Ok, everyone, I could use your help. The fact that my co-worker was in a crabby mood yesterday created a mere annoyance. Today, however, because I needed her help in a major project, her mood/attitude is now seriously impacting my ability to get my project done.
First of all, in our office there is a huge taboo: no one tells anyone else what to do. She is particularly touchy about it. As a matter of fact, she's rather slow and leans more toward the lazy than the ambitious, and so slightly resents any additions to her sparsely populated plate. I explained to my boss that I'd need help getting the new batch of 5000 fliers out by Friday since it took me a day and a half to do 1500. He said he'd talk to our CFO, and she'll deliver the news to my co-worker that she would be helping out. Fine.
Today, I let the CFO know I'd be ready to start the 5000 fliers by noon. As a matter of fact, because of other projects I had to do, I wasn't ready to start until 3:00. At 3:00, I began working like crazy on the project, stickering envelopes for mailing. My co-worker had mentioned earlier in the day that once she finished the contracts she was collating, she'd be able to help me.
So, at 3:30 when I noticed that she was done, I grabbed a box of envelopes and some stickers and began moving toward her desk, saying, "Here, Tawanda, there are about 500 here if you are ready to start," or something of that nature.
She stopped me dead in my tracks, saying, "I didn't say I was ready to help you."
I nearly fell over. But then she started laughing like it was a joke, saying, "You should have seen that look on Laura's face." The look on my face was, 'I can't believe you just said that to me.' Incredulous.
Ok, so she took the box of envelopes and stickers. For the next half hour as I madly stickered about 300 envelopes, I watched her slowly consume some food stuff she had brought from the kitchen. After she finished her food, she messed around with her computer trying to reinstall her Adobe in case she gets called on to do a quote, since our licensing guy is really busy and can't field the quote calls which she should be doing anyway.
It is critical to get the first 1500 evelopes stickered today, so at 5:00, Grace and Emily showed up and I set them up with a snack, a box of 500 envelopes and stickers in the break room as everyone else walked out laughing and carrying on.
Meanwhile, I've got things at home I need to do.
My instinct tells me that saying anything to her directly will only result in more attitude, and I know going over her head will make her angry. About six weeks ago, another co-worker got fed up with watching her play Solitaire on her computer and told the CFO about it. Nothing happened, but Tawanda became really upset and wouldn't talk to her for a number of days.
Now, how would YOU handle this situation?
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18 comments:
I think I would say to your boss, "Thank you for getting me some help with this. However, it didn't turn out very well. I ended up having to have my children help me because she was..(fill in the blank)
like that SS.
I like that. Dang computer dont mind me.
GRRR! Just hearing about this brings back so many bad memories of people who get hired and then do so little you can't help but wonder if they are sleeping with the boss! I am not office-oriented so I don't have any good advice. Just that if you give people like that enough rope, they will hang themselves. And you do have to be sensitive to the tattletale thing. Often it makes you look like a complainer or whiner while the food-chomping solitaire players look like victims. I really think your best course is to do your best and if the boss complains, tell him you couldn't get any help and leave it at that.
good suggestions...does it help ?
Here is why I disagree with my Momma...
In an office, there are times when a project becomes too much for one person. It is important that the office can be a team. As we all know, there is no 'I' in team. If little Ms. 'Tude today had things she needed to do, then she needed to tell her boss, "Look, I'm swamped today there is no way I can help Bunny Jo"
Now..because the Wilson girls were hard at work, it will appear that Ms.'Tude was part of a team when in fact she wasn't.
Just MHO
Write down exactly what happened and report it to your boss. Your colleague who blew the whistle on the solitaire game probably only told your boss, without putting in down black on white. It is harder to ignore such things when they are written, also if your boss does nothing maybe there is someone above him who will. At least where I work that does the trick, one memo to the boss CC to the guys above him.
This is exactly the kind of situation that would utterly defeat me. Caught between a rock and a hard place: which do you value more, productivity and effectiveness, or workplace harmony - no hard feelings?
Personally, I value peace, and like Mom said, I'd leave it up to some other do-gooder to tattle and just put up with the inconvenience and frustration. Then, like Shorty said, if the boss asks me why I didn't get the project done, I'd say, "The person you assigned to help wasn't particularly helpful. Sorry."
But that's me. As fortune would have it, you're you - and you're a little different. (the uppercut is still an option)
I can tell you what most of co-workers would do in your situation: GOSSIP. They'd gather together in tight little circles, buzzing with angry whispers, shooting the occasional glare around the perimeter to see if anybody's eavesdropping. You could try that.
And DCver's probably got the right answer. I wouldn't handle it so bravely, myself, but that's probably the most logical path to follow. Document the transgression - take the path of righteousness.
Be sure to keep us informed. And don't spend too much time blogging or those envelopes won't get stuffed.
I'm going to see how today goes. I've seen a tendency with her to have a crappy attitude about doing something, but then kick it in and get it done. If she can pull it out, all will be forgiven. If not, I'll be putting it in writing to my boss, as DCvR suggests. Our business is growing too rapidly to be able to accommodate someone who just doesn't want to pull their weight.
Wish me luck!
The project needs to be completed by Friday, whether you get help or not.
girrrrrrrrrrl, can I relate.
I would set up a collation station somewhere -- do you have a countertop or breakroom table or something that you can commandeer? Even clearing off your desk and pulling an extra chair over would work. It lends the feeling that you are Working Together To Complete A Crucial Task! Ask whatshername if she can commit to helping you for 3 hours at 11 a.m., or 5 hours after lunch...at the collation station and bust out as much as you can. In nasty mailing projects, I've found that making a holiday of it, as it were, helps out a lot. She'll be motivated, you'll be motivated, you will have nice chats over sticking and licking, and hopefully you'll get most of it done together. She can't just sit there like a lump while you're sticking away, like she could at her desk.
I have more than once stuffed envelopes crying because of the unfairness of it all, so this doesn't always work. ;) but when it does, it's beautiful.
I can completely relate.
It is nearly impossible to deal with an assclown coworker when you have no support from your boss.
Suckation supreme.
Ms. Blithe: That's a great idea, problem is she has to stay at her desk to answer phone calls about different things, as we all do. If I had the command, I'd order her off the phones. After all, she's not speedy quick about answering questions anyway. What's the difference if she's off the phones for a few hours? But I'm not in charge, so I just do whatever the hell I can do to make it happen. I just may be crying over the injustice of it myself before it's all through.
Marcheline: Assclown!! Love it. Now what movie was that from? Office Space? Yeah, Michael said it, right? I loved how he had all those black power posters in his cubicle. For those of you who haven't seen office space, Michael is a skinny white nerd. With a penchant for everything gangsta. Suckation supreme is right.
sounds like she needs to find a new job so you can find a way to hire your oh so team oriented sister who is desperate need of a job :)
love that idea SS.
James, I haven't a doubt that you could run circles around her. Unfortunately, for right now she's here. I will MOST CERTAINLY let you know if that changes.
Plot an office revolution. Make a mad grab for power. Quietly position your agents, then RISE UP! SLAY thine enemies! Declare thyself QUEEN! And in the ensuing chaos, HIRE thine siblings!
Ha! Right on, Chill Dude. Listen, I might have to hide this post. I've got a co-worker perusing my blog (see post above.) I-must-protect-self!
I am hoping no one is writing down that you are blogging instead of sticking and licking. If you don't like her, she probably doesn't like you either, so like you said, cover yourself or the shit you may have to throw could land back on you.
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