How do I deal with this situation

Scott F said:
But given the chance, what would your BOSS and THAT GUY have to say about you? Because people don't become bosses & managers by magic.
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hehe, you'd be surprised ;)

Egg Born Son has good advice

* Just a general observation - you seem pretty upset/emotionally attached. I know you're venting and that's helpful and a natural reaction. I am not criticizing you for that. But, you may find it helpful to take a step back, take a deep breath, etc. The last thing you want to do is live up to the things someone criticizes you of. I have noticed that, at least for me, it can become natural or tempting to turn into the things someone accuses us of in defensiveness. You do not want to be childish or unstable in your dealings. Remain professional. You can't fake calmness, so get calm. Be reasonable and rational. There's some very good objective advice to be found here.

Good luck, let us know what happens.
 
Scott F said:
We've heard your side of the story, which sounds pretty miserable.

But given the chance, what would your BOSS and THAT GUY have to say about you? Because people don't become bosses & managers by magic.

PS- leave
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Both the BOSS and THAT GUY are happy with the work that I do, BOSS is particularly ecstatic and when we're one on one she privately tells me "so and so client liked what you did, we got two more projects because of xyz"

THAT GUY, all this time I've been there has been happy with what I've done for them, called me talented multiple times - even when he was losing it with me last week (would you believe it? no joke - I don't even know how to take that)

It seems like he had set out great expectations for both myself and the other editor and when they were not met - he lost it. But unfortunately he began to get angry with us without even knowing the full details. Anyway. I don't want to beat a dead horse with this.

Egg Born Son said:
It sounds like you haven't done a good job of pushing up your concerns, have failed to keep your 1up and 2up in the loop and tried to take on more than you can deliver without being clear that the extra workload jeopardises the original project. Do these things in good faith, demonstrate a professional attitude and give your managers the chance to provide the support it sounds like you haven't asked for. Don't wait for the "a-ha, I've got you here is the evidence" moment. That's not professional. Simply refer to the email conversation and ask if they'd like you to find the dates so they can check it out for themselves. Nicely. And not through gritted teeth.
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Actually, I've spoken out plenty of times to THAT GUY about bad footage and how I have to cut around certain things - he actually, in the isolated argument brought it back up to me "I've noticed you always say how you got bad footage.... I know what cutting around is" and he went off on his "been there done that" tirade and how we shouldn't blame anything on 'gear' or who shoots it. And I told him, I'm not blaming anyone for it - I'm saying the process is indiscriminatory and no matter what, you'll still have bad footage. He just refuses to hear it. His mind seems set - and of course lucky for him he doesn't have to WORK with that footage so what does he care. The thing is, for a long time I haven't spoken out about it until he left and the BOSS was left with us. At which point we shared the concerns we've expressed to him plenty of times personally - and look how that turned out. BOSS sits down with him in private in the morning and he snaps at US. Clearly this guy feels threatened, add to that his ego is bloated because he can't hear other people's suggestions about a better, more time-saving way of doing things.

If you can't let the emotions go on this one you have to leave regardless of the situation or outcome. You can't do good work or get anything of value out of a situation that you bottle up or explode. Always look to what you could be doing better and when you run out of things then it is them and you must leave the toxic environment. I don't know your age but I do know that juniors always know better than everyone else in the place. Sometimes chaos is more controlled than you think although based on your descriptions of technical knowledge I do concede it sounds like you have a case. However, professional behavior at all times is the only way to sustain your employability. Don't let this employer ruin you for future employers.

EDIT: Didn't register point 3 of the above response at time of writing. Sounds like it will now either play out one way or the other now.
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I've calmed down since that day and I've been calm all along even on that day. I'll basically express things in a non-confrontational manner and see where it goes. The meeting itself is about how to make things run smoothly... I also feel like if this persists I'll just have to leave. There's no point in continuing if nobody listens to you.

And the email option directly to BOSS is something I've been thinking about. It is​ a good idea.
 
digifruitella said:
...
And the email option directly to BOSS is something I've been thinking about. It is​ a good idea.
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Email to the boss is not a good idea.

1. Think Sony. Regardless of whether or not you get hacked, documenting internal personnel issues via email is always a bad idea.
2. Personnel issues should never be discussed via email. Email allows for too much interpretation and mis-interpretation of inflection of voice and intent. A face to face discussion is much more appropriate and much more likely to allow you to have clear communication (you accuse them of not communicating well) and a good understanding between you and the boss.
 
filmguy123 said:
no i was referring to in the future, a pre-emptive boss/that guy email chain to keep people on same page. Agree with Paul F a boss email now is not a good idea.
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Definitely. Nothing personal should ever be in them. You can't take it back and most workplaces has systems in place that preserve even deleted emails. Rule #1 of 'cover thine own arse' is to draw the other people into sharing information. Yourself, you just stick to the business facts in your own emails and simply echo and request verification of information established in conversation. Don't use it to tell tales, reveal personal feelings or anything that can come back on you. Rule #2 is if someone else tries to draw information from you, call them back 'about their email'. Every email should contain the words 'as discussed' or 'in reference to our phone conversation'. If they insist on you putting something in an email ask them what they want you to write and you can fall back on writing 'as requested' before providing anything. If someone objects to putting something in an email just say it makes it easier to keep your responsibilities organised and to keep on top of things.

It does sound like you are more on top of this than your venting might suggest. I always bounce my concerns off strangers in all facets of life, you get better answers and it doesn't come back on you. You don't want to sit next to me on the train!

In fact, I've seen this before. It actually sounds to me like perhaps the BOSS is coming around to the idea that THAT GUY is the fly in the ointment. If you like working there otherwise or see a future opportunity, might be worth seeing how things play out for a bit longer. Perhaps THAT GUY is having some personal problems and bringing them to work or unknown to you the BOSS has been trying to performance manage him to a better place for some time. A good manager will not let on to the rest of the staff when having issues with another. Odds are his outburst was a direct response to the shaky ground he feels he is on being addressed in that meeting and may indicate that the end for him is getting closer. Or not. Only you are in a position to assess the situation and decide if it is worth sticking around.
 
I do want to stick around a bit longer and see if things subside. That this is only a really bad moment in a poorly communicated/organized situation. I also want to be clear about this email business. Oftentimes THAT GUY just gives me an assignment and I don't deal with the boss ever. Am I to understand now that I could start an "email thread" between BOSS, THAT GUY, and MYSELF concerning each project, therefore creating a paper trail in case anything goes wrong? Because up until now, things have been smooth - but maybe I should now begin doing this for safety. That way also, the BOSS is updated directly from me - and NOT by THAT GUY.
 
It's not always 100% practical and you have to figure out for yourself how to make it work for you.

However, general rules:

To copy in your BOSS into exchanges with your 1up that doesn't involve her wouldn't be a good idea. The ideal would be to still get an email exchange happening with THAT GUY, without copying in anyone who isn't part of it. Your BOSS doesn't want a constant stream of email about things she isn't involved in. But anytime she countermands your orders, hell yes. Start an email exchange with her copying in THAT GUY to keep him in the loop. If he doesn't like it he can go see her and sort it out. You shouldn't have to, not your pay grade. If you are on a project that involves a team you could cc anyone in that team so long as the email doesn't contain anything personal (which it never should anyway). For a paper trail noone needs to be copied in, just an exchange between you and him is a retrievable record and he will know it. But I expect that you will find regular email exchanges will simply head off a lot of the miscommunication potential right off the bat, averting the need for evidence in the first place.

I have maximum respect for my current 1up and I know he has my back. I will still cc him in on any email that goes above his head, aside from covering your butt it's respectful to the chain of the command to keep him in the loop. I don't copy in my 2up manager unless it is in regards to something she is actually involved in because she doesn't need to be kept in the loop over petty matters. My previous 1up was the worst of my career in his sheer level of indecisiveness and incompetence (subsequently demoted). Not dissimilar to your situation. Not actually a bad guy but I hated him passionately for a couple of years and the only nemesis I've ever had. I'm over it now and even had a drink with him after the xmas party this year.

If you're having trouble getting this habit started or getting treated suspiciously, make it known to all that your new years resolution this year is to improve your organisational skills after reflecting on recent stressful events (true). Diarising has never been a strong point and you want to keep an easy to filter record of projects, responsibilities and interactions using your email, on recommendation of friends (true, me) that work in a corporate environment (true, since I do) who said it is standard practice in their workplace (true). Ask for their help with this and encourage them to do the same (evangelise like a fat guy two days into his diet). This gives a bunch of reasons people can understand for the change in behavior, at a time of year that is not surprising to anyone and when you find it actually makes life easier, your BOSS finds himself in the loop it won't be hard to sell.
 
Hey OP, it sounds like we work for the same people (not literally, but we may as well). I WISH I was given 2 weeks for an hour long interview. I had 3 days to turnaround a 30 minute show. This included color grading, supers, any motion graphics and revisions.

I made a thread about these guys a little while back. I've since distanced myself from them for the most part. If I ever have any free time and a job they have that I know I can turnaround to make a decent profit, I will do it. But those 30 minute shows were absolute hell and soul-crushing. Want to know the worst part? The pay was about $125. Yep. $125 for at least 15 hours of work. A lot of the time, the footage was hardly useable. Sometimes their shooter used the on-board mic from their DSLR (what the hell?!). Sometimes shots were incredibly out of focus or over-exposed to the point that it looked like they filmed on the surface of the sun. Finding a decent gig around here in an incredibly over saturated market is nearly impossible from what I have found.
 
DBP said:
How are things going here since we last PM'ed ?
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I did some contract work for YVR through their shooter/editor. He had me doing some keying for green screen, creating an animated logo and then more to come in the new year. It's been great working with him so far.

Other than that though, I haven't been able to scoop up anything else. How are things on your end?
 
If you believe the BOSS appreciates your skills talk privately to the Boss.. Try to avoid a confrontation with the bully for last. If the BOSS values you they will do right by you but if they don't they will suffer as a unhappy employee is a unproductive employee.. I personally would stand up for myself respectfully.. Be frank if need be but respectful.. Generally bullies back off when challenged.. If you do it right to where he cannot get you on anything you may win. :-)
 
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