Not sure how to go to work...mean co-worker (member, adults, senior)
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I had a co-worker like this. I dreaded going into work. I did mention it to my boss. Luckily, my boss saw how she was acting, overall, and canned her. Maybe the same will happen to you.
We had a similar worker here in our group. Nasty, mean, jealous, needed to be the center of attention, tried to get others in trouble, etc . The bosses knew it, we all knew it. He just loved to stir the pot and cause drama. Problem was he did his job well enough to keep his position. But he was a thorn in everyone's side.
Eventually all of us decided it was enough, since the bosses wouldn't do anything about. So at one of our quarterly meetings we, his coworkers, just outright called him out on it in the open, and as a group said we are tired of his manipulative games, we all were onto him, and none of us would take it anymore and would back each other up and isolate him. The boss just kept quiet. He feigned ignorance, but all of us individually told him to basically grow up, right there in front of everyone.
Well, it worked. We did as we said, he wouldn't play nice, and he eventually knew his games weren't going to work. A couple months went by and he quit. Good riddance. Unfortunately that psycho is now someone else's problem to deal with.
It's work, you're there to do a job. I've found that no matter where a person works, there's going to be someone that seems to go out of their way to make everyone miserable.
I ignore them or if told how stupid I am (er was), I would smile and say "I know! Let's do lunch" or if there was gossip about me, I would say "it's all true, everything is true. Want to see the videos?".
If it's obvious they are getting to you, they will keep on and on and on.
There is always someone at the work place who causes issues or does not like you or anyone else.
You get paid to do a job so go in, do what you are paid to do, interact with that employee only when it is necessary, be professional and move on with your day.
There is no reason to talk to anyone you work with about anything but work and as long as you stay professional when interacting with them there should be little if any issue.
I would try to make sure any interaction you have with this person is not behind closed doors either, keep it out in public where others will be able to see and hear who has said what to whom.
Record it. Just put your phone recorder on and leave it at your desk or in your pocket or hand when you talk. Review them and if she tries to do another "meeting" just whip it out, play it for her to hear and watch her mouth drop.
The fact that your boss actually talked to you about how she's territorial and rude speaks volumes about your work environment. I'd talk to HR directly.
Your mistakes may actually create issues for her, but she is not your manager. The next time she calls you out on them, you should tell her plainly that it's not her job to do that and that if she has a problem, your boss should be the one to take care of it.
Here's the thing though, if you continue to make mistakes and your boss is the one notified, it also puts you in a less favorable position, because that means it'll be getting tracked as well. So your choices are basically, deal with some overzealous idiot or force both of you to be more professional. Honestly? The latter is better for both your careers.
I have been in this exact same position - I could have written this, OP!
Another woman had the same position as me, yet had been there for 2 years longer than I had. She considered her the "head" of the department even though there was no head and we had the same exact position. She was as critical and insecure as you describe your coworker.
I killed her with kindness. I never admitted to making any mistakes, and always said I tried my hardest and doing my best at my job whenever she would complain about me. The manager knew she was the ONLY employee that ever complained about anyone and she wasn't taken very seriously, but the bosses/management always humored her.
Ultimately, me and one other employee got laid off and I absolutely think it had to do with lies that this particular employee told the bosses. She just hated us (she didn't get along with anybody in the office, but picked people to "hate" on a weekly basis)
This is your bosses problem, not yours. These employees should be fired, but more likely than not they're feared by management and kept on longer than the hard working nose-down employees that just want everyone to get along.
I have to wonder, what exactly does this woman bring to the company other than a whole lot of drama? If I was a boss in that position, I would not keep somebody like this around who keeps wasting my time with nonsense unless she really made up for it in some other way. It doesn't sound like she has a lot of time to do her job, so what is it in her case?
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