When Work Feels Like a Game of Politics

I woke up this morning with a very determined idea: I’m going to have a “planned MC” tomorrow because I really don’t feel like working. After today’s events, I feel even more determined.

So, I finished my presentation today, and there weren’t any tough questions. Everyone seemed satisfied—except one person: my manager, YH. Now, I’m not intentionally against him, but he has left a very bad impression on me. And, apparently, I’m not the only one who feels this way. Most people who know him seem to think the same.

Let me explain why.

Today’s presentation was about an issue that dates back to August last year. Fun fact: I only joined the company in September. Ever since I started, I’ve been asking him to make a decision on this matter, but he always acted like he didn’t care. It wasn’t until December—when we had to calculate our stock—that he finally started getting nervous. This batch of defective products was a huge cost, and he panicked because he couldn’t figure out how to handle it.

What did he do? He pushed me into the mess and told others that I was investigating the issue. I still have the email to prove it. That was the first time I truly understood what it feels like to be backstabbed.

I’ve always been surrounded by kind people, so I think I’ve been blessed by God. I’ve never experienced anything like this before. YH feels like a challenge sent by God for me to overcome because I don’t usually hold grudges against anyone. But this man? He keeps pushing me past my limits.

Before today’s presentation, our QA engineer, BH, my supervisor, LS, and I reviewed the PowerPoint slides I had prepared. Together, we identified and confirmed that Root Cause A was the issue. I presented this conclusion to our senior director, J, and all the other senior engineers during the meeting, and everything went smoothly.

However, after the meeting, YH approached me and said I shouldn’t have concluded that Root Cause A was the problem. Instead, he insisted I should have said it was Root Cause B. Then he started lecturing me on how I should “behave like a process engineer” to supposedly “protect” our department.

I was dumbfounded. We had already verified that Root Cause A was the issue, and the problem was clearly caused by our department. Now he’s telling me to come up with a different root cause to shift the blame elsewhere? Is this really the right way to work? Just push things aside or sweep them under the rug instead of identifying the real cause and trying to solve the issue?

I told LS about this conversation, and he revealed something even more shocking. LS said that before the presentation, BH had already held a meeting with her boss (FM), J, and—you guessed it—YH to pre-discuss the root cause. Apparently, they all agreed that Root Cause A was the problem.

So now you’re telling me that YH pretended to agree with them in that meeting but turned around later to tell me he didn’t? Isn’t that the definition of being two-faced?

When I heard this, I literally rolled my eyes so hard they almost disappeared into the back of my head. What is he even trying to do? Is he acting as a spy or just playing politics? To me, it’s clear: he’s nothing more than a coward who’s too afraid to speak up in front of senior management. Instead, he tries to please them at all costs and takes out his frustrations on the people reporting to him. What a personality. This is exactly why I don’t feel like seeing or even talking to him tomorrow. So, this planned MC is absolutely necessary.

On a happier note, I’m glad I managed to finish my presentation today. Even though I’m sure these kinds of presentations will only become more frequent in the future, it’s a great opportunity to train my public speaking skills. So, it’s a win-win for me!

Also, I’m heading to JB tomorrow—probably early in the afternoon to avoid the crowds since it’s so close to Chinese New Year. The number of people out and about is just ridiculous. While I’m there, I won’t have my laptop with me, so I won’t be updating unless I happen to be on my phone and feel like writing.

Till then—12 more days until I fly home!

this is my cat btw.