This topic does not involve swimming AT all ... sorry ... I cannot stand my co-worker! She drives me crazy. First of all, I work in a very small law firm. There a total of eight employees. Four attorneys (one is part time), two secretaries, an errand boy (aka the head partner’s son), and myself. We have an open office sans cubicles. So there is NO escape. Moving on ... we are a very busy firm. Normally we have a couple of law clerks but right now we don’t. So most of the extra work falls on me. We don’t really have carved out jobs really we all kind of do everything. Though we do all have things that only we do. The annoying co-worker complains non-stop all day long. Seriously. Either she doesn’t have enough to do or the guys ask her to do stuff and she flips out “I don’t have time for this. I can’t handle this right now.” She complains about everything she is asked to do. She complains and/or comments on every phone call she answers. She gets all snippy with me and has basically told me that if I keep eating the way I do (I snack on healthy things all day) that I am going to get fat, so I should enjoy it while I can get away with it. She talks endlessly about how her son is in marching band and how that is the most important thing EVER, how hard it is and how much time it takes up ... I want to yell, do you know how many hours a week I spent in a gym in high school? Like, 30! AH! I can’t take it. I seriously want to yell SHUT UP! Everyone is busy and no one cares. She is a drama queen to the max. She is ALWAYS in pain, her knee, her back, she has a headache, a stomach ache, a cold ... she hasn’t been here everyday all day for two weeks since I started in September. It drives me crazy. I am really afraid that one day I’ll just blurt out shut up you whiney wench! Gr! Do any of you have annoying co-workers and how do you deal with it? Thanks!
Usually, I am not a complainer I swear, and I do see the irony of complaining about someone complaining.
Former Member
Also use the word duty ... your employer has a DUTY to provide a safe work environment ..
Amen to that, Heather!
Sounds like the folks that Kira works with are just as immature as the girl in question to deal with such a delicate subject.
Maybe she (the girl in question) is the Law firm's founder's daughter? If so, that's called FAVORITISM.
Gah! I hate it when that happens!
Kira,
That's not fair. I say hire a Lawyer to settle this once and for all. If your OA and HR are too immature to deal with this problem like real adults, you should have a third party mediator.
Hearing this makes me want to puke. Now that you have pepper spray, just be careful where you decide to use it. You could lose your job if you use it in the office.
Ask other co-workers if this girl has been harrassing them as well, namely your male co-workers. If there are many complaints, maybe that'll give your OA and HR a wake up call.
I would advise being very upfront with HR, even going so far as to say, if this is not resolved and you are not fulfilling your DUTY to me to provide me with a safe work environment, I will seek outside help in the form of a lawyer and/or a restraining order.
Don't threaten HR, obviously NOONE likes to be threatened or even given an ultimatum, but let them no that this is a real problem and that it needs a real and viable solution.
If that doesn't work, I'll come out there and kick her snotty little behind! ;) (kidding)
Tom,
Nothing has changed. I'm still getting hostility. I did write a note to the office admin. after our mtg last wk as a follow-up saying I was deeply disappointed that a co-worker would admit to being intentionally hostile & mgmt would ask her what she needs from me so she won't do that anymore (her "needs" were that I was not to talk to her or to try to be nice to her) :confused: I also said I felt she should've been written up w/ a warning (among other things).
I also found out that HR lied in our mtg when she denied telling another employee that HR did not believe me that anything threatening had happened (HR called that co-worker in 1st thing the next day to tell them they'd "misunderstood"- HR is friends w/ my "tormentor"). It's all insane, really. She's out sick today, so I'm feeling good. She did apolgize to another woman for bullying her saying she had "no idea" that person felt that way (this person has been complaining & has even been brought to tears). In my mtg., I said that I expected the bullying of this other person to stop too, so in an unrelated mtg held w/ HR in the room, "Ms. Sunshine" (as many of us call her) kissed a** & apologized (of course none of us "buy" it).
Oh well. I've gotta just focus on doing what I need to do & keep a positive attitude (except I can't be nice to her).
:rolleyes: Thanks for asking.
sorry i didn't read all seven pages of posts for this, but it was too dang long!!!
school's not much different than work. just be thankful that you don't have her as a boss. i had a teacher like that once. She told me every day that i didn't have the skills to be in her class and she complained about EVERYTHING! i have a problem with complaining myself but she was just ridiculous.
Originally posted by Sonic Swimmer78
When at the Office: Carry a micro-cassette recorder to covertly document her verbal threats. Cassette Recorders NEVER lie.
Great idea but in some places recording people without their knowledge is illegal and if her threats and stuff ever gets looked at by a police place, your little crime would probably be noticed and used against you. hope things improve for you.
