I work for a distributor that supplies the hospitality industry.
I initially joined as a customer service representative in a temporary role. The managers liked me and invited me back to cover their ordering department.
Then they offered me an operations role and I’ll be honest I love it. The account managers are responsible for the selling and fiscal aspects but I am responsible for logistics, supply chain, customer complaints, and basically anything they can’t do while mobile (so basically everything else, they are the face, I am the background program that keeps it all running).
Word got out that I was good at what I do and I am now responsible for most accounts due to account managers asking for me. The customer from the company’s biggest account won’t actually deal with anyone else but me.
This is all well and good and I am proud of myself for doing well…
The oldest member of our team,M, is the worst for it. He has made a lot of remarks over my time with the company usually calling me a “girl” and basically saying I don’t deserve to be there.
I maybe did the wrong thing and just started calling him on it saying “Now, you wouldn’t want people to think this team isn’t civilized” ect.
This was made worse when, recently, I accepted a promotion to logistics manager. My boss announced it and my account managers are upset that I won’t be taking care of the accounts anymore. My team are upset because they think I am too young and unqualified.
I was going to make a coffee when turning into the pantry I heard the oldest member of my team saying “I can’t belive that witch got that promotion!” To which, I heard another team member reply that they were shocked and then compared me to Miranda Priestley in The Devil Wears Prada.
I rounded the corner the rest of the way. Smiled. They left awkwardly. Then, right or wrong I got pissed off. I wasn’t blessed with being socially gifted. I was however blessed with being a problem solver, and I am okay with that. What I am not okay it is being treated badly because of it. We all have strong and weak points.
So I started signing any email interactions I had with him. My boss knew, I had discussed it. However, M went over his head and got upper management involved.
There was a meeting. He said I was making him uncomfortable. I then pointed management (and HR) to all the times I had complained on him making nasty comments to start. Not only that, but I showed them an email where he told me “I was a little girl who knew nothing and didn’t deserve the promotion”.
He got let go.
I didn’t think his behaviour was fair or nice but maybe I should have just kept my mouth shut. It is someone’s livelihood, at the same time I think he hung himself.