My husband is a civil engineer and has been with his current company just over a year. He works in a small team, gets on well with everybody and keeps to himself.
He was told a few weeks ago a new manager would be starting and he was to be assigned her buddy – so she had a port of call for help with new systems, getting set up etc. He works from home but he offered to go into the office on the days she is in for the first few weeks.
She's on her 4th day into her first week, and he's already realised if there's gonna be a reason he'll leave, it's going to be her.
Her first DAY, she joined a team meeting about the project he's on. He was talking about something on the project, and she cut him off and laughed saying 'wow no need to get so defensive'. He was taken back, but didn't say anything as not to be rude. He's been working non-stop on this thing for months, knows what's gone right and gone wrong. She walked in on her first day and disrespected his role in the team.
She never addresses him in emails, or is friendly. He's shown me what has been sent so far and she comes across incredibly rude.
My husband is 6ft 5, and their office works on a hot desk basis. So for the next few weeks, he's booked out one of the sit/stand desks so he can raise it to sit comfortably all day. She emailed him yesterday – no hello, hi, how are you. She just said 'I need the sit stand desk, I prefer that set up, please can you give that desk to me?' bearing in mind, she's about 5ft tall. She also knew that was the only other adjustable desk free in the bank of desks booked, meaning my husband would have to sit in another part of the office despite him being her 'buddy'.
He emailed back to say unfortunately he can't fit behind the standard desk and needs the adjustable one for this reason. He suggested another suitable sit stand desk she could book instead and she just ignored him and never replied.
My husband ended up leaving a job about 5 years ago due to a manager who displayed identical behaviours. This job messed him up, he went into a depression, and he had to leave the company completely in order to recover. I think he's already prempting there's going to be issues here, based on what he's seen already from someone who isn't even established in her role yet. If this is what she's like unfamiliar, imagine what she's going to be like when she does settle in. I feel for him and I know his anxiety is picking up. He's great at his job, very competent and he gets along with everybody. Even people he isn't keen on, he's always nice to. But I don't know how he will cope if history repeats itself.
He's wary of highlighting it at this stage, as it's so early on. I've advised him to start a journal, just keep notes of anything untoward and potentially raise early observations with his direct line manager. But he doesn't want to upset anybody or put a target on his head.
Why people have to throw their weight around like that is beyond me, but I genuinely am concerned. Anybody have any ideas what he could do? He really enjoys where he works, says its the best company he's ever been so far, and that's saying something for the industry he's in. But he cannot go through what he went through before.