The most hated guy at my old job would start every request with an elaborate hand-wrung introduction to make sure no one could possibly be offended by what he was asking for.
Because of this, everyone had to read one or two paragraphs of niceties before they had any idea what he actually needed.
It was incredibly annoying and actually quite selfish in practice since it wasted so much time.
A good manager would have broached the subject with the employee and gently moved them in the direction of adjustment and likely some therapy.
That sort of people pleasing behavior can easily come from a past where asserting even a minor need or boundary was met with abuse from caretakers or peers.
Not saying it's not maladaptive and irritating behavior. It is! But they probably came by it honestly.
I totally agree; unfortunately he was a contractor hired through an agency, which meant his management resources were poorly defined and somewhat diffuse across the two companies' reporting chains.
I'd imagine if he was strictly an FTE he would have been getting that guidance and support, but I guess the politics of trying to do so across company boundaries made it too much of a career risk for the "manager" he was assigned from my company.
The most hated guy at my old job would start every request with an elaborate hand-wrung introduction to make sure no one could possibly be offended by what he was asking for.
Because of this, everyone had to read one or two paragraphs of niceties before they had any idea what he actually needed.
It was incredibly annoying and actually quite selfish in practice since it wasted so much time.