For the past SEVEN MONTHS I’ve been the target of bullying by two elderly women for the pettiest and minor reasons that one can imagine. I work in the laundry department of the mental health institute of my town, and we are HEAVILY understaffed. An 11 people job being done by 6 currently but these two women don’t care about that fact.
These “reasons” for their targeting of me are:
1.) during my first few weeks of my job I couldn’t lift the hatches to the washers due to the fact I was too weak and thus had to ask my supervisors to help me until I was strong enough to do it on my own.
2.) not getting the washers because I don’t hear them beep — the other machines are extremely loud, especially the Mongol (a machine that automatically folds flat sheets and bed spreads) which makes loud squeaks that are like nails on a chalkboard.
3.) not always pulling stuff from the driers before they’re even half-ways done.
4.) daring to listen to music via one airpod in because I’m tired of their nagging, plus it gives me a rhythm and makes time pass faster.
5.) eating granola bars and drinking water while I work. (I’m underweight and the AC in the building doesn’t work for shit, and thus it could be easy for me to overheat and become dehydrated due to all the heat that the building generates.)
6.) I don’t immediately bow to their every command. (THEY ARE NOT MY BOSSES OR SUPERVISORS THUS I HAVE NO OBLIGATION TO DO AS THEY SAY.) Their commands and “rules” are for me and anyone else who is younger and not for themselves.
I’ve caught them refusing to help our supervisors, but they’ll get on my ass if I don’t IMMEDIATELY NOTICE OR JUMP TO HELP THE SUPERVISORS.
They stand around gossiping but if I even go anywhere near a younger coworker they start complaining about me.
Several days ago, I overheard one of them bitching to a supervisor that myself and my fellow younger coworkers “aren’t worth shit. Don’t do anything. Are always on our phones,” (strange because I’ve caught one of them using the work phone for personal conversations when she has a cellphone. The work phone is strictly used for the units to get the needed laundry) “and we should be fired because we’re worthless.”
Two days later I informed one of my fellow younger workers and she flipped her shit, crying. They tried to pin it on me, but I refused to take their shit. I eventually reported them when I walked out and left to go home. If I get fired I’m not going to take this lying down.