TL;DR: Drove over 2 hours to help with fieldwork, only to be chewed out right off the bat by a co-worker for getting there 10 minutes after he said to be there, even though we had to wait another 1-2 hours to even start. This co-worker is not my boss, and has often bragged about bullying and shitting on others when they don't meet his standards or they make mistakes. Would love advice on how to handle dipshits like this.
I work for a University in their Agriculture division. I am a salaried employee, which means I don't get paid hourly. I get paid the same amount every week, regardless if I work under or over 40 hours a week. Long story short, I have been helping out a nearby station with their projects because they are short-staffed (no surprise, since I found out later they were trying to hire college graduates, but barely pay them above minimum wage). Since we do most of our projects on farmer's fields that have agreed to sign up, sometimes we have to drive 2-4 hours just to get to the fields.
Yesterday, I had to drive over 2 hours to meet my co-worker at a farm to help collect samples that the farmer is about to harvest. I got there about 5-10 minutes after he said to be there. Farmer isn't there yet, so no rush anyway. I go out to him and another guy he brought to help, and right off the bat, he starts chewing me out for being late. Asks if he needs to start telling me to be there 10 minutes earlier so I am not late anymore, cause I have been late the last 3 times.
I told him I stopped to get fuel on the way and that the coordinates he sent me messed up again, which they have in the past for that particular field. He told me that is no excuse, cause it happened to him to on the way, but its not a problem if you pay attention.
Here is the thing. Was I 5-10 minutes late the last 3 times we have worked together, yes. But that is common in our line of work. Like I said earlier, we are sometimes having to drive hours across the state to do field work. That means often times, we are having to either stop to get fuel, or stop to use the restroom. Countless times I have gone out to do fieldwork, and have had to wait on fellow co-workers from other stations, sometimes for 30 minutes to an hour. But its not a big deal, cause WE ARE NOT HOURLY EMPLOYEES.
Anyways, best way to summarize this guy, he is an asshole. He is the type that takes almost everything job related personal, and has a low tolerance for mistakes. He is by no means my boss, who in fact, has told me not to worry about me or others being late sometimes since we drive so far for fieldwork. This guy has even boasted that it is justified to bully and shit on co-workers who are stupid and make mistakes to get them to quit, since it is so hard to fire someone in the division.
Right now, the next time he calls me to help, I plan to let him know right off the bat that if he pulls that shit again, I am done helping him. Pure and simple. Idc what reasons he comes up with to justify how he acted, im not putting up with it again. Because I have dealt with people and co-workers like this guy all my life, and I simply don't put up with it anymore. No job is worth putting up with assholes. Would love to hear yalls advice, and any stories like this.