my coworker escalates EVERYTHING until she gets her way

by Alison Green on October 21, 2024

A reader writes:

I work for a small company (less than 50 people) and Jane has been with us for about four years. She came with a lot of fanfare because she is specialist in her field and has a history of otherworldly production. Jane loves having a squad of adoring colleagues and subordinates and is, to say the least, a diva.

She also escalates every conflict to the C-suite, no matter how small. Tell her no … it goes up to the CEO. Ask her to do something different … same thing. And she’s placated most of the time because if not, her beef goes to the board of directors.

Jane was restricted from purchasing for a couple of days because she doesn’t follow guidelines and of course it made it all the way to the board president, who reversed the CFO’s decision.

I know this is poor management and even poorer employee conduct, but what to do? I am looking for other employment opportunities.

It’s one thing for Jane to escalate to the CEO in such a small company — but the board? The first time that happened, the board should have told her they don’t get involved in day-to-day management decisions and directed her back to her manager. And now that the CEO sees it’s happening so frequently, she should be shutting down the vast majority of the escalations — sending Jane back to her own manager and including making it clear that Jane’s manager has the final call in 99% of what comes up.

Moreover, if the CEO disagrees with the calls Jane’s manager is making enough to want to reverse them so often, that’s a sign that the CEO and Jane’s manager needs to get themselves better aligned so that they’re not making such different calls.

On your end of things: you’re in a cesspool of mismanagement that for whatever reason wants to keep placating Jane. If no one above you is willing to take this on, the best thing you can do is to work on emotionally detaching from it. Remind yourself that it’s their company, not yours, and if they want to bend over backwards to placate Jane on the reg, so be it. It’s going to make you less emotionally invested in your job and less engaged in your work, which is bad for them in the long run, but that’s what happens when a company operates this way.

One caveat: if Jane is truly a rock star, is there any chance she’s right about a lot of what she’s escalating? Particularly if she was brought in to improve operations in her area, there’s at least a possibility that she’s in the right … and if she was specifically brought in to change the way things work, there’s even a chance that she was told to escalate things  … which could explain why she’s getting her way so often. It could be interesting to look at it through that lens for a while and see if it changes anything about your conclusions.

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{ 93 comments }

{ 93 comments… read them below or add one }

  1. tw1968*

    I think I would tell everyone else to let Jane escalate EVERYTHING to CEO and board until either (a) they get tired of hearing about stuff and shut her down, or (b) they take a look at their own policies and decide to change them.

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    1. Antilles*

      I’m honestly surprised item (a) hasn’t already happened. Even if the CEO/Board don’t care and just want Jane out of their hair, approving these and rewarding Jane’s behavior just guarantees they’re getting more items getting pushed up to land on their desks.

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    2. Saturday*

      I think that’s an impulse that sounds like it would be satisfying, but if OP stops being responsive like that, people are going to see her as the problem (or at least a big part of the problem).

      I think all the OP can do is realize that the CEO and board have apparently decided that this is Jane’s show, and every request from Jane needs to be handled like it came from the C-suite… and then work on getting out of there.

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      1. Everyone’s a rockstar on the internet*

        One caveat: if Jane is truly a rock star, is there any chance she’s right about a lot of what she’s escalating? Particularly if she was brought in to improve operations in her area, there’s at least a possibility that she’s in the right

        Wow, talk about burying the most important part of the answer at the end. I think there’s a very good chance that Jane – and the CEO and board – have very reasonable asks and that Jane’s direct manager is the one in thin ice. OP shouldn’t get involved with this matter at all really, but certainly not siding against Jane. If the board and CEO are approving these requests, and the CFO is approving at least some of them, Jane’s manager may eventually be let go, and OP does NOT want to be thought of as the manager’s ally.

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  2. Crystal Claire*

    OP, it does not sound like that management and Jane are going to change. Update your resume and get out as soon as you have a great offer.

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  4. SunnyShine*

    I can’t tell if OP is managing Jane or just an observer. The first paragraph about Jane reflects more on OP than Jane. It almost sounds like a BEC thing. Obviously it’s not good that she escalated things to the Board and CEO. But most CEO and board members I know wouldn’t reverse a decision unless there is just cause. Of course it could be terrible all around too.

    This is one of those cases where I keep my head down since I’m headed out the door. If it doesn’t affect you at all other than the principle of the matter, then I would let it go.

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    1. Sloanicota*

      I agree it seems evident that OP isn’t a fan (“diva” etc) so it’s good to step back and bit one way or the other. This isn’t really your circus/monkeys ATM, OP.

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    2. A Poster Has No Name*

      I assume the OP has had disagreements with escalated and overturned, making the OP more than just an observer. I can see how that would be deeply frustrating and hard to let go of if it happens often.

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      3. SunnyShine*

        I agree! If it’s affecting OP and they aren’t being told why it’s okay for Jane to do this, then that is another justification for finding another job.

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    3. OrdinaryJoe*

      Right, the impression I’m getting is that OP is an observer and just frustrated. The question isn’t … my employee won’t listen and my decisions are getting overturned.

      While it’s very understandable to eye roll someone who seems to be getting special treatment and decisions overturned, unless it really impacts you just be grateful it doesn’t impact you :-) Make decisions based on the information you have, policies you know and if something is overturned, who cares … move on, it’s not personal.

      And, of course, if it’s a policy that impacts everyone decision – like … unlimited vacation time … you could always get a bit of personal satisfaction by saying Great! You’ll let others know or stop enforcing X policy or something. I’ve enjoyed doing that in the past and watch people try to backtrack LOL

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      1. Everyone’s a rockstar on the internet*

        It may also be that Jane is getting specia treatment because she truly is a rockstar in her field. Real rockstars often get to write their own ticket.

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        1. Star Trek Nutcase*

          Definitely. I was staff in a large research university department when a “rockstar” professor (H) was hired. It was clear from the get-go that he could do anything he wanted. The department chair was overridden by the dean who kissed H’s ass, until the chair stopped trying to brake check H unless staff was involved then the mild mannered chair went nuclear. The faculty dealt with H by ostracizing H & never collaborating with him.

          Reality is some employees are considered more valuable (right or wrong), and the rest of us can either adjust, leave, or go nuts banging our heads against the wall

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  6. Yes And*

    Ugh, a coworker did this to me last week. They didn’t like the answer I gave them, so they went over my head to the CEO, who gave them what they wanted. When I told the CEO (my direct boss) my reasons for my original response, he said, “That’s all valid, but I have bigger fish to fry.” Basically he gave in to make this person go away.

    This coworker’s entire department is in disarray, its department head is on leave, and trying to wrangle this department into some semblance of order is taking way too much of my boss’ time. So I sympathize. But I sympathize even more with Coworker B (who was on my side), who on hearing the decision washed her hands of the entire thing.

    Basically, this sucks, and yeah, there’s probably not much you can do about.

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    1. Spooky*

      When they give in just to stop someone from bugging them, what makes them so sure that every other employee won’t just start escalating things, too?

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      1. Charlotte Lucas*

        In my experience, only certain people are allowed to get away with this kind of behavior.

        If Jane wasn’t brought in to improve processes, then my suspicion is that she has friends/relatives on the board (seen that before) or naked pictures of people.

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        1. Chairman of the Bored*

          Or they’re just really good at what they do and functionally irreplaceable.

          Dennis Rodman was allowed to skip basketball practices and instead go on days-long benders in Las Vegas because he would still show up for games and rebound better than anybody else in the league.

          When his teammates would complain about his special privileges the coaches very reasonably told them “when you start balling like Dennis you can skip practice too”.

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          1. Charlotte Lucas*

            But the Bulls also had phenomenal players who did go to practice. I have rarely met anyone irreplaceable, especially not in an office environment.

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          2. Ally McBeal*

            Or, in a more recent example, Aaron Rodgers was permitted to skip “mandatory” training camp (a bizarre decision given how old and injury-prone he is, and how essential he is as QB) to go on vacation. He apparently booked the trip while he was recovering from an injury, but you’d think he would’ve known his rehab/PT schedule well enough to know when he’d be back in action.

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            1. Charlotte Lucas*

              Not a football fan, but there’s not a lot of love lost for him amongst the Packers fans I know.

              And I do consider the entertainment industry (which, let’s face it, pro sports falls into that category) an exception to the “everyone is replaceable” rule. Because people are paying to see specific people, teams, troupes, etc., perform.

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            2. a clockwork lemon*

              Aaron Rodgers is, unfortunately, a perfect example of someone who is genuinely that good at what he does (ugh) and also literally irreplaceable. There are like three people in the NFL who could do his job as well as him, and all of them are franchise stars for teams much better than the Jets.

              Assuming Jane is some sort of rainmaker who is actually getting away with something, instead of possibly just doing the job she was hired to do by the people who hired her to do it, it’s a pretty apt comparison. There are plenty of people out there who also hate Aaron Rodgers for a variety of reasons, but very few of them have their work/lives in a negative way, and it’s kind of hard to argue that the Jets shouldn’t have made some serious personnel and process changes based on the team’s performance overall.

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        2. Annie*

          Brings back memories of a VP who told me “you’re right, but I gave her what she wanted so she’d go away.” Again, only applicable to certain people.

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  7. Tech Industry Refugee*

    This is one of those unfixable cultural issues (until Jane leaves, if she ever decides to). Definitely glad you are looking elsewhere.

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  8. Chairman of the Bored*

    When I was a Jane I was explicitly instructed by the people running the business (the ones whose family name was on the building) to escalate things all the way to their level if this was the only way to drive correct decisions.

    I did this repeatedly, and only stopped when the middle managers learned that things would go easier for them if they just followed my recommendations the first time I gave them.

    To anybody not in that loop I’m sure it looked like I was being a diva and bucking the chain of command. In reality I was doing exactly the job that the big bosses hired me to do.

    If this dynamic isn’t causing a specific problem for LW I recommend they just ignore it.

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    1. Sloanicota*

      Yeah, I’m curious about that “otherworldly” production. If Jane was brought in (recruited?) to bring that level of performance to this org, or believes she was, they may have promised her whatever she wants, and that’s kind of their prerogative. It would be a way worse issue if OP was Jane’s manager dealing with this and my answer would be different then.

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    2. Ms. Eleanous*

      Always helps to see from the other side, Bored.

      When I read the letter, I thought, Oh – Jerome Robbins! – and probably countless conductors.

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    3. smirkette*

      Yeah, I’ve also been brought on to raise the quality of work and get stuff in line with peer organizations, and unsurprisingly, none of the existing employees thought their work needed improvement because their managers told them for years that it fine (reader, it was not).

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      1. pally*

        Smirkette and Chairman of the Bored (love that handle!): Do you think things would have gone more smoothly if upper management had explained the reasons why you were brought into the company? I’m thinking that this would be presented in a positive manner. Think: “we’re raising the level of quality!” or we’re needed to elevate performance to meet new regulatory requirements.

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        1. Chairman of the Bored*

          It might have helped a bit, but if you’re doing a job like this correctly you are driving substantial changes and challenging the status quo.

          This is going to be uncomfortable for some people, and they’re probably not going to like it. Some of these changes might make their jobs harder or interfere with plans they had made for their own group etc. but that doesn’t mean the changes are wrong overall.

          Rather than different/better messaging I think management could help this sort of thing go more smoothly by giving their Jane a title consistent with their actual authority instead of pretending that they’re just a regular midlevel technical expert or similar.

          People are less likely to object to a Senior VP who has direct access to the CEO and can circumvent policy by decree than they are to a (notional) worker bee who has been given that same power.

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        2. smirkette*

          In my case, upper management did—there were entire all-staff meetings. The entire org (was supposed to have) read Good To Great (provided by the org) so that we’d all have shared vocabulary and frameworks. Sort of like Jane, despite being a middle manager, I had a weekly sit-down with the CEO given the degree of change and departmental issues. (It was miserable. CEO thought I should just fire everyone but I thought I could train most of them up to where they needed to be, all while my team thought I was some kind of out-of-control perfectionist…oh, my sweet summer children.) Anyway, the place was full of bees and the bees won.

          People want outcomes to change, but most aren’t willing to change anything to get to the desired state. It’s magical thinking and one of the banes of my professional existence.

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    4. Pay no attention...*

      Right, we don’t know Jane’s title or function here. Perhaps going to the CEO or Board is indeed the next link up in the chain of her command rather than the big audacious leap that the OP thinks it is. It stood out to me that Jane was blocked from purchases because of what sounds like a procedural error — for example she didn’t get 3 competitive estimates and write a justification for the choice of vendor — and honestly, if she’s a high-ranking person or a rainmaker for the organization, I can understand the CEO overruling the SOP for a larger goal of the organization. Don’t nitpick the side of guacamole when the person is working to close a million-dollar deal.

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    5. Liz the Snackbrarian*

      I want to know if OP is directly involved in all of these conflicts or just an observer. If she’s an observer, why not communicate “Jane has been instructed to escalate conflicts to the CEO whenever doing so is the only way to drive correct decisions”? In that case it’s true that while what Jane is doing isn’t her business, I can see how watching someone constantly escalating conflicts could impact morale.

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    6. Ashley*

      I violate company policies all the time because my role and my boss sometimes require it. It does get exhausting when co-workers can’t grasp this. I tend to refer them to the boss or speak to their boss after the first couple of times.
      Policies are great, but losing work and over spending to follow every policy can be equally short sighted.
      It might be helpful for the managers to have a very frank conversation with the CEO about how things are supposed to go. There could be legitimate reasons for not disclosing some pieces but it is probably worth asking instead of everyone just becoming resentful.

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    7. Cat Lady in the Mountains*

      Yeah, I’ve been a Jane. In my case, it was because I was the gatekeeper for things that would have monumental business consequences – like laying off 30% of the company – if they went wrong. I was instructed to keep the consequences to myself because C-suite didn’t want to incite panic. But I also didn’t feel comfortable compromising when I knew someone’s idea – even when it was a perfectly valid idea on the merits – was going to put us in that much jeopardy of staying afloat.

      I’m sure it sucked for my peers, and arguably I should have either had more authority to decide what I could compromise on and/or shouldn’t have been the mouthpiece for those decisions. But it definitely wasn’t about placating me, it was about protecting the business and I understand why the well-intentioned but imperfect execs handled it the way they did.

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    8. Kevin Sours*

      This still comes across as a communications failure. There is significant value to clear lines of authority.

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      1. Peanut Hamper*

        We don’t know that it wasn’t communicated and a whole bunch of people ignored it.

        There’s a reason some people get managed out.

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    9. LL*

      Yeah, I can’t tell if OP has had some arguments with Jane that were escalated, if she’s Jane’s manager, or just an outside observer whose job isn’t affected by this. But I’m wondering if Jane was brought in specifically to change things and that’s what she’s doing. Although if she was, it seems weird that things were ever getting escalated to the board because the CEO would be the one agreeing with her. So, it’s unclear what’s happening here.

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    10. Peanut Hamper*

      This was my last job.

      By the time I was done, we have probably replaced 75-80% of the original staff. And honestly, they had to go. Things ran much more smoothly afterward.

      OP is well advised to get a look at the bigger picture here.

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  10. MissGirl*

    I used to work in publishing, and the bending over backwards to placate authors required constant trips to the chiropractor. The things we would do to keep them happy used to infuriate me. I once got three separate emails escalating in panic (I responded to the first confirming we would fix it) over a single missing hyphen in a 240-page book that was already printed and on the shelf. DID YOU FIX THIS? HOW SOON WILL THIS GET FIXED? WHAT ABOUT THE EBOOK?

    Then one day I stopped expecting the authors to act in any normal way. I expected them to panic, to nitpick, to actually make the book worse in some cases, and there was nothing I could do about it (I wasn’t the managing editor). Taking that expectation away made my brain more peaceful. I could also laugh about it. Then I reminded myself a big part of my job was actually placating these people. It’s what I was paid to do.

    I know this woman is internal but it sounds the big bosses have decided she is right no matter what. So stop expecting them to side against her and decide it’s your job to get along with her (within reason of course).

    I also did eventually quite and have a new corporate job with higher stakes but way easier-to-get-along-with people. Go figure.

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  11. Jane-ite*

    Counterpoint – are you being a stick in the mud and preventing Jane from implementing best practices as she was instructed to do so as part of being hired?

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    1. MsM*

      I’d argue that setting the precedent that if you don’t like something that falls under the CEO’s purview, take it to the board is not best practices unless you’re trying to get the board to replace the CEO. (Which might be the case, but it’s still not best practices to drag the rest of the office into the drama if it can be helped.)

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      1. Grumpy Elder Millennial*

        Yeah, that’s the thing that makes me less likely to think that Jane is right about most things and is doing the best she can to overcome unreasonable opposition to changes. It’s not impossible, but it seems less likely.

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    2. Unkempt Flatware*

      If that’s the case, leadership needs to do a better job of introducing Jane. I was once followed around all morning by some stranger telling me what/how to do. I kept ignoring her until she got upset and told the bosses I wasn’t doing what she told me to do. Then and only then did boss say, “this is quality control staffer from HQ and you have to do what she says.”

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      3. MigraineMonth*

        I used to do at-the-elbow support for clinicians after electronic health record installations, and I had the opposite problem. A couple of clinicians would ask me what they should do next, and I had to remind them that I had no medical training. Do what you’d do if there weren’t a new EHR, go take care of your patients, I’ll show you how to enter the documentation later.

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  12. Stuart Foote*

    “Otherworldly production” can cover a lot of ground, but if in this case it truly means incredible, can’t-be-replicated-by-anyone work, then maybe this company is now Jane’s world and the LW is living in it? If the CEO and board are still giving Jane her way every time after four years, then clearly they think Jane’s expertise trumps that of everyone else in the company and that she will almost always know best. That doesn’t sound like a fun situation to be in if you aren’t one of her allies, but it seems to be the case here. Hopefully Jane is in fact as good as advertised.

    Reply ↓
    1. Lexi Vipond*

      I would love to know what otherworldly production is, because it sounded to me like she was raising ghosts.

      Reply ↓
  13. Czech Mate*

    Ohhh, it’s good that Alison brought up that final paragraph. I’ve seen (and experienced) things like that during my previous stint in the nonprofit sector–someone is brought on to revamp something or told they’ll have a lot of power over x, but that’s not communicated to the rest of the team.

    My (much lower stakes) example was when I was a nonprofit resource developer, the CEO told me, “Hey, take a look at my calendar and just throw something on so we can talk about this funding opportunity.” His executive assistant had been told that she needed to be extremely protective of his time, so when I did that, she would cancel my appointments (!), question me about what the appointment was for, and basically shame me for wanting to see the CEO in the first place. I’d need to go over her head to the CEO every time and say, “Your executive assistant is refusing to let me schedule something with you, but you said you wanted me to, so how are we going to proceed here?”

    I’d be curious to hear an update about this one.

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    1. McS*

      Jane is not the problem. If escalating to the board is working, of course she’s still doing it! You have a management problem no matter what. Either they feel Jane is irreplaceable and are unwilling to manage her, or they really do want these escalation pathways to be open to her and should carefully message that to you to avoid this resentment. But Jane is just doing her job.

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    2. Saturday*

      That seems weird and annoying that he didn’t just tell his EA that this was okay. Did you ever learn the ereason for that?

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    3. ThisIsNotADuplicateComment*

      How the heck did that happen more than once or twice? Did the CEO really never tell his EA “Czech Mate is the exception to the rule, just let them schedule whenever?”

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      1. Czech Mate*

        Yes, this was weird and annoying, and I don’t think CEO ever talked to his EA. I think there were a few different factors at play.

        -CEO was genuinely very busy and often didn’t sit down to talk to anyone unless it was really major.
        -EA was much beloved in the org, CEO likely thought, “Czech Mate can just explain I asked her to schedule this thing and it’ll be okay.”
        -EA hated me. We were about the same age, but we’d come about working there under wildly different circumstances. (I had gone to college, became an AmeriCorps VISTA, and then was hired to be a resource developer. She had been a client of an organization for at risk youth that we funded, and the higher-ups and been blown away by how smart/self-starting she was and hired her to work in the office. She’d moved her way up over the years and was putting herself through school. That alone was pretty amazing and I did respect her a lot for it.) I think that she had this idea that I was trying to pull a fast one by going and scheduling appointments with the CEO (as if that was a reflection of my privilege and entitlement, not something he had specifically asked me to do) so I think she had this idea that I needed to be taken down a peg or two.

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    4. HonorBox*

      To your first paragraph: I agree about the lack of communication potentially being a problem. The thing that is weird to me though is that if Jane was brought in as someone who could improve processes and revamp procedures and nothing has outwardly changed at all, is there change being made? For instance, if Jane was brought in to help revamp the procurement process, there’d be a timeline and whatever changes are made would be communicated and implemented.

      The fact that that isn’t happening, or is happening so slowly/minimally, is making me lean toward Jane being someone who is good at bringing in money to the business, damn the consequences. The CEO and board see dollars and if Jane wants to change how purchases are made to make it easier for her only, so be it because… dollars.

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  14. Peter*

    It feels from the letter as if the OP’s issue is entirely about existing processes not being followed and respected rather than whether those processes make sense or the merits of what Jane is trying to achieve. For a company of 50 especially the existing rules and processes already sound very bureaucratic and roadblocks that may do more harm than good. Sure, bad processes should be abolished for everyone – not just Jane – but I don’t blame Jane for trying to overcome them, especially if when she tries it initially she gets a lot of pushback from people who think it’s all just the way it’s done here.

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    1. Grits McGee*

      But I think OP’s justified in being concerned/annoyed if what’s in the letter is all the context she has. Jane could be completely justified in her complaints, but it doesn’t seem like her grievances are resulting in any kind of organizational changes. Based on the letter it doesn’t sound like the purchasing rules changed, just that Jane doesn’t have to follow them. (And that’s less problematic if Jane is the only one making purchases, but if other people have to follow the guidelines then that’s a recipe for resentment and chaos.)

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      1. Peter*

        If you’re right the OP is surely blaming the wrong person? Is Jane has to go to the top just to get her weird purchases ban overturned is she wrong to do it just because the ban isn’t simultaneously overturned for everyone else?

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        1. Your Former Password Resetter*

          It means the company still has a serious management problem, and that Jane is just a symptom of the dysfunction.

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  15. McS*

    Jane is not the problem. You have a management problem either way. Either they feel Jane is irreplaceable and won’t manage her or they want these escalation pathways open to her and should carefully message that to you to avoid this resentment. But Jane is doing her job

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  16. Grumpy Elder Millennial*

    I’m curious how this is affecting you directly, LW? Like, I get that it’s a weird situation, which may feel unsettling and uncomfortable, especially if there are any odd social dynamics going on with Jane wanting her posse. But is it affecting your day-to-day work? If it’s not, try to sit back and be amused by the bananpants stuff going on.

    If it is causing you problems, I’d focus on addressing those. Like making sure that when there are changes in direction, timelines get revised to account for the extra work required to change things.

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    1. Peter*

      I would like to know this too. Is this nothing more than a misplaced sense of fairness being violated (“No one else challenges silly rules so why should Jane?!”? Or does it actually negatively impact the OP’s work?

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      1. Grumpy Elder Millennial*

        Or “nobody else gets to ignore rules they don’t like!” Which, yeah, is annoying. But sometimes things aren’t fair. And you’ve got to decide what hills you’re willing to die on (unlike John from the last letter, who will pick any and, apparently, every hill).

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          1. Peter*

            I guess someone who hasn’t worked somewhere with internal bureaucracy that demotivates and drives out dynamic people and hurts the whole operation might see Jane as an obvious villain here. As might someone who sees ‘their job’ as simply taking existing processes and following them. But I don’t see her villainy as obvious.

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  17. HonorBox*

    Unless this directly impacts the work the LW is doing, I think the best course of action – to maintain a level of internal peace anyway – is to get to work both there at work and get to work getting out.

    Maybe Jane has been brought in to be the agent of change and was told directly by CEO and board to escalate those things that are in need of change. I’d like to think that higher level management might be clued in on that sort of thing, but they may not be. And I’d also like to think that if the board wanted this, it is because the CEO is maybe one of those changes they’re looking to make. If that’s the case, and it isn’t greatly impacting the LW, it isn’t something I’d get too invested in. In fact, I think I’d invest less because there may not be a life raft to hang onto when changes are made (saying that with zero judgement about the LW and their abilities…just saying the situation may change drastically for all).

    If Jane is a rockstar and believes that her ____ doesn’t stink and is just escalating because she wants her way, again with no or little impact on LW, I’d invest less too. Clearly there’s a management problem and no one is standing up to Jane at all.

    If this IS impacting your work, LW, then I think the only change I’d make is this… if you’ve put in a certain amount of work on a project and Jane has an issue that would cause you to redo something, I’d go to your boss and outline the amount of work you’d put in, the amount of time you’d spent given the directives you got initially, and the amount of delay that will occur in the change. Not as a threat, but just as a way of setting realistic expectations. You don’t need to work OT. You don’t need to set aside other things without your manager giving you the nod to do so. If Jane is the rockstar versus change agent, other managers are going to need this kind of information to let CEO know why certain things are delayed, especially if there are financial implications.

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  18. Been There*

    I’ve worked with a Jane and eventually managed them. They were great when they started at the company and then went on a power trip after a promotion. Their prior managers coddled them and in many ways encouraged their behavior or at least did things that made it worse. When I became their manager in my last few months at the company, shutting it down led them to go to an old manager to override me (which they really couldn’t do, but “Jane” would use that permission to do what they wanted to) or to escalate above me.

    It never should have gotten as bad as it did, but they were a talented person in a hard to fill role. Even so, I told my manager when I left that job that “Jane” was causing more harm than good. My manager was already good about shutting down the escalations that reached him, so I suspect they moved forward with an exit eventually. Unless someone is willing to make that move, nothing will ever change.

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  19. VP of Monitoring Employees' LinkedIn Profiles*

    Any business that replaces its core mission with “Keep Jane Happy At All Costs” deserves to fail.

    Reply ↓
    1. fhqwhgads*

      Depends on if they’re doing these things to keep her happy as opposed to some of the higher ups in question genuinely thinking she’s right. Doesn’t matter whether either of them IS right. It’s an assumption to think they’re acting as they are purely to placate Jane.
      If that is what they’re doing, you’re not wrong, but it’s not a safe assumption.

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  20. Weatherwax*

    I originally thought ‘a history of otherworldly production’ meant Jane is a rockstar employee but now I realise you meant she has eldritch influencing skills.

    Looking forward to an update on this OP!

    Reply ↓
  21. Anna*

    Side note, I used to love this site, but the ads have gotten out of hand and have made it basically unusable. What a shame. I’m out

    Reply ↓
      1. Bananapants*

        Thanks, I forgot about that page! This site keeps freezing up my browser because of the ads so I’ll submit a report or whatever.

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        1. MigraineMonth*

          I’m just getting a deluge of negative political ads designed to raise my blood pressure, but that seems to be an unfortunate side-effect of using the internet at this time.

          Reply ↓
      2. Anna*

        It’s not a singular ad though. The entire page is slow loading, multiple adds get in the way, new ads are constantly rendering. It’s a huge mess.

        Reply ↓
      1. 653-CXK*

        +1000. After nearly losing a laptop over 10 years ago to a virus, thanks to ads, they go on with each new computer I get.

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  22. fhqwhgads*

    Either:
    Jane was brought on to change things a certain way and told to escalate and that’s why she is (I’m ignoring whether her changes are correct or incorrect in this example; if CEO wanted her to make them and she is going about it as instructed, then the problem OP describes is a feature not a bug)
    Jane was brought on to change things and is being a arrogant about it and shouldn’t be escalating so much and is going to get shut down
    Whoever brought Jane on doesn’t know what’s a good idea or bad idea but trusts her blindly
    Whoever brought on Jane vehemently disagrees with OP’s boss, hence why Jane seems to be coming up with contradictions, and all of this is going to end with OP’s boss getting the boot

    So odds are there’s no much OP can do here but leave as they’re already planning to.

    Reply ↓

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