Merry Christmas Eve eve from my bullshit coworker

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
12/23/2014 at 16:51 • Filed to: None

I'm the career services director at a tech school. As part of my job, I meet with employers to get them to hire our students and grads. I also am one of the managers, and certain days I'm responsible for opening and closing the school.

I have a coworker—let's call her Bitchy—who was recently promoted to a manager position similar in seniority to me. She's directed an attitude problem towards me, which I've told my boss about. My boss and I had been waiting until after the holidays to address these issues with Bitchy.

Well, today Bitchy crossed the line.

Yesterday, I set a morning meeting with an employer for next Tuesday 12/30 and sent a courtesy email to the other managers including Bitchy about the meeting.

Today, Tuesday 12/23, was one of the days where I have to open. This morning I found 3 copies of the same message where she replied all, and copied in everyone else who works here who I didn't originally include:

I'm confused, you are the manager on duty tomorrow open-close. Did you ask someone else to open the building up in the morning?

These emails were sent last night. "Tomorrow" was Tuesday 12/23, not Tuesday 12/30.

I replied to the email:

Correct, I am the manager on duty today Tuesday 12/23. This message was talking about next Tuesday 12/30.

Bitchy had just arrived, with wet hair like she had rushed in to make sure some manager was around since she thought I wasn't going to be here. I told her sorry you felt like you had to come in, but my email was pretty obviously talking about next week.

Bitchy said a bunch of disrespectful shit while I was standing in her open office door. I told her I wouldn't have this argument with her while standing in her office door. A bit later she walked past my door, I asked her to come in and closed the door, and she continued accuse me of things like skipping manager-on-duty shifts and a bunch of other untrue shit.

She stormed out of my office and walked down to the break room, so I followed her, told her that her behavior was completely unacceptable, and our boss (who is on vacation) would be hearing about it.

Next week should be fun.

DISCUSSION (17)

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Textured Soy Protein
12/23/2014 at 16:57

Was this Ms. Ned Flanders?

Textured Soy Protein > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
12/23/2014 at 16:59

Nope, that's the admin/office manager lady. This is a different one who acts like everything she ever has to do is the biggest crisis in the world.

She does stuff like if I'm talking to another manager about something, she'll walk up, cut me off, blurt out "I NEED TO TALK TO SOANDSO" and take them away. As if I couldn't possibly be talking about something more important than what she needs.

Of course, when someone is in her office and I need to talk to her, I'll stand outside her door, wait for a break in the conversation, then knock on the door.

Bitchy needs to learn the meaning of basic common courtesy.

Justin Hughes > Textured Soy Protein
12/23/2014 at 17:02

jvirgs drives a Subaru > Textured Soy Protein
12/23/2014 at 17:12

my favorite skit.

Tohru > Textured Soy Protein
12/23/2014 at 17:13

"Happy New Year bitch, you're fired. Go pack up your shit while security escorts you out."

Get the office manager fired too while you're at it. Start the new year with new faces.

Textured Soy Protein > Justin Hughes
12/23/2014 at 17:26

Pon Farr!

Textured Soy Protein > Tohru
12/23/2014 at 17:37

That'd be nice. I think what's more likely is I find myself a better job.

I took a pay cut to work here. I had just finished a contract position working as a tech recruiter in a company's HR department. I needed to line up a new job quickly, and I thought working with the students to start their careers would be fulfilling after many years of working to get only the absolutely most experienced and qualified people hired for senior positions.

Working with the students is great, but but I'm quite sick of the other nonsense.

I've got a couple interviews set up for after the holidays that are back more in HR & staffing which is where I came from before this job. Should be a lot less BS and a lot more money.

spanfucker retire bitch > Textured Soy Protein
12/23/2014 at 18:28

You have some real Grade A co-workers. I was under the impression this was the same woman as well.

Tohru > Textured Soy Protein
12/23/2014 at 18:33

Part of me says to get the two of them fired anyways before you leave.

Part of me says don't, because there is a small risk they could end up hired at the new place you go to.

Textured Soy Protein > spanfucker retire bitch
12/23/2014 at 18:35

There's 3 problem people: Particularly Religious Coworker , Bitchy, and Know-it-All. (I've yet to post about Know-it-All.)

Everyone else is at least halfway decent. Even Fat Tony .

Textured Soy Protein > Tohru
12/23/2014 at 18:39

They definitely wouldn't get hired at the types of places I'm looking at. Their personalities are awful, and they're lifers at this school. This is the only place they'd be able to get away with acting like they do.

Tohru > Textured Soy Protein
12/23/2014 at 18:48

They're at the UW, I take it? Teacher's union protection and all that happy horseshit?

spanfucker retire bitch > Textured Soy Protein
12/23/2014 at 18:50

Oooh, Know-it-Alls are awful. Especially since they invariably Know-fuck-All.

Textured Soy Protein > Tohru
12/23/2014 at 18:54

Nope, this isn't UW. I'd rather not say where. What with it being a hellhole.

It's not so much union protection as they've been here so damn long already combined with the school has a low budget and everyone is underpaid, so it's hard to hire people.

Bitchy in particular is hard to get rid of, because the job she got promoted into, nobody in their right mind would take that job. The salary is $15k less than mine and frankly it's way harder of a job.

I get paid the "big" bucks (but still a significant amount less than I was making before) because getting students jobs takes actual people skills, the school likes to hire people for this position who have HR/staffing experience, and typically experienced HR/staffing people make a lot more than what this school pays.

Textured Soy Protein > spanfucker retire bitch
12/23/2014 at 18:56

That's very accurate in this case.

Tohru > Textured Soy Protein
12/23/2014 at 19:04

Well, I figured either the UW or the MATC (Madison's Alterative To College). There's also the myriad little independent colleges too. I went to MATC, maybe one day I'll be able to afford to go back and finish the program.

ah who am i kidding i wont

orcim > Textured Soy Protein
12/24/2014 at 02:51

Dumb people that think they're smart hate to be found out to be dumb.

Gods - "manager" is a label that just by uttering it can turn some good people into bad shit. I really dislike that aspect of the title/job. But I've seen a lot of exactly what you're talking about, too. And the higher the level, the harder to correct. My strategy? I learned to "fire my boss" early so I only ever had to put up with situations like you describe for a short number of months while I figured out my next move. Although challenging initially, I never, ever, regretted doing so and got to leave the "managers" [above, peer and to the side below for orgs that couldn't correct the problem] in the dust, all to my ultimate benefit.