maynicholas Posted February 16, 2008 Posted February 16, 2008 So my boss's bro is working with us for a couple of months- then he is gone for good. Previous to this my boss has said that his brother needs someone like me in his life. I don't know what was said, but ever since his brother has been around, the brother is always trying to talk to me and ask me personal questions. I love my boss (not that way- he's gay) but I could care less about his brother. I want to treat him like I treat the other guys I work with (I joke around alot, but I'm very sarcastic) but I feel like I can't with him because apparently it turns him on when I'm mean to him (my boss tells me everything). Would it be horrible to just ignore him? My boss won't care, I just feel bad because my boss & I are close and I want to like his brother as much as him, but it's impossible because I feel like his brother is always looking for an 'in' with me because we are both single and around the same age. -How would you handle this? I don't want to play with him the way I play with the other guys because I know they are 'safe' and won't come on to me. I feel like he will just keep trying till he leaves.
Trimmer Posted February 16, 2008 Posted February 16, 2008 (edited) Instead of ignoring him, could you treat him with just the right amount of neutral professional respect appropriate to your job? That way, it would be clear that you are treating him differently (e.g. not "horsing around" like with "the boys"), without being obnoxious by ignoring him, and at the same time you're also meeting your job responsibilities and doing your best for the company in the process... Just a thought... And then, if he does ask to do something outright, nip it in the bud clearly and honestly EARLY - I'm assuming you learned that lesson in the previous situation... It may not be easy to do, but it's lots easier doing it now than waiting until things get even more complicated later. In addition, keeping it simple and honest means you never have to remember what excuse you used, and hopefully minimizes the chance that he'll try to do an end run on you. You: "I can't see you because we work together..." Him: "OK, I quit. How about this Friday, then..." Edited February 16, 2008 by Trimmer
Author maynicholas Posted February 16, 2008 Author Posted February 16, 2008 Thanks Trimmer, good advice! When we were alone working on something he immediately started in on asking about my love life. I told him straight out that it was not something I was willing to discuss and to please keep his questions limited to things of a less personal nature. Of course one of my 'boys' walked in and told the guy if he wanted to talk to me he should ask about my cats, then he could get a conversation out of me
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