A Dose Of His Own Medicine

Some people are too arrogant that they don’t let anything to pass without sarcastically side-commenting. But if they happen to be at the other person’s shoes, they will react even worst than how they acted in the first place. Such kind of person I am wanting to give a dose of his own medicine.

One person that fits to my description above is JC, our English MEP Manager (?).

I have noticed this one kind of a character he is since the first time he attended one of our internal meetings. He has always have something to say, regardless if he is off-the-issue, whenever someone has raised an issue or replied to an issue or someone is supporting your issue.

Quite surprisingly, JC always hit hard on my countrymen specially IV our Project Engineer. JZ, our Deputy Construction Manager, is also getting the queerly ire from JC. What is very obvious to me is that he never agrees to any position/point that my Filipino colleagues take. He always takes the other end of the stick just to have the chance to put down my fellows. JC is lucky, despite his untoward attitude they always try to respond to him with a smile.

I don’t understand his attitude towards my colleagues. I can’t say that he is a racist or discriminatory against “us”, because he is married to a Filipina.

OOOHHHH!!! Now I get it. Maybe because he never wins over his wife and he cannot do anything to get back at his wife. So, he takes his frustration towards his Filipino colleagues. (Wicked thoughts).

Anyway, yesterday in our internal meeting I am raising an issue about one of our subcontractors. Due to the subcontractor’s lack of progress, they are now affecting our own progress, I was suggesting taking over some of their works in order for us to progress our own works and at the same time putting pressure to the subcontractor that we mean business.

Our Project Manager explains that we are not in a position to further finance our subcontractor’s works. I insist the idea of taking over a portion of their work and about to explain that we are not in anyway to finance the subcontractor’s work because, firstly, we will just take over in terms of labor. We have the extra workers, in any case, we are paying the workers, why not use them more productively? And the cost incurred in providing the subcontractor’s labor works will be recovered from him. So, there is no financing involved.

Secondly, even if we say we take over “everything”, that means providing labor and materials. In that case, there is financing involved. But end of the day, the portion we executed will be omitted from the subcontractor’s scope. And that mean we are cutting our loss by 100% for every portion we take over.

It is a win-win formula, right.

But before I can explain myself, our “hero” JC, suddenly interrupts and makes his usual manners towards my race saying, “You are not listening”.

Wrong pick JC. I will not reply you with a smile.

I said: “I am listening, don’t tell me I am not listening”. But before things escalate, the Project Manager intervenes and ended the discussion on the issue.

And so, we move on.

When one of JC’s engineers asked if the brackets for the CCTV’s are under our scope. I told them that this has been a recurring issue and we have maintained our position that it is not our scope.

At that instance, I saw an opportunity to give JC a dose of his own medicine.

I continued, “Your MEP manager should know if it is under our scope, is he not reading our contract?”

He is so pissed-off that after the meeting he waited for me by the door and said “I need to have a word with you young man” pointing at my face. “Anytime old man”, was my response.

I was waiting for him to follow me to my office but I think the Project Manager called him to cool down.

That is how this type of person reacts when he have a “Dose of his own medicine”.