush to HR but that would be stupid.
Thank her for her feedback and time. Learning from someone who has been there for awhile can be extremely valuable.
It doesn’t sound like she was a manager before; “Senior Analyst” isn’t a manager’s title. If its taken her *FIFTEEN YEARS* to get a shot at manager’s responsibilities, she’s not in a good position at the company and given your description of how she’s acted, she knows it. This is probably her only shot to make a good impression to get a promotion and frankly, she may be blowing it and her stress is really up there.
Maybe offer to buy her a coffee during the workday in the cafeteria at a time when no one is in the cafeteria, sit down at one of the tables with her and ask to speak. It gets her out of the office/cube, away from others, away from “the places of power” into an unofficial, relaxed setting. Then be direct. Say, “I feel like we got off to a really bad start like I feel like I was looked down on before we even met, which isn’t a good thing. I’m guessing you want to come out of this looking great, show management what you can do, but it doesn’t feel like its going that way either. Those things seem to go together. How can we make this better?”
>but never cc’s her when she tells me everything is good.
When she sends you email telling you everything is good, reply back saying “thanks” and cc your manager.
Just smile and get along until your manager is back. Just be courteous to her and grin in out. It doesn’t sound like she will matter outside of when your manager is away, so don’t get on her bad side.
Making a stink (trying to have A Talk with her, going to HR, or your Manager) will likely reflect badly on you while you are this new.
Do document what shes doing though, in case it continues and becones a hostile work environment.
Getting along with shitty people is, unfortunately, also part of work.
I feel like you are too invested in it. She is senior analyst assisting newbie. She is not your boss. She might not have social skills, but she is not at position that normally requires them.
Also some of these sounds like “annoying person eating crackers” territory. There are minor organizational asks – asking you to send one mail when you finished everything instead of multiple is super normal. “I though you are not working today” exchange was hardly an attack.
Also, your manager won’t judge you as much on having initial issues that need to be fixed in your work. These are normal. She will judge you on willingness to fix them and on learning from them (don’t repeat similar mistake too many times). New people, even experienced ones don’t know new workplace expectations and it is supervisor task to review and give feedback.
If her criticisms of your work are more nitpicking then manager would normally do, your manager will see that. She may agree with your supervisor or may think she is overly nitpicky with you. Who knows. But the point is, her complaining about petty stuff will be interpreted by managers as such.