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I have a coworker who is kind of testing my patience right now.
She is one of these people who could be labeled a "chronic complainer." Sometimes it seems like she could be given all the gold in the Western Hemisphere and she'd still find something to grumble about.
"Look at this bar! It has a fingerprint on it!"
Anyway, people like that tend to annoy me, but it's not enough to really get under my skin. See, this coworker likes to think that she works a lot harder than everyone else in the place. She never flat out says this in that many words, but the implication is definitely there. I've heard her say several times that she is "the lifeblood of the organization" and that she is "what holds the whole place together." She also likes to imply that the rest of us don't pull our own weight. Again, this is never said in that many words, but the implication is definitely there.
Here are a couple of examples.
1. Several weeks ago, we were planning an event on campus. She had gone to the grocery store to get some food items that were needed. As soon as she gets back, she pitches the grocery bags onto a table and hisses "I hate doing this! No one else around here EVER does anything for these events. I ALWAYS have to do everything!" Bear in mind, this was said while everyone else on campus was busy doing something to prepare for the event. I was getting the lounge ready. Someone else was getting the conference room ready. And you're going to come in and pitch a fit about how you're the only one who ever does anything? On top of that, shortly after tossing the groceries on the table, I started to help her set up a table. She got her finger pinched in one of these folding tables, and she started screaming and crying because "it hurt like hell!" She goes off into a room by herself to recuperate, and someone else helps me set up the tables.
2. On July 4, we had a big cookout on campus. Of course, the place was technically closed that day, but everyone was invited to come in for the festivities. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to come to that event because of some family issues, and the director said that was just fine, since this was a fun thing and certainly not required. I ended up not being able to come, and apparently she was in a snit over the fact that I didn't come, because when I came back to work, I found her finger passive-aggressively pointed in my face several times reminding me that I wasn't there and that I "should have been there." Apparently, she was pissed because she thought that not enough people showed up. Evidently, in her mind, they boycotted the event just to piss her off, though I tend to think that the fact that July 4 was a rainy day in my part of the world might have had something to do with the supposed lackluster turnout.
3. (the one that really got me pissed off) Back in October, we had to order a new printer for the library, and we did that. Well, recently, the cartridge for that printer went dry, and when I went into the storeroom to find a new one, I couldn't find one that fit it. I brought this to the attention of the director, and we realized that we needed to order a special cartridge for this printer. Well, since this coworker is involved with ordering new things for the campus, she had to be notified. Guess what happened then. She has a shit fit about how (allegedly) no one ever tells her anything but expects her to do EVERYTHING! She gets right up in my face and says, "WHEN. SOMETHING. NEW. GETS. BOUGHT. AROUND. HERE. YOU. NEED. TO. TELL. ME. OR. ELSE. I. WON'T. KNOW!!!"
I try to defend myself by saying that it never occurred to me that this new printer took different ink cartridges than the other printers in the building, but she keeps bitching and pouting about how it's going to take her several weeks to order it and that no one ever tells her anything and that I need to tell her if something new is bought. Evidently, I am the most horrible person in the world because it never occurred to me that the new printer that the IT department put in my library would need different ink cartridges than the other printers.
Well, I take some time to decompress, and for a while I don't hear anything else about the printer. But a few days later, she saunters into the library, points at the printer, and says, "By the way, that new cartridge took up ALL THE MONEY I was allotted for supplies this month. I wasn't able to order anything else because of that cartridge."
At this point, I'm exhausted from trying to defend myself, because everything I say seems to go right over her head, but I still point out that I didn't realize this printer was different from all the other ones. Once again, it's like it didn't even register with her.
I seriously don't ever want to hear about that printer ever again. Hell, I want to just take it out of the library and tell the students that if they want to print something, they need to go into one of the computer labs. But wait, I can't do that because this coworker is insisting that the computer labs be locked when classes aren't being held in them.
Now, some people might say that I should just tell her point blank to knock all this crap off. Sure, I could do that, and I'm sure other people have to. Here's the thing with that. She feels like life has treated her very poorly over the past several years, and to her credit, there is truth to that. She's had some financial troubles as well as a divorce. And if I called her on any of this stuff, I'd get a pity party about how bad her life is and that's why she's stressed out and snapping at everyone. If you're having a hard time in life, I can sympathize, but do I really have to be your punching bag?
She is one of these people who could be labeled a "chronic complainer." Sometimes it seems like she could be given all the gold in the Western Hemisphere and she'd still find something to grumble about.
"Look at this bar! It has a fingerprint on it!"
Anyway, people like that tend to annoy me, but it's not enough to really get under my skin. See, this coworker likes to think that she works a lot harder than everyone else in the place. She never flat out says this in that many words, but the implication is definitely there. I've heard her say several times that she is "the lifeblood of the organization" and that she is "what holds the whole place together." She also likes to imply that the rest of us don't pull our own weight. Again, this is never said in that many words, but the implication is definitely there.
Here are a couple of examples.
1. Several weeks ago, we were planning an event on campus. She had gone to the grocery store to get some food items that were needed. As soon as she gets back, she pitches the grocery bags onto a table and hisses "I hate doing this! No one else around here EVER does anything for these events. I ALWAYS have to do everything!" Bear in mind, this was said while everyone else on campus was busy doing something to prepare for the event. I was getting the lounge ready. Someone else was getting the conference room ready. And you're going to come in and pitch a fit about how you're the only one who ever does anything? On top of that, shortly after tossing the groceries on the table, I started to help her set up a table. She got her finger pinched in one of these folding tables, and she started screaming and crying because "it hurt like hell!" She goes off into a room by herself to recuperate, and someone else helps me set up the tables.
2. On July 4, we had a big cookout on campus. Of course, the place was technically closed that day, but everyone was invited to come in for the festivities. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to come to that event because of some family issues, and the director said that was just fine, since this was a fun thing and certainly not required. I ended up not being able to come, and apparently she was in a snit over the fact that I didn't come, because when I came back to work, I found her finger passive-aggressively pointed in my face several times reminding me that I wasn't there and that I "should have been there." Apparently, she was pissed because she thought that not enough people showed up. Evidently, in her mind, they boycotted the event just to piss her off, though I tend to think that the fact that July 4 was a rainy day in my part of the world might have had something to do with the supposed lackluster turnout.
3. (the one that really got me pissed off) Back in October, we had to order a new printer for the library, and we did that. Well, recently, the cartridge for that printer went dry, and when I went into the storeroom to find a new one, I couldn't find one that fit it. I brought this to the attention of the director, and we realized that we needed to order a special cartridge for this printer. Well, since this coworker is involved with ordering new things for the campus, she had to be notified. Guess what happened then. She has a shit fit about how (allegedly) no one ever tells her anything but expects her to do EVERYTHING! She gets right up in my face and says, "WHEN. SOMETHING. NEW. GETS. BOUGHT. AROUND. HERE. YOU. NEED. TO. TELL. ME. OR. ELSE. I. WON'T. KNOW!!!"
I try to defend myself by saying that it never occurred to me that this new printer took different ink cartridges than the other printers in the building, but she keeps bitching and pouting about how it's going to take her several weeks to order it and that no one ever tells her anything and that I need to tell her if something new is bought. Evidently, I am the most horrible person in the world because it never occurred to me that the new printer that the IT department put in my library would need different ink cartridges than the other printers.
Well, I take some time to decompress, and for a while I don't hear anything else about the printer. But a few days later, she saunters into the library, points at the printer, and says, "By the way, that new cartridge took up ALL THE MONEY I was allotted for supplies this month. I wasn't able to order anything else because of that cartridge."
At this point, I'm exhausted from trying to defend myself, because everything I say seems to go right over her head, but I still point out that I didn't realize this printer was different from all the other ones. Once again, it's like it didn't even register with her.
I seriously don't ever want to hear about that printer ever again. Hell, I want to just take it out of the library and tell the students that if they want to print something, they need to go into one of the computer labs. But wait, I can't do that because this coworker is insisting that the computer labs be locked when classes aren't being held in them.
Now, some people might say that I should just tell her point blank to knock all this crap off. Sure, I could do that, and I'm sure other people have to. Here's the thing with that. She feels like life has treated her very poorly over the past several years, and to her credit, there is truth to that. She's had some financial troubles as well as a divorce. And if I called her on any of this stuff, I'd get a pity party about how bad her life is and that's why she's stressed out and snapping at everyone. If you're having a hard time in life, I can sympathize, but do I really have to be your punching bag?
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