I have only been at my current job a couple months, so I can’t really say I know my coworkers very well (although they do tell each other EVERYTHING about themselves and I am always within earshot hearing all this. I know more than I want to, unfortunately.) I, on the other hand, keep almost entirely to myself. Out of the 4 of us women (myself, my two coworkers and boss) I am the only one who doesn’t feel the need for everyone know everything about me.
My older coworker 50F I’m 37F has gotten more and more combative with me. She is always trying to pry info out of me. Practically interrogated me once when asking me what I use my iPad for when she saw it sitting on my desk. She got noticeably frustrated when I gave her short answers. Even gave me a suspicious look. Like she didn’t believe me when I told her I literally just use it for art, reading, and internet during my free time. Not that it was her business anyway. She’s like this with every personal question she asks me. When I give her short answers, it’s like she doesn’t believe my answers or pushes further. Listen. You guys can all know whatever you want about each other. You are NOT going to know everything about me. You are my coworkers not my friends or my family. Let it go.
Today she got an attitude with me because she had to go to the bank to make a deposit. I had a pile of work I was desperately trying to complete before the day’s end, doubled with a headache and generally not feeling well. I really didn’t want to get behind the wheel feeling how I did. My other coworker was meeting with a client, so she couldn’t go. Which left, you know who, as the only option. So she gets all mad because she has to go to the bank. Meanwhile she takes smoke breaks every hour, leaves early almost every day (including today after her little fit) doesn’t answer even half the phone calls we get. I am service so I am first on phones. I handle about 80% of what comes in. So my work pile gets crazy high. Yet she huffed and puffed because she had to go to the bank instead of me.
She’s also combative in the sense she has to make a point that she loves everything I don’t like, and hates everything I love. There was a scented wax we were burning that was literally making me sick. Most smells don’t bother me but this one was just not sitting well. I tolerated it for a couple days until I just couldn’t. I switched the fragrance after asking if everyone was okay with the one I picked. She got an attitude about it “well I am going to take this and burn it in my office because it’s still good. I don’t want to waste it.” Meanwhile, the one I put in she didn’t even give it a day before switching it with something she “loved.” Like, that was not neccessary. Because I put in one I liked, she had to change it out with something she “loved.” It’s just wax. I don’t care. As long as it’s not making me sick. You’re being unbelievably petty.
She is exhausting me! I cannot express my own opinions without her interjecting her opposing opinions. I won’t even be in a conversation with her and she’ll make it a point to express her opposition to me. She pries for personal info and pushes harder if I don’t give it. She has an opinion about everything I do. Even what I get for lunch! I can’t even pick food for myself without her making some kind of fuss over it or giving me her unsolicited opinions on what I ate! Our boss buys us lunch every Monday. She never wants what I pick. It’s always what she wants. What is her deal??? All I do is go to work, do my job, get paid, go home. I don’t want to pick fights, I don’t care about my coworker’s personal lives. I just mind my own business. How in the world can that be such a complicated concept for her to just leave me ALONE and stop trying to get a rise out of me she is not going to get?!