How exactly should a person approach his/her boss about a catty coworker situation? I have tried my best to get along with this woman, but she’s been stirring up drama the last few weeks to what has reached a dizzying level this morning. There is a meeting scheduled with my boss on Thursday involving all of the interns (even those of us who are not instigators), but I want to know what I can say to separate myself from the drama without looking like a suck-up. I do not want the drama that has occurred to reflect poorly in my future job recommendations, especially when the work I have been turning in is of good quality.
I woke up to middle school in my inbox this morning, it’s ridiculous.
I don't know the solution, but this definitely reminds me of that Seinfeld episode where Elaine is complaining about Molly Shannon and everyone just says, "Meow. Catfight."
You gotta save those emails though. Employees with a lot to lose will easily learn to work together to pin something on the interns. That would be my biggest fear.
It's a fellow intern that's creating most of the drama, which is one reason I fear that it will reflect poorly on all of us. I'm so sick of all of this - we've covered for this woman's mistakes before, we've tried to educate her on doing the job properly ... and nothing gets through. I split a load of work with her last night that she should have been able to do alone because I didn't trust her to finish it (I'm sick with a sore jaw and the work entailed over 200 phone calls - I finished off the last of my prescription ibuprofen), and lo and behold I end up working on it until 1am because she "made the edits" but never sent them to me, even after repeated requests for them, and they were due at 7am.
My employer thinks we should be civil (which I agree with, and most of us are and have made a marked attempt to be so) but appears to be under the impression that we aren't, which is why we're all getting called in for what seems to amount to a lecture. I need to be able to distance myself from this without looking "uncivil" by pointing fingers.
Chris Rock: "Why don't women rule the world? Women hate women"
I don't know that there is a good way for you to do that without looking like a suck up. Just in the future, keep very details records of your transactions with her. If you need something, ask her via email and BCC your boss with everything. Be very polite at all times. Do not put anything in writing you don't want coming back on you.
If it continues or the boss starts getting very upset, ask if you can be transferred or removed from the situation, because you are afraid that this will affect your work.
Chris Rock: "Why don't women rule the world? Women hate women"
I don't think this is a woman thing, though. It's a rude, vindictive, petty thing. I'm pretty sure any man in my situation would be pissed off as well.
One of the problems is that there's not a whole lot of time to "make up" for this with a transfer, etc, as the job ends on August 11th, so if I can't manage to patch things up before then I'm kind of screwed.
Dammit.
Yeah ... I don't think women own the market on being pissed off that someone else isn't pulling their weight. Just ask mccornelio.
Personally what I would do?? Next time she's sending you these emails, or the next time you are emailing her, CC your boss's email onto all of it. This way, he'll be in the loop on what's going on and seeing his name copied on emails may scare her into actually doing her work.
If that doesn't work, I'd try to sit down with mentor/supervisor at work first. I'm sure as an intern, usually you get someone within the company who's supposed to guide you, etc. If your boss also happens to be your mentor in this case, then just bring it up to his attention that there is a slight situation with a fellow intern who is not doing her work accurately and timely which in turn is affecting your quality of work. You could also try confronting the girl yourself (calmly and tactically of course) and tell her that she needs to start getting on top of things and that you can't keep helping her out with her workload while keeping up with hers.
Oh that really sucks.
Ok, maybe it's worth looking like a suck up to approach your boss and say that you've done your best to work with her, citing your work of the other evening, but that because of recent events, you are concerned that the events will reflect poorly on your work. That because you have always been painstaking with your work and have made an effort to distance yourself from the situation, you want to be sure that you can count on a good recommendation from him in the future.
If you've got a good enough/casual enough relationship with him, you could even say, "Look, I realize that this probably looks like I'm sucking up, but I really am concerned about this situation, which I have not created or participated in, will reflect poorly on my work. I feel that I have made valuable contributions, and want to know that I can count on you for a good evaluation/reference/whatever."
If you can focus on your own positive work situation, you should be ok, despite what happens.
Don't worry about looking like a suck-up. Everybody has to brown-nose from time to time in the job market.
I hate catty co-workers, Luckily I love the people I work with at my current job (although even they get catty occasionally). Truth is, you're going to run into people like that wherever you work, it's a fact. Whenever you work in a business/office setting and have to work with a group of people, there's bound to be one person in the group who creates trouble, doesn't pull their share of work, and is just a pain in the ass.
Look on the positive side, Jekka, this girl is preparing you for the real world. Next time you interview for a job, and the interviewer asks you to "describe a difficult situation in the workplace and how you resolved that issue" you now have an answer for it.
Don't let someone who you will probably never see again in your life have any impact on any future job opportunity or reference.
I don't think approaching it this way would make you look like a suck-up at all, but I would leave out the "I may look like a suck-up" part ... don't put any negative ideas into his(her?) head that may not even be there to begin with.I really am concerned about this situation, which I have not created or participated in, will reflect poorly on my work. I feel that I have made valuable contributions, and want to know that I can count on you for a good evaluation/reference/whatever."
I don't know how "informal" the situation is with my boss anymore, he's acting about as pissy as any of us are, but I'll definitely sit down with him and try to hash things out. Thanks.
Oh, I'm well acquainted with the real world, we're not friends, but we know each other rather intimatelyLook on the positive side, Jekka, this girl is preparing you for the real world. Next time you interview for a job, and the interviewer asks you to "describe a difficult situation in the workplace and how you resolved that issue" you now have an answer for it.
With the exception of the one person, I love everyone I work with, and I hate that she's ruined what would otherwise be an ideal work environment.
Anyways, don't let one person ruin an otherwise great work experience for you. You'll probably never see her again after August 11th!
This is true. I was trying to hold on to some semblance of integrity, but I don't think I have the time for that. Damn.
Don't let someone who you will probably never see again in your life have any impact on any future job opportunity or reference.
Bringing up a legitimate problem beyond your control with your boss isn't a sign that you lack integrity. The key is to not sound whiny when you do it.
What makes you think you are giving up your integrity?
My boss has really left no room for apologies/explanations/discourse/etc, so any action I take at this point is going to come across as excessive and possibly irritating, which will compromise my judgment in his eyes most likely. It's not my integrity so much as his perception of my integrity, but I just don't have time to let it lie and blow over.
How has this thread gone on this long without a post from The Suck-Up?
Also, I'm disappointed that tlong didn't suggest showing your boss some leg, so I guess I'll have to.
You could always put a porn site on their computer when they are not watching. Not that I condone porn in the workplace.
It's hard to go wrong with a properly worded email to your boss AND his/her boss.
Tight English sentences rule!
Why is your integrity only a semblance of integrity in the first place?
I think you two es need to get it on, a real, scratching, hair-pulling, blouse-ripping, brassiere-strpping, hissing, miawling, cathartic cat-fight. , ya, baby. I'll be there.
It's ya'll's immediate superior who needs to create and maintain an environmental drum-beat so you wage slaves can pull the oars with maximum efficiency.
I'm emotionally invested in this story. Post how it turns out.
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