After more than 2 years doing .NET consulting at the same client, I had to do a .NET port of a Java application. My boss was the responsible for the Java version, and from the start he didn’t liked me. He didn’t wanted to hear oppinions, suggestions, he thought my rates were too high for a consultant so he started to even not give me documentation (I even had to reverse-engineer some Java modules to implement the .NET ones).
It became worse with time, and he started to directly treat me as if I was doing a very bad work.

Apart, I has having a personal bad time, so after trying speaking with my superiors, he only stopped for few days. We had arguments in the office, in front of the final client for the application…

One day he told me that maybe he sould talk to my boss to ask for someone more competent, and I phoned my boss and gave him the phone (he didn’t expected it and didn’t answered). From that point, I blocked him from messenger (I use it as a communication tool), and everything he said to me either was via email, or I would remind him to do before I would start doing anything.

At the end he was replaced for another project manager (way much more competent and better person) and everything ended fine. But it was maybe the two worst months in my 5 years of professional experience.

I don’t usually get angry, and even less when working, but this guy almost pushed me to the limit. I even told my boss that if I had just one more argument with him I would take my laptop and return to my office whenever I would get fired or not for doing so.

I think I recommend being calm, not letting him win by playing his game. But neither to do everything they say without complaining.

But as I said at the start, is not an easy subject.