floored, work advice

Options
daniface
daniface Posts: 338 Member
I would like some advice on a situation at work. I am pretty young on the office scene and could use some different perspectives-

I share a work space with an office assistant and we are separated by a cubicle wall, our jobs have nothing to do with one another’s. She came over to me out of the blue after lunch last week looked visibly upset and said "I’m going to ask you this because if I don't its going to bother me...did you not answer those phone calls? Because I heard you not answer those phone calls."

I responded to her “huh? Those were hang up calls, there was no one there to answer.” I work a switchboard so I get many calls a day and a lot of them are hang ups/ fax machines/not humans...

She says; "well you are putting me in a position where if someone were to ask me if I thought you were answering the phone or not I would have to say no."

I say “you’re kidding me, you’re being really accusatory and threatening, basing this off of two phone calls you may or may not have heard me answer? Since when is it your responsibility to decipher whether or not I’m doing my job?”

she goes on "I like you, and I’m only telling you this because I don’t want to get you in trouble."

“Ok so you like me that’s why you would go ahead and throw me under the bus if someone were to ask you if you thought I was doing my job, you would say no. That equals, you like me?“

I have never had words with this woman in the time that I have been working here and I’m so confused about why she decided to be suspicious of my duties all of a sudden last week. I’m chalking it up to she was bored because her friend she usually chats with non stop, was out. But now things are very tense at work, I can’t even look her in the eye anymore, I feel betrayed or something. She kept insisting that she was trying to be “helpful” but all I am feeling is hurt that she was accusing me of not doing my job and pissed that she would stick her nose where it doesn’t need to be sticking it. I feel as if she was completely out of line. I would never ever go over to her desk and accuse her of not doing her work. Or rather go over to her desk and say, “you know soandso you are really putting me in a place where if your boss were to ask me [which he wouldn’t ever] how you behave while he is out of the office I would have to say disruptive and chatty.” I’m just really floored that she would be so bold, especially since she doesn’t know what she’s talking about and is def not a contender for ‘the best office assistant ever’ award. When her boss is out of the office she fills her days with searching the internet for alarmist articles about cantaloupe and pushing cupcakes on everyone in the building. How do I move forward with this assuming, careless, obsequious human?

Replies

  • Krizzle4Rizzle
    Krizzle4Rizzle Posts: 2,704 Member
    Options
    Do you have an HR department?
  • McKayMachina
    McKayMachina Posts: 2,670 Member
    Options
    I would just schedule a mini one-on-one with your supervisor and make sure she/he knows it happened and that you just wanted to clear the air in advance in case the co-worker decides to report you for something she thinks you're doing or not doing.

    "I don't want to make a big deal out of it. Just wanted to open the dialogue." kind of thing.
  • rileamoyer
    rileamoyer Posts: 2,411 Member
    Options
    Do you have an HR department?

    What she says!
  • chanstriste13
    chanstriste13 Posts: 3,277 Member
    Options
    wow. some people really need to mind their own business. never had to deal with this myself, but good luck!
  • a1rose
    a1rose Posts: 127 Member
    Options
    I would just schedule a mini one-on-one with your supervisor and make sure she/he knows it happened and that you just wanted to clear the air in advance in case the co-worker decides to report you for something she thinks you're doing or not doing.

    "I don't want to make a big deal out of it. Just wanted to open the dialogue." kind of thing.

    I would do this!
  • daniface
    daniface Posts: 338 Member
    Options
    Do you have an HR department?

    thats the problem, this woman is chat best friends with the HR lady. so i feel like i wouldnt be able to say anything to HR without it coming back around to nosey. Their are two other HR women also however i hear how they all talk. I don't trust them. Sadly, I don't trust anyone that works here.
  • Libby81
    Libby81 Posts: 734 Member
    Options
    I would just schedule a mini one-on-one with your supervisor and make sure she/he knows it happened and that you just wanted to clear the air in advance in case the co-worker decides to report you for something she thinks you're doing or not doing.

    "I don't want to make a big deal out of it. Just wanted to open the dialogue." kind of thing.

    I would do this!

    Me too, in fact I have in the past and since a recent restructure I had to make my new boss aware of past tensions, just so they knew and I've managed to bag a better position while the "Sniper" with the acid tongue gets moved on.

    Hope you sort it because it makes for a horrible atmosphere not just for the two of you but the office as a whole
  • jah7700
    jah7700 Posts: 276 Member
    Options
    I would just schedule a mini one-on-one with your supervisor and make sure she/he knows it happened and that you just wanted to clear the air in advance in case the co-worker decides to report you for something she thinks you're doing or not doing.

    "I don't want to make a big deal out of it. Just wanted to open the dialogue." kind of thing.

    This!

    As long as you're on good terms with your boss discuss it as a funny thing that happened. Maybe use it as a way to see if there has been some other concerns (just in case there's been some discussions in the background that the lady has heard about)...
  • orleansmith
    orleansmith Posts: 61 Member
    Options
    I would have to agree with going to your supervisor. Even if you present it as, "so-and-so came to me and presented the case that, in overhearing me answer phones, it may seem to outsiders as if I am not doing my job. These are the calls I get that are in question (hang-ups, machines, etc). Is there a different way I should handle these calls or is it necessary to document them for reviews or situations that may come up later?" Some way that won't feel like you're telling or complaining about someone else, but that they approached you with this silly notion and you want to make sure you're doing your job to the best of your ability. That way, if she approaches your boss, you're covered and you come out looking good.
  • SixCatFaerie
    SixCatFaerie Posts: 690 Member
    Options
    I would have to agree with going to your supervisor. Even if you present it as, "so-and-so came to me and presented the case that, in overhearing me answer phones, it may seem to outsiders as if I am not doing my job. These are the calls I get that are in question (hang-ups, machines, etc). Is there a different way I should handle these calls or is it necessary to document them for reviews or situations that may come up later?" Some way that won't feel like you're telling or complaining about someone else, but that they approached you with this silly notion and you want to make sure you're doing your job to the best of your ability. That way, if she approaches your boss, you're covered and you come out looking good.

    ^^^This!

    4581915.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter
  • choconuts
    choconuts Posts: 208 Member
    Options
    Is it possible she's already been asked about your job performance, and is warning you? Or...rather, trying to decipher how to answer?
  • TheRoadDog
    TheRoadDog Posts: 11,788 Member
    Options
    In the real world, I would tell her to go pound sand and mind her own business.

    In the corporate world, you should go directly to your supervisor and make a preemptory strike. Be the one to bring the situation up first, by informing your supervisor what was said. DO NOT wait and have to respond to someone's accusation.