The first thing I thought of after the suit + tie was that he was dressing the part and trying to distinguish from being 'one of the gang' which could lead to p

The first thing I thought of after the suit + tie was that he was dressing the part and trying to distinguish from being 'one of the gang' which could lead to problems down the road (which is why some companies won't let a co-worker become the new boss, they'll transfer someone new in). Then I got to the second part which led me to think that he got dropped into a position that he has no earthly idea on how to do and is just struggling to try to maintain a position of authority and get some sort of hold on your team, who appears (to him) to be subverting him. How can you manage if no one will let you manage? While you could see there's some solutions to that, it's difficult to see when you're the one in the fire. The hard work emails could simply be a (potentially failed) attempt at positive reinforcement. From your perspective he doesn't do anything, but perhaps it's because you're unaware of what he does, either because you're unfamiliar with the responsibilities or he doesn't broadcast it. Or he could be a PHB in the making and it's exactly what you're thinking. In either case, you've got a few options. 1) Direct feedback. In a 1 on 1 meet with him and figure out what it is that he does, give him some positive feedback on what he does, some negative feedback. This feedback could also be anonymous (depending on the size of your team and how well he knows writing styles) 2) Is it possible to go to the next person up on the totem pole and give your feedback? This could protect you from a confrontation and yet still convey the information. 3) Perhaps he should work with a mentor in the company to learn from someone more experienced? There's a few ways to arrange this depending on your relationships in the company, but either asking him about his mentor (which should cause him to think about getting one if he doesn't have one), or asking someone else to become his mentor, or asking his boss to assign him one to get him brought up to speed. The goal shouldn't be to nail the guy to the wall but instead work with him to improve the team. I've worked with a guy who was a "C" employee in one position, but more "B" in another. This transfer could be his chance to be a more productive member of the team.