Problems with your co-workers?

[Ryan]

Alright, here's the thing. I'm the youngest person working for City Hall and have been since I was hired 2 years ago. I came into my department above some of the other employees due to my skills and experience with computers. Since I've been hired, I've had nothing but problems with a few of my older workers. They refuse to give me the respect that I deserve as a person and as their co-worker.

They speak down to me with condescending tones and always "tell" me to do things like I'm a child, rather than ask me to do things. I bring up that they need to realize they are not speaking to a child, yet still I get nothing but a snippy response.

Earlier today I got into it with one of my workers who felt it was a good idea in the middle of a presentation, to interrupt me and inform me that I need call her "Mrs. Sandra" instead of just Sandra because never in her history of working has someone like me (i.e. someone young) not call her "Mrs.". I was in the middle of a FREAKIN PRESENTATION!!!!! Not only was I embarrassed, but I was pissed as well. You don't do that to people.

No offense to her, but I don't even call my supervisor Mrs/Ms and then her lastname. I originally did because that is sometimes required, but we call our supervisors by their first name.

I tell her afterwards, I'm like if you want me to call you Mrs. Sandra, then I want you to call me Mr. Chandler. It's only fair right? She flips out and yells at me that I'm being disrespectful and that she doesn't have to call me Mr. Chandler because she's older than me.

I'm like WTF? I'll be back later with more stuff. I've got a phone conference I need to prepare for.

[Meredith]

That sucks having rude coworkers or people who treat you like a child. I've noticed that some people treat EVERYONE like a child because they have young kids at home and they're used to talking like that all the time when they're NOT at work.

[DevotedToAMC]

Wow Ryan she seems like she has a bug up her ass and it stinks that you have to work with someone as cold and calculating as that....well years ago when I worked at the grocery store, I could not stand the store mananger. He did nothing and bossed people around over nonsense when the departments these people work in like the deli or the bakery or meat department have their own supervisors who can tell them what to do and get upset if they are not performing their job properly. Then there was another guy in the same capacity as me who told me to shake salad dressing bottles to make them more purer and of course I saw it as a joke and refused to do it and he accused me of not having a sense of humor when in reality there was nothing funny in what he did. Then he would ask us to take products off the shelves and use them in our duties and just write it off as a "store loss" and he just overall felt like he was the boss and everyone should just follow his rules. I worked there for a year and a half and left without giving a two weeks notice because the store manager was bitching at me over nothing and I finally had just had it so I left....when I worked as a volunteer at the American Red Cross, employees and co workers were pretty good except for the site supervisor and the head nurse there. The supervisor told the head boss at the headquarters (The Volunteer Coordinator) to tell me (The VC telling me) that I needed to call in to see if the site supervisor was there and if she was not, then I could not volunteer that day. Well needless to say, everytime I called they said she was not in (the site supervisor) when in reality the supervisor was there everytime I called so then the volunteer coordinator told me that she and the head nurse did not want me to volunteer there anymore. Apparently the head nurse was upset with me because I went into the back section where the blood that is donated goes to be tested and what not and I was not supposed to go back there. So rather than just telling me to not go there, they just concocted this BS story about me having to call in to volunteer and everytime I called they said the supervisor was not there hence I could not work and in reality the supervisor was there everytime I called. So I quit when I found this out but I don't blame the volunteer coordinator since she did not know what their little scheme was but what sucked for the American Red Cross was my mom found out about this and she was scheduled to donate platelets so she told them she won't donate a thing anymore...no blood and no platelets. So I tell the nurse this over the phone and she goes, "Well I think that is rather selfish of your mom because some people need those platelets to live." so I shot back and said, "Excuse me? Don't ever judge my mom when you don't know her! If she is not donating to the American Red Cross, it is because of rude people like you!" and then I hung up. The next week, the supervisor for the volunteer coordinator called me and gave me attitude and said that I was no longer able to work for the Red Cross and I had told her the day I found out this nonsense had happened that I had quit so she need not worry. So I made a complaint to the Collections Manager (the nurse and site supervisor's boss), the head of Human Resources, and the CEO for the region on the supervisor and the nurse and then when the volunteer coordinator's boss gave me attitude, I made another complaint to the CEO about her. Well I find out a couple months later from a friend of mine who works for the Red Cross that the boss for the volunteer coordinator was fired or transferred somewhere else (and that only happens if you get in trouble so she got in trouble). The number one rule with Red Cross is you never treat volunteers like sh1t and that is what happened to me. You can get upset with the paid employees but not the volunteers. And it sucks for them because my mom could go in every two weeks and donate platelets but she won't and that is a lot of donations they are missing and it is their own fault. Then at my recent job as a research paralegal (in Los Angeles and up here in the Bay Area) I have had no problems with co workers.

Sorry this was long but hey you asked!

[Sweet_VeeVee24]

Ryan I know exactly how you feel. Being the youngest out of a large group of people who started working there since they were out of high school eons ago, I always get looks of 'Who does she think she is" and snippy comments.

I have always excelled in my jobs and take pride in what I do and because of that, my supervisors always comment on how well I do.. I have had a job with the government from the time i had entered college and worked there for five years. The first year was fine because I started off as a temporary employee but moved into the position quickly... When I did, that was the first thing that pissed all those ladies off. They would make all sorts of comments; saying all sorts of things just to try to make me not like what I do.

There was this one lady that would ride my nerves to the point where I would just go to the rest room to count backwards.

Well, one day i reached my breaking point. I was put in charge of checking her work and she was going on on about how she didn't want a 'mere' child checking her job. I finally told her, "Well, maybe if you would stop acting like such a witch, and did your job adequately, then maybe you wouldn't have to have THIS child checking up on you, now would you?"

She goes running to the supervisor with this big lie about me (what she didn't know is the supervisor was in the cubicle behind her and heard everything she said) and the supervisor told her if she finds out that she was harrassing me again, she'll be on a warning.

Now that I am with the newspaper, i talk to nobody...i will make conversation, but I do what I have to and split...

[Keith]

I'm glad I don't deal with that. I just deal with ignorance and stupidity.

I work in an office. That offic eis a courier service. A lot of the drivers' first language isn't Emglish. Two of them are night time permanent workers in the office. But their rudeness is staggering. At any given moment, they'll strike up a conversation in their given language.

Now, I don't mind if they come in and relax for a few moments. I don't mind if they cook their food in the microwave. I don't care if they just want to say a few words and then go on their way. But they don't. They go on forever. And I get these tension headaches. And I can't muister up the courage to say exactly what I need to say, because my mom worked with them before, and I don't want to give them the wrong impression.

It has nothing to do with their nationalities at all. It's just generally rude to talk loud and often right in someone's ear, when you're not talkign to them, nor can they understand you, and they're trying to focus on their work, or hear someone on the office phone, or even just relax and have a little bit fo quiet time between work loads.

And then the other drivers, who have no business coming into the office, unless they need to use the copier or talk to the boss, come in and do the same thing and relax and the place just gets really big and crowded and frustrating.

When i first started, it didn't bother me. Now it does. And I feel like it's been too long, that I can't start being all like, all right, yeah, this really does bug me'. Ugh.

[PhoenixRising05]

That sucks. My office is filled with a mix of good, annoying, and cruel/disrespectful people. I am lucky enough to have people I can talk to and have lunch with and so on, one of them being my boss, but I would say the majority of the office is filled with people who get on my nerves and that come off as very shifty. I have been working at this place for about 6 years and I still look over my shoulder because I keep wondering when someone is going to stab me in the back. One guy, in particular, has asked me numerous times about how often I see the boss outside of work and so on. Basically, he wanted to know how close I am with my boss. This same guy has also asked me a few times about how often I take sick days and if I like my job and he just asks alot of questions. I think he is fishing for something and it scares me at times. He is just one example.

I guess everyone has problems in the workplace but yours do sound pretty bad, Ryan. That women sounds dreadful!

[DevotedToAMC]

It is very disrespectful I agree....if you come to live here, then speak English and yes I am politically incorrect but oh well that is me

[Josh]

I deal with stupidity and the lack of respect! I am the youngest member of the team where I work and the woman that is above me, but not my main manager talks down to me all the time, in a way in which is telling me how to do something and not explain it! I have been always been the youngest person and I'm usually the "boss" in some cases. I hate it...it's a bitch.

[Tishy]

I have had the worst day today I actually ran out in the middle of a meeting today in tears. I work in an inbound call center and there is a stupid contest going on where the managers and directors judge a random call from the different teams. So this week, it's me. No one is happy that they are doing this. The call was picked by my supervisor and she decided to play it to the team in meetings today before the big one tomorrow with the manager and directors. The call on a whole was good and by the book. It wasn't horrible and if it was a graded call, I would have scored a 100. However, everyone picked it apart piece by piece. Plus, I had no idea that my supervisor was even doing this in the meetings. So when she told me, I was stunned. She preceded to tell me that there "were many areas of opportuntuies" and I could do much better. Now mind you, I am very good at what I do and have gotten two promotions in three months. I was so upset by the lack of respect she showed me today. I wish she had asked me if it was ok to do this. Because she should have asked if I minded that she played that call to everyone. I would have said yes I did mind. I hate being the center of attention like that, i hate the sound of my voice and quite frankly, at the end of the call, the guy praised me so much it was embarrassing. I have been in tears for hours now, even right now thinking of it, i have tears in my eyes. I am so mad and am practically having a panic attack about this stupid contest where my call has to go up against someone elses and who's is better.

[Meredith]

That bugs me too because I sometimes think they might be insulting me or someone else and we don't know it. Some offices have a language other than English rule-- don't use it, that is. I wish mine did sometimes.

[Keith]

It's all about there being a time and a place. You know? It's an office, not a break room.