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How do you handle a conflict with a co-worker who has more seniority but is less skilled/less able than you?

There have been times in the workplace where a conflict erupts when I give a suggestion for how a job should be done because I have more experience than a co-worker. But the co-worker snaps back and says he/she has been at the company longer so I have no place to vice my opinion. It's a sticky situation where I think we are both in the right but it's still a little tricky. #construction #environmental

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Kim’s Answer

Matthew,


Some of us spend our entire lives trying to figure this out! If there is an age difference, makes it all the harder. Older persons sometimes fear the younger ones will put them out of a job.


I think it is important to try to find some way to show respect for them. Not always easy, especially if you are thinking "Why has he not been fired? He's gonna get someone hurt." Try to find something that he DOES know something about. Perhaps it is office politics. Something. Anything! Maybe even ask his advice about a problem you are having with your parents or a girlfriend, ore even housebreaking a dog, or fixing a car. It's all about trying to find a way to connect. Definitely not easy to do.


Then, when it comes to work issues, sometimes it works if you take a less direct approach. If you can be subtle, and let him think it was his idea to do it your way, that can work. So, if he wants to do something else, and you grab a wrench, he might figure out what you are thinking and tell you to give him the wrench. Or, you can do it by asking questions. "Where does that rope lead to?"


You can always get the supv. involved, but that usually comes as a last resort, at least in some occupations. I do office work, and there are a lot of whiners. But that ultimately makes the relationships worse, not better.


All of that being said, it appears you are in construction. If so, safety always comes first. Don't worry about hurt feelings and bad working relationships if it is a safety issue. Do what is right. ALWAYS.


Best of luck!

Kim
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John’s Answer

Matthew

This is a tough one which I have found myself in more than once. In the EHS world we call it the "But we have always done it this way." Argument. It is even a question you get sometimes in job interviews. Answering the question less than diplomatically can land you in hot water or get you on the road to being the first name on the next round of layoffs, but if you are right it can also set you apart from the pack and get you noticed by the guys in charge. One word of warning, they are doing it, whatever it is, for a reason before you make a stink find out why they do it. It can give you ammunition when you take it to the boss to try to change the procedures.



John recommends the following next steps:

Do your research on what you want to change and find out why. There might be reasons why. There also might be outdated procedures, updated equipment that made that procedure obsolete or personnel reasons for the procedure (someone could not do the job but they didn't want to fire them, so they created the procedure to solve the personnel issue - it is amazing the things that I have seen.)
Now that you know why and you still feel the change is needed figure out the good and bad of your change. Things like "It will save $2500 in the first month." or "The new data system does this for us automatically and well will not have to store all those daily reports with as hard copies." Will go a long way.
Now you can articulate the problem, the solution and the savings, bypass your peers and ask to sit down with your boss. If the company is about making a profit you should be all set.
Be ready for heartbreak. You can be 100% correct and the boss can tell you to pound sand. That is okay. Tuck it in your back pocket until they are gone. Managers who are going to retire within a few years might not want to change the course of the ship they see sailing on smooth waters. Don't sulk or complain to anyone. This is a big boy moment that you can learn from as well. Sometime management will simply not change. You should handle this with a "Just wanted to make the suggestions, thanks for hearing me out." Smile and leave the office.
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