Interactions with a new member of staff have been piling up, leading me to ask you lovely lot here.

Today, in a public online team meeting, the junior and newest male member of our team praised me, a more senior female for “doing a fantastic job on that piece of work.” This is the second time he has used this phrase around colleagues for a project on which we worked together.

I have a few other encounters where his actions have been patronising and/or bulldozing regarding a conversation we are having.

I am asking for calibration regarding my visceral reaction to this latest episode.

My argument is that, I don’t think he would use that turn of phrase if working on something with the more senior male members of staff. He is 2 steps away in hierarchy from the male director - would he say exactly that phrase to him?

What do you think? I feel a bit crazy. Any advice how to deal with this?