Re. Oppressive SMEs

["Geoff Hart (by way of \"Eric J. Ray\" <ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com>)" <ght -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA>]

An anonymous poster wrote asking for help with a bad work situation.

<<Politics is anathema to me, and I have no interest at all in
pandering to the politicians among us.>>

Nonetheless, if you want to play in someone else's game, you have to
learn the rules they're playing by. If you don't like the rules, find
another game whose rules you like better. Life's unpleasant that
way... we can't make up our own rules most of the time. While I can
sympathize with your attitude, having shared it early in my working
career, I figured out really soon the trouble I was making for
myself and adopted a more politically astute approach.

<<Fortunately, I'd had an inkling of what she was like and had had
the secretary make a copy of her edits, so when I was called on the
carpet for ignoring the information I'd been given, I was able to
produce a copy of the incomplete edits I'd gotten from her.>>

Wise move. I did the same thing. It didn't help because my boss had
no detectable balls, and basically threw up his hands in despair and
hung me out to dry to cope with the problem by myself. Fool that I
was (this was a long time ago), I did just that rather than seeking
help with the problem. _That_ won't happen again.

<<One would imagine the axe would fall at this point. This is
completely beyond my ken, but it did not.>>

Been there, done that, almost got the stress-induced heart attack to
prove it. The situation didn't get resolved until the old manager
moved on and a new manager with some guts came in as a replacement.
In hindsight, I should have gone over his head (via the Personnel
department), but I was so stressed and busy with work and family that
I never thought of it until it was too late. Boy, do I regret that.
The one good thing about the whole experience was that I learned to
deal with problems early on, firmly and gently, rather than letting
them manage me.

<<...this project is just a matter of being in the wrong place at the
wrong time for me. It's completely out of my range of expertise, but
it really needed to be done and I happened to be available.>>

Hmmm... you haven't provided any specifics, but is it at all possible
that you've given her the impression that you really _don't_ know
your stuff? Some SMEs get very irate if they have to explain things
they figure you should automatically understand. Doesn't mean they're
right, but that could be the original source of the problem. You also
mentioned doing freelance work on the side, and under the
circumstances, that's likely stressing you out enough to affect your
job performance. I'd bet that you're not doing nearly so good a job
as you think, even if the SME really is 95% of the problem. You might
have to cut back on the freelancing until the problem is resolved,
just to save your sanity. Given your implied family situation, that
may prove financially difficult, but with luck, it'll only be a
short-term situation.

<<I'll pull off a heroic effort and I will finish this project>>

I did that too, but it didn't make the problem go away. In fact, I
got lots of credit from the authors I was working with, but none
whatsoever from Management.

<<My boss... told me that, as long as things were going OK with me,
he didn't need to know what I was doing. He said he was here to help
me deal with problems. Well, I took him at his word. When things are
going OK, I leave him alone. Aside from the occasional shucking and
jiving in the hall, he doesn't hear a word from me.>>

Many bosses think that by being laid back, they're doing you a
favor. They're not, and it's a large part of your problem. If the
boss doesn't have the brains to keep track of what you're doing, then
you need to make it your job to keep him informed. Otherwise, when
you finally report the problem, he's had no advance warning that a
problem is developing. Most problems are relatively easy to fix if
you catch them early; if you wait until they're a disaster, they may
be unfixable. I know exactly how tempting it is to just hide away in
my office and edit, so I force myself to get around the building and
keep in touch with my authors and my bosses. I report both the good
and the bad, and keep doing so until the message sinks in.

<<I'm getting the impression now that he thinks I'm a whiner because
the only times I've talked to him about my projects have been when
I'm having problems.>>

That's the exact situation you're in. How can he judge you positively
if all you do is come to him with problems? One thing that works
really well is to tell him about your soon-to-be successes before
they happen and get his feedback. I regularly catch my boss and say
something like "here's the problem and here's my solution... any
other suggestions?" That way he knows that I'm solving most problems
myself (i.e., he doesn't have to infer it), and when I come to him
with a problem I can't solve (or, politically speaking, shouldn't try
to solve without his input), he gets a more balanced picture of what
I'm doing. He also gets ongoing feedback on all my projects and the
sense that I value his opinion but don't rely on it as a crutch.
Don't consider this as manipulative, because it isn't; he also
happens to be a good boss and smarter than me about a lot of things.
It's much harder to do this successfully with a boss who really isn't
any good; then you just look like a brown noser.

<<I have a lot of people to support... As much as I'd like to just up
and quit, I can't do that until things calm down a little.>>

Again, I was in the identical situation, and I played nice for about
a year and a half, and it probably took a few years off my life.
Don't get caught the same way.

<<Several people on this project have already been hospitalized
(heart attacks and nervous conditions), and I'm starting to see
why.>>

Sounds like the problem extends beyond your own boss. If there's a
generalized managerial incompetence in the company, we worker drones
need to band together and discuss the issue with management. That's
awfully tough to do unless you're unionized, and even then... But
it's something you may have to do for your own survival.

<<I hesitate to talk to my boss, but I have to. I need to... tell him
in no uncertain terms that things must change, but I need to do it
without upsetting him too much.>>

Au contraire. You need to upset him enough that he'll take action and
protect you from your antagonist. If he won't do it, you'll have to
go over his head, as gently as possible so that you don't make him
look bad enough to turn him into an enemy, and find someone who will
fix the problem for you. One alternative is to propose getting the
Personnel Department involved so that he doesn't have to do the
hatchet job himself; if it's his suggestion to Personnel rather than
yours, he doesn't look like such a wimp for washing his hands of the
deal. I'm no fan of Personnel, but they've really earned their keep
for me in less drastic situations. He might buy that solution. If
not, mentioning  the words "harassment lawsuit" regarding the SME
will get you a lot more attention... but that's kind of a desperation
move, and it's not going to make you any friends.

One caution: You mentioned that your SME is female and the boss is
male, and that puts the boss in a very awkward situation. A few male
supervisors I've talked to mentioned the words "sexual harassment",
shuddered, and used that as an excuse to let a problem continue. I've
got a lot of sympathy for that behavior, because even if you win a
threatened harassment lawsuit, you're still tarred with a black brush
for the rest of your career. So be firm, but also be gentle and
sympathetic with the boss if he tries to drag his heels about solving
the problem. As long as you've documented the problem well, you
both should be relatively safe.

<<Most of the time I talk to him, we're just telling puerile jokes
and being goofy.>>

Then that's certainly another powerful reason why you're not being
taken seriously. At work, you absolutely must maintain a professional
image. That's not to say you can't joke around at lunch etc., but on
average, you've got to be seen to be serious and professional, even
at the risk of seeming tightassed. I used the analogy of playing a
game by the rules, and that might be an unfortunate choice of words
because work is far more serious than any game you're likely to play;
this is your life and your family's future you're talking about,
after all, and you're going to have to make certain sacrifices. I
hope that doesn't sound patronizing, because it's not my intent.

<<I have a file on this demonSME, and I plan to call a meeting with
my boss and her boss to go through this big ugly mess and clear some
things up.>>

That's probably the wisest thing you could have done. You absolutely
need to end this problem right now, because even if the stress
doesn't get you, the SME eventually will. You have family and other
responsibilities, and can't afford to be forced out of an otherwise
good job or stressed into having a heart attack because of her.

Good luck, and let us know how things turn out.
--Geoff Hart @8^{)}
geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca

"Men are from Earth. Women are from Earth. Deal with it."--Author unknown


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