Annoying things your work colleagues do all the time? #2

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I overheard three colleagues discussing and laughing about my body shape today. I am quite pear shaped and they were discussing how I have a small head and fat arse. Feel like tit now to be honest!

I work in a school BTW and the bitchiness is something else.
F*cking hell - thats awful - hope you're alright and mind yoursrlf
 
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I'm not sure. I felt quite embarrassed typing it here but wanted to tell someone. I didn't confront them or anything. They were stood around the photocopier and I was putting something in a cupboard around the corner. I'm quite new but won't be there long to be honest it's a short term supply contract.
You need to report that to the Head. They shouldn’t be having those conversations at all but especially not in such a public place as around the photocopier
 
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I overheard three colleagues discussing and laughing about my body shape today. I am quite pear shaped and they were discussing how I have a small head and fat arse. Feel like tit now to be honest!

I work in a school BTW and the bitchiness is something else.
That's really inappropriate. I'm really sorry to had to endure this. You'd think adults in the workplace would behave. This is truly awful.

You can report them, but it will be your words against theirs and chances are it won't go anywhere.
 
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I overheard three colleagues discussing and laughing about my body shape today. I am quite pear shaped and they were discussing how I have a small head and fat arse. Feel like tit now to be honest!

I work in a school BTW and the bitchiness is something else.
duck 'em RT
No doubt theyre not perfect themselves.
Shoulders back and head held high and a big smile.
Dont let them win.
 
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I was off for a week not so long ago, provided a really thorough handover. Came back and basically all of my stuff was just left, not even replied to emails.

Currently feel like a lot of my job is trying to stop people doing stupid things. But then I’m not listened to and have to fix the stupid thing. Running out of energy to work miracles.

Seem to have picked up a few people who get by pushing others infront of the bus too. Which is delightful to be on the receiving end of.

oh and have a couple of people that just don’t seen you have any capability of basic role requirements and the company just seems to move them teams to be someone else’s problem? Only because I work across teams they are always my problem.
 
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They love pretending to be “inclusive” and “diverse” 🤮 IF the person is very low-level in the organisation and open about their disabilities. Their attitude is pig-ignorant otherwise, but so long as the box is ✔ It’s like they parade these employees about on SM for their own ego boosts.
 
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This is really quite specific but does anybody else have really nosy co workers? I was off last week at the hospital and so I text the people I work with (all men) saying I was having to go to a&e but would he back online as soon as I can. I’ve had 4 people ask me if I’m pregnant. I just find it really intrusive and personal and it’s not a great time to be asking me that 😬 I have to face them tomorrow for the first time and I feel really uncomfortable about it all!
 
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I provide admin support to a team, very small admin team. I have always gone above and beyond to support my colleagues, lots of compliments and appreciation received for my work.

I've known my line manager for 8yrs and I have been a good friend and colleague to her including supporting her through rehab for drinking. I've also talked her out of making a complete show of herself in work on a number of occasions.

She took offence over a completely trivial incident - so trivial that I was unaware she had a problem. She didn't mention that she had a problem with me, either on a personal or professional level.
I ignored her increasingly snotty behaviour, so she ramped up her behaviour for 2 months, stopped speaking to me. She was rude and unprofessional towards me then discussed me with higher management supposedly because she was worried about me.

I'm disgusted and baffled a friend and colleague would act like this over something so petty - if she was offended she should have said something, I am not a mind reader.

I've been off sick since I found out what she's done, I'm in no hurry to go back. duck her. I will go back when I feel like, I'm looking at finding a new job and leaving.

This thread makes me realise how tit I work can be x
 
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What are people's thoughts on this...i am a manager with 4 direct reports. My manager tends to focus on the negative all the time. It's rarely positive. I brought this up recently at my performance review. I was diplomatic and said as a company we need to focus more on the positive and remember to say "thank you". I could've given very specific examples but the tone of the meeting wasnt negative for once so I didnt want to bring it down.

Today a member of another team made a mistake and my manager approved said work and right after noticed the issue but it was too late. My team are the starting point of this work and we had done nothing wrong but on our daily call with all team members she called us out regarding one thing which is completely irrelevant and would not have solved the problem. No focus on her mistake or the other persons mistake. My team member who is responsible for this area rang me so confused wanting to know what she had done wrong. Her automatic assumption now due to the negativity is that we made a mistake.

I feel my manager has a tendency to focus on the negative in my team in particular. We are the team that has the most "reach" if that makes sense in that our work can impact others but they dont impact us so much. But I have seen situations where she ignores mistakes when they make a mistake that impacts us.

I plan to bring it up with her in person but part of me wonders is it worth it. This is the way she is and I dont think i can change her. If I am not happy i think my only solution is to leave rather than pointing out to her all the negative things she brings up. I am there less than a year but it has gotten progressively worse. We are in our busiest period so that doesnt help.

On our daily calls the tone/morale is completely brought down if she is in a bad mood. Recently we had a big deadline and on the last day when we were 99.9% there we all were in great spirits on the call and she made some comment about "well finally it took ye long enough". No thank you or well done afterwards. I spoke to every member of my team afterwards and thanked them for their hard work and have planned a team lunch for us.

I spoke to the other manager and he said our manager is aware that her delivery isnt great but that he hasnt been great at flagging it to her. He thinks she will be open to feedback. He is there around 2 years so has more experience with her. Any thoughts?
@Heidi88 she sounds like 2 managers I briefly worked with. Early on in my career I saw how one team’s morale dramatically declined within months of a new manager joining and my line manager, who would be at what sounds comparable to your level with 4 direct reports, go off on sick leave.

In another team I worked in they had a very low morale when I joined and this was obvious from day 1. When I discovered just how many staff had come and gone in the previous 2 years, I did not feel one ounce of guilt when I decided to take up another job offer despite having only been there for just shy of 2 months.

If it were me I think I’d be flagging up concerns over how dejected your team feel due to how she chooses to act. She’s not being managed well by her managers and there is potential one day for big problems if they allow her to continue.
From an outsider reading your account it’s like a textbook scenario of how not to manage people! I’ve worked in enough organisations that talk the talk about “the right behaviours” and frankly this manager isn’t exhibiting behaviours that are fit for any workplace. Worst case scenario there’s a flight risk with your direct report who rang you the other day now.

Your manager obviously doesn’t appreciate how she’s a contributory factor to performance levels. It’s common sense stuff: if your staff are demotivated, don’t feel appreciated and feel like they’re being singled out in team meetings/calls then they’re not going to be the most productive they can be. It‘s Maslow’s hierarchy of needs stuff.

Is there an HR department or manager you could speak to about this?

This is really quite specific but does anybody else have really nosy co workers? I was off last week at the hospital and so I text the people I work with (all men) saying I was having to go to a&e but would he back online as soon as I can. I’ve had 4 people ask me if I’m pregnant. I just find it really intrusive and personal and it’s not a great time to be asking me that 😬 I have to face them tomorrow for the first time and I feel really uncomfortable about it all!
Yes I did. I was doing a temp job and the co workers asked way too many personal questions. Considering we were in a supposed HR team I was amazed at how they seemed so lacking in awareness. I think they were trying too hard to come across as approachable and despite me dropping very obvious hints that I’m used to being a new kid in town and taking it in my stride they didn’t stop. It was suffocating! I got so fed up of being asked by the manager what I’d got up to the previous night one day during my third week I said, “why do you want to know every day what I did the night before, Inspector?”
He backed off after that. I’d gone by week 5. The job was dull, they didn’t have enough work for me to do and the thought of attending the Christmas lunch made me want to heave. I said I couldn’t continue the assignment due to personal reasons and had an extended Christmas break.

Silly boys it sounds like to me with your colleagues. There are certain “don’t go there” areas and asking personal questions like that is an obvious one. I’d be inclined to be frosty with them or tell them to wind their necks in unless they fancy a trip to the tribunal as co-respondents to a sex discrimination claim!
 
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I have a man who always says goodnight everyday when he leaves. He finishes at 3:30.
That reminds me of a boss I had in the past who used to say goodnight to everyone as they were leaving at the end of the day, as he sat near the door. It was so repetitive and when someone was leaving at 4pm in the height of summer it sounded daft.

I used to think "why don't you get on with your work, rather than constantly looking up when people walk past?" 😂

This is really quite specific but does anybody else have really nosy co workers? I was off last week at the hospital and so I text the people I work with (all men) saying I was having to go to a&e but would he back online as soon as I can. I’ve had 4 people ask me if I’m pregnant. I just find it really intrusive and personal and it’s not a great time to be asking me that 😬 I have to face them tomorrow for the first time and I feel really uncomfortable about it all!
That's terrible! If a colleague told me they'd gone to A&E I'd just say "I hope everything's ok?" and then leave it up to them to tell me as much or little as they want.
 
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This guy in my team is driving me up the wall. He has no social cues whatsoever.

I stated before I was off for three weeks due to bereavement. On my first day back, he sent me an invite called: "Coverage during my absence" with a link to a spreadsheet. He didn't even ask if I was doing OK or whether I had capacity to assist. I dodged the call to this week because I was far too swamped with my own work. Then, I sent him an email yesterday stating that I would not have the capacity to cover him during his absence (he already has people 4 covering for him, that's more than enough). I cc'ed the manager in that email stating I was happy to discuss if need be.

This dope sent another chaser today to 2 other people and myself saying: "There are some items in my spreadsheet that have not been assigned, please assign yourself the remaining tasks".

What is this idiot not getting? I just lost one of my parents, I'm swamped with my own work, some of my former manager's work, and extra-projects assigned to me during my absence and he's out here chasing me to cover for him on top of all this. My response will be utter silence. I've already said I don't have capacity. I'm barely getting through my own work as it is and certainly don't plan on doing any overtime. If they don't have enough staff, not my issue.

If he continues to pester me, I'm scheduling a call with the manager as an official escalation because this is nonsense. I've always been keen to help people to the point where I did an unreasonable amount of overtime all throughout last year, so I think my current reluctance to assist is not unreasonable.
 
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I have a former manager who does our events and we cant just have an event she has to let us all know its happening. She posts pictures of it before and during. All she wants is people to say oh wow well done.
Today we have our first in person event since Covid. Except we already had several events since we came back so thats bullshit.
Ive decided that when I get a huge work thing finished in a few weeks Im congratulating myself like she does.
 
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This is really quite specific but does anybody else have really nosy co workers? I was off last week at the hospital and so I text the people I work with (all men) saying I was having to go to a&e but would he back online as soon as I can. I’ve had 4 people ask me if I’m pregnant. I just find it really intrusive and personal and it’s not a great time to be asking me that 😬 I have to face them tomorrow for the first time and I feel really uncomfortable about it all!
Omg that's so rude! How dare they! I'd make something up which will make them feel really awkward.
 
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So many:

1. Starting an email with *name* no Hi, Hello, Good Morning. It smacks of self importance and is downright rude.

2. I'm an EA to a senior executive. When they are unavailable though other commitments and a person sends a last minute "urgent" meeting request and does not accept they are unavailable. Insists it can't wait until another date in the near future, as if I'm withholding said execs time. Yes, I'm their gate keeper but I can't double book and it's not THEIR priority. Usually a mid level manager who is vying for execs attention

3. Colleague who takes over a meeting, withering on for an excessive length of time, just to be seen. Again usual mid level person trying to prove how dedicated and engaged they are. Asking asinine questions when the meeting has run over with no regard for anyone else's time.

4. Disorganised colleague who asks you to send presentations and minutes multiple times. Ignores desdlines and requests last minute changes that will delay a meeting and then rocks up late, with no clue what's going on despite being given an agenda and supporting documents in advance.
 
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So many:

1. Starting an email with *name* no Hi, Hello, Good Morning. It smacks of self importance and is downright rude.

2. I'm an EA to a senior executive. When they are unavailable though other commitments and a person sends a last minute "urgent" meeting request and does not accept they are unavailable. Insists it can't wait until another date in the near future, as if I'm withholding said execs time. Yes, I'm their gate keeper but I can't double book and it's not THEIR priority. Usually a mid level manager who is vying for execs attention

3. Colleague who takes over a meeting, withering on for an excessive length of time, just to be seen. Again usual mid level person trying to prove how dedicated and engaged they are. Asking asinine questions when the meeting has run over with no regard for anyone else's time.

4. Disorganised colleague who asks you to send presentations and minutes multiple times. Ignores desdlines and requests last minute changes that will delay a meeting and then rocks up late, with no clue what's going on despite being given an agenda and supporting documents in advance.
Number 1 on your list gets my back up every time. There is no need for it and it does indeed smack of the person’s sense of self-importance. My observation is it’s usually middle managers who are guilty of it.

Number 3 is also a gripe of mine. When I was in the Civil Service our monthly team brief, which was only supposed to last an hour, regularly ran over for at least 30 minutes and largely because of one person, who would ask questions for the sake of it and was clearly trying to ensure the meeting ran as close to 12pm as he could. He must have asked the same question about new PDRs they were introducing just using different words at least 5 times. I don’t know why the Area Director indulged him.
 
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When someone sends you an email saying they haven’t got time to respond to your query, but then writes an essay listing out the reasons why they are so busy…. Erm the time it took you to write all of that you could have just responded to my bloody query!

So many:

1. Starting an email with *name* no Hi, Hello, Good Morning. It smacks of self importance and is downright rude.

2. I'm an EA to a senior executive. When they are unavailable though other commitments and a person sends a last minute "urgent" meeting request and does not accept they are unavailable. Insists it can't wait until another date in the near future, as if I'm withholding said execs time. Yes, I'm their gate keeper but I can't double book and it's not THEIR priority. Usually a mid level manager who is vying for execs attention

3. Colleague who takes over a meeting, withering on for an excessive length of time, just to be seen. Again usual mid level person trying to prove how dedicated and engaged they are. Asking asinine questions when the meeting has run over with no regard for anyone else's time.

4. Disorganised colleague who asks you to send presentations and minutes multiple times. Ignores desdlines and requests last minute changes that will delay a meeting and then rocks up late, with no clue what's going on despite being given an agenda and supporting documents in advance.
oh number one winds me up so much and gets my back up straight away!
 
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Boyfriends boss wants him to increase his hours. He does 50-55 at the minute - boss wants him doing at least 60hrs.

This will put him below minimum wage as he’s on a salary. He’s on less than some other staff - and he’s the manager!!

I really hate his workplace. He’s never off on a Friday or Saturday, unless he books holiday leave. They call him on days off asking him to do stuff for work. His boss, (who’s also our landlord), is just full of broken promises and I have absolutely zero faith in him at all anymore.

I wish we’d never moved away for him to have this job.
 
3. Colleague who takes over a meeting, withering on for an excessive length of time, just to be seen. Again usual mid level person trying to prove how dedicated and engaged they are. Asking asinine questions when the meeting has run over with no regard for anyone else's time.
These people!! And it's all just to make themselves look good. I have a colleague who called into a major meeting from long term leave just to bleeping weigh in and listen to the sound of their own voice even though they've been out of the office for months and are completely out of the loop. They told us in advance they'd be coming and we politely requested that they don't purely because we had some major problems to work through and they weren't involved in it, but they still turned up and wittered on for about 1/3 of the meeting about themselves.
 
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Boyfriends boss wants him to increase his hours. He does 50-55 at the minute - boss wants him doing at least 60hrs.

This will put him below minimum wage as he’s on a salary. He’s on less than some other staff - and he’s the manager!!

I really hate his workplace. He’s never off on a Friday or Saturday, unless he books holiday leave. They call him on days off asking him to do stuff for work. His boss, (who’s also our landlord), is just full of broken promises and I have absolutely zero faith in him at all anymore.

I wish we’d never moved away for him to have this job.
Tell him to ask will the wages increase in line with the extra hours, that otherwise he will earn less than staff under him.
 
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