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Coworker with a nasty attitude
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I have a coworker who does not like me and is nasty towards me. I am not sure what to do about it. Yesterday, for instance, she had returned to work from surgery, and I (to be polite) asked her if she felt better. She grumbled at me "yes". Usually, I just try & avoid this unpleasant person.
Later on, I was talking to her superior and had recently moved to their floor for some cross-training. She had just gotten back from a trip, but I needed to talk to her right away due to a deadline. I commented to the superior that I bet she couldn't wait for me to go to my former floor. She said, "No. Of course, not". On the other hand, the girl who can't stand me blurted out, "I can't!" With her odd sense of humor, anyone who might've heard her might've thought she was joking even her boss. I know the truth though, and I'm not sure what to do about it. Everyone else I work with gets along with her great. We just seem to have a personality conflict, and I don't know what to do about it. I mentioned it, once, to my boss, but also mentioned that the girl who can't stand me will just have to deal with my being there. It seems like a strange situation, and I really don't know what to do and don't want to bring it up too much with the bosses or they might think I'm the problem child and not the other gal. I want to steer away from office politics as much as possible, as I think that is why I lost my former job. Posted on 08/20/09, 11:08 pm |
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Well, I hate to say this, but be completely professional. No chatting in the office, just nose to the grindstone, job first. Since it seems that her commentary will continue, document it. If she says anything off-handed to you, write it down, date and time. Carry a notebook. It may seem petty, but it will help if the politics get out of control. I had an issue with a gal, that constantly used foul language in the office, loudly in the office. The difference was that no one cared for her (the rumor was that she was seeing the boss). I made the mistake of not documenting things that kept happening, until it was too late. I keep notes now, especially phone calls. I try to make sure as much correspondence as possible is in writing. I made the mistake of telling out boss that this person offended by describing my physical form to a delivery man. He told me to take it as a compliment. I was the let go, long before she was. Keep accurate records! 
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Ironically, the other day, something happened that set me off, and I could not help but vent to my boss in an email about this girl. It was well received, which I knew it would be. We have a good repoir. On top of that, she told the other gal's boss with whom I also have a good repoir with. In the end, the 3 of us all emailed back & forth & shared some war stories about people bullying us. Also, the girl's boss shared with me that she's about had it with this girl because she has a history of being intolerant and unprofessional with other people and she is going to talk to her & write her up, if the behavior continues. So, luckily, my bosses are on my side, so I really lucked out on this one.
Thanks for listening, by the way. I'm glad I could share good news. :-)
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Yeah it sounds like a personality conflict. If the difficulty persists it might be helpful to have a chat with her directly, set a few grounds rules.
I had one coworker who was sensitive to a rather casual way I had of making requests. I found out after taking her aside that she preferred a more formal address and considered it rude if I forgot myself. It was kinda difficult and a little unnatural for me but I tried to address her the way she preferred to ease the animosity between us. AND she had to remember that if I slipped up, that it was not to be taken as a personal put down. It's good that your bosses are aware about her difficult, bullying behavior.
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what do you do when the Problem is the boss
or supervisor ? How does one go about dealing with this ? How do I protect myself from my bosses nasty remarks ? I am not the only one it happens too , either. The Human resourse will not do anything about it. I had to say to him one time I have not done it because you were yelling at me.
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