It seems like everywhere I work there just HAS to be that one person that cannot mind their own business to save their own lives! I am a rather private person. I.e. I do not get in work gossip, I don’t talk about my marriage (unless it’s just something like what we’re having for dinner.) I don’t talk about my friendships, basically my personal life and relationships stay out of work unless it’s just casual talk ”I’m visiting with my best friend this weekend and we’re painting.” That sort of stuff. You get the idea. I don’t gossip, I keep my life private as possible, but I am not unfriendly. I just try to be nice, have good work ethic, and keep to myself. I will ask for help if I need it. But I know everyone is busy, so it’s usually a last resort. I keep my desk area extremely organized and clean. I try to get all my task done by the end of the day (I work in insurance. Anyone who works in an insurance knows it can be almost impossible to get everything done in a day. Unless you work in an office with a very small book.) Either way, my work is never perfect but I try to do my best.
Yet I am constantly the target for that one person who has to control everything. So I try to make myself as invisble as possible to them. I.e. give them as little material as possible. Well, that doesn’t work for the current co worker I have. She can’t nit pick my work or give me unsolicited life advice or anything (since I don’t talk personal life stuff.) So, what does she do? Make comments about how often I vacuum my work space (which is only to clean up a mess I made , or during the winter when salt was being tracked in.) If I decide to Doordash food she asks why I won’t just go get it and save money. When I explain I don’t like going out in traffic during my break, I don’t mind spending the extra money every now and again, she just makes more comments about how ”dumb” that is. Okay, well, good thing I didn’t ask you. I like the blinds in my work space window about 3/4ths open and tilted up. Makes for nice lighting. Well, she will open them all the way when she walks past my work space. It’s like this with SO many things. Things that have nothing to really even do with work. Nit picky things that she could just as easily ignore. Questions she does not need to ask. “Why do you like this that way? Why do you do that this way? Oh, I don’t like that.” Unsolicited comments, opinions, questions that I don’t want to answer. Messing with the blinds. Meanwhile, I leave her alone. I don’t walk into her office and mess with her windows. I don’t bother her with questions unless it’s to do with work and I genuinely need help or advice. She is much older than me and has been in insurance much longer, so I do trust her with stuff when it comes to our work. But damn WHY does she care so much about me that she has to ask stupid questions and just be in my space all the time?
My other co worker (I only have one other and our boss who is never here) she is a gem. She minds her own business. She and I pretty much just work in silence and every now and again have a little conversation. But we just stay out of each other’s hair. It’s not hard. Why do so many people have so much trouble with this?! Just work! You don’t need to control every stupid little aspect of the office. Just do your job and go home!