Dear Athena,
I’m having some issues with a fellow co-worker and I’m not sure what to do. I have worked at my place of employment for the past four years, and we have gotten along before with no problems.
However, now it seems like things have done a complete 180. She is constantly telling me what to do and how to do it; even though she is not my boss. I have spoken to my manager about it, but it doesn’t seem to have done anything about it.
I can’t stand to continue to work like this, so any advice on what I should do?
-Confused and Frustrated
Dear Confused and Frustrated,
Remember, when dealing with co-workers, they have lives outside of work. We’ve all had moments where our home life has leaded over to our work life.
Keeping it in mind that you may not be the real cause of the problems makes it easier to tackle this issue. Try speaking with the co-worker politely and directly, as she might not realize there is an issue in the first place.
Inform her that your supervisor has already assigned daily tasks, and if she would like you to complete any additional tasks to speak directly to your supervisor.
Approaching the situation this way has two benefits. The first being, that it keeps you out of trouble if your supervisor sees you doing something that was not assigned to you.
Secondly, this brings the problem directly to the supervisor and allows them to deal with the situation how they see fit. This also make the co-worker your supervisor’s problem, not yours.
If the problem persists, speak with your supervisor about it once more before escalating it up the chain of command.
When speaking with your supervisor, remember your approach makes a difference in their response. Tell your supervisor you are concerned with being able to complete your daily tasks properly with additional tasks assigned from the co-worker.
Also, ask your supervisor for a copy of your job description if you are not trained on the tasks you are being ask to complete to cover yourself.
If you’ve spoken to the co-worker, your supervisor and other supervisors with no results, it might be time to job search. No one should be miserable at work.
Editor in Chief
Contact Athena at athenawhitty@yahoo.com
