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- Go to Something I guarantee we all have . . . or had! Co-workers from Hell!
Re: Re: Re:
That was cruel, Kabu! Obviously this woman ( the boss ) had very little compassion or understanding for others and their particular plights. If she was willing to give that poor girl the 3 weeks, under those circumstances, would it have been so horrible to give her the 4th? It's difficult to fathom or accept sometimes, but I guess there are just some people out there with ice in their veins instead of blood . . . 
posted by
JimmyA
on August 29, 2013 at 12:28 PM
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Re:
Believe it or not, Utah, if my co-worker wasn't responding with a direct question to your answer, she would also say "Oh, really?" a lot! That would grate on people's nerves too, as she would do it constantly! Hopefully you've broken out of that habit by now yourself . . . 
posted by
JimmyA
on August 29, 2013 at 12:22 PM
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Re: Re:
Yes dear friend...one example...we had a little nurse aid from some place in deep Africa working for us. She asked for 4 weeks off work to go home to see family. She had to fly to wherever in Africa and then it was a week on foot to ge to her village...she wanted a week with her family, then start the trip back. She knew that there could be hold ups is why she needed the 4 weeks...The boss told her No...3 weeks and if she wasn't back at work on the date she gave her, that she would lose her job. The poor little thing ended up spending three days with family. To me that was cruel beyond anything that I could imagine. She had not been back to Africa for several years. Sent most of her money home so it took a long time to save to get herself home.
posted by
Kabu
on August 29, 2013 at 10:27 AM
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I used to say "really" a lot, someone would say something and I would say "really" so I guess on this one I am the irritant...Really.
posted by
UtahJay
on August 29, 2013 at 9:02 AM
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Re:
Not so crazy, MsJudy. Others have thought along the same lines, that she wasn't necessarily questioning your answer as much as making sure she heard you right and understood what you've said. It's still a bit of a mystery to me though. I guess I take my own "thought processing" for granted. I understand what people tell me immediately, and don't feel the need to repeat it to make sure . . .
posted by
JimmyA
on August 29, 2013 at 7:53 AM
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Re: Jimmy
It was a quirk indeed, Naut, and Dr JPT had the same thoughts. She may not have necessarily been "questioning" your answer as much as trying to assimilate your response into her little pea brain. However, she did relay and admit that it was born out of a gullible childhood, so I still believe that had something to do with it as well! And my "investigation" turned up relatively fruitless as far as any attempts to change this habit! Like I wrote, we all just had to grit our teeth and bear it . . .
posted by
JimmyA
on August 29, 2013 at 7:50 AM
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Just out of curiosity, Annicita, did she ever catch on as to why that theme song was played in her presence? Hopefully not, so everyone else could enjoy the joke behind her back! Regardless, your situation sounds like one of the more common ones I've heard from many people over the years. Out of jealousy ( or sheer meanness, take your pick ), someone feels compelled to make the lives of others miserable simply because they, for one reason or another, are miserable themselves! Why does it seem that almost every company and/or profession has at least one person who fits that particular mold? Where are they coming from . . . ? 
posted by
JimmyA
on August 29, 2013 at 7:44 AM
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That's a shame, Kabu. It seems many people have been in the same boat. They like their profession and like the company they're working for, but all it takes is for that one supervisor, that one co-worker, to ruin the overall situation! You wonder sometimes what makes someone act the way they do at their place of work. I was going to say that perhaps she too was on a bit of a "power trip," but when you start using words like cruel and evil to describe her, I think we're now on a whole different plain . . .
posted by
JimmyA
on August 29, 2013 at 7:38 AM
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That can be tough too, C C T, and those people have many monikers to bear, like "back-stabber," "hypocrite" or "two-faced." Co-workers can kid and tease each other a bit, and some light joviality can make the workplace a little more pleasant! But sometimes certain people can go too far, and no one likes being the brunt of all the jokes in the workplace! Those doing the belittling simply have to go . . .
posted by
JimmyA
on August 29, 2013 at 7:33 AM
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I do remember, FSI, your writings about Kevin. And yes, that can be frightfully annoying too. Believe it or not, I don't really recall ever having a co-worker who thought they were a "know-it-all," but I have had a few "teasers" in my time! Unfortunately, I'm a bit of a "sleeping bear." If you "poke me" long enough, you will eventually feel my wrath . . .
posted by
JimmyA
on August 29, 2013 at 7:28 AM
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I know those people too, TAPS. They're a lot of fun at parties or gatherings when they're talking and flailing their hands around, accidentally smacking the people walking by them. You almost want to throw a lasso around them, pin their arms to their sides and then say "Okay, now finish your story!" Sometimes they're actually entertaining, but most of the time they're annoying . . .
posted by
JimmyA
on August 29, 2013 at 7:25 AM
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Perhaps, lustor. Who's to say for sure? Either way, it made her a relatively poor conversationalist with an irritating habit! Regardless of the actually cause, it would have been so nice if once . . . just once . . . she didn't question your answer! It was tough to deal with sometimes . . .
posted by
JimmyA
on August 29, 2013 at 7:22 AM
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Re:
That may be true, Dr JPT, or at least a part of the overall analysis. However, she did admit that she felt she was easily fooled as a youngster, and this was her way of making sure that what someone was telling her was indeed factual. Perhaps that was a bit of a fib, and she was just too embarrassed to admit that her "habit" was actually based on her inability to mentally process the answers put forth to her. Something new to think about . . .
posted by
JimmyA
on August 29, 2013 at 7:18 AM
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I suppose it's not that unique, mariss, to have someone in your midst who more or less answers your questions with a question. But I must say, at least she wasn't a petty thief, or was really disrespecting anyone with her relatively unusual conversational habit. I wonder if there is anybody out there at a job or in a field where they really like and enjoy all of their co-workers . . .
posted by
JimmyA
on August 29, 2013 at 7:13 AM
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Re: Oh boy
That's really too bad, Mia. I have been, and I know of others who have been, in a similar situation where it only took the antics of one person to drive them from either their job or their profession. Something tells me he was on a bit of a "power trip," and would only ask you certain questions just to belittle you for them later, regardless of your response. No one needs a co-worker like that . . .
posted by
JimmyA
on August 29, 2013 at 7:09 AM
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Re:
I think I know what you mean, adnohr. Everyone gets down or depressed from time to time, but when it's a constant, it tends to bring everyone else around them down as well. I may have had a co-worker or two like that, and I too would have at least tried to bring them up somewhat. Unfortunately, when all else fails, there's always avoidance . . .
posted by
JimmyA
on August 29, 2013 at 7:06 AM
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I know about irritating co-workers!! But this one sounds as if she is just clarifying what she thought she heard you say! Sounds crazy I know but!
posted by
MsJudy
on August 28, 2013 at 7:59 PM
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Jimmy
I gotta play devil's advocate here and suggest that this lady wasn't really questioning your answer at all. I know it's a bit strange, but I have encountered that sort of thing myself, even if it wasn't quite as pronounced. She was simply confirming/acknowledging what you had told her, and that this acknowledgement comes out in the form of a question is nothing more than a semantic quirk, whose cause one would have to investigate...
posted by
Nautikos
on August 28, 2013 at 7:49 PM
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one of my most annoying coworkers was actually a manager...she was pissed off that I got the job she wanted as an event specialist so she took asst mgr instead. She would always give me the worse duties to do. She would make snide comments to me and about me. She would belittle me to make herself look so superior but in truth in showed how small she really was. She wasn't liked by anybody really except our mgr who she was more than happy to throw under the bus as many times as she could once she was on the same level as him. I gave her the nickname Cruella and we would put on the soundtrack to 101 Dalmatians whenever she was in the store.
posted by
Annicita
on August 28, 2013 at 12:37 PM
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My boss in one of my Nursing jobs was an abusive woman who did some terribly cruel things to her staff...including me. Eventually I just had to leave. Loved the job but I couldn't take her she was really evil.
posted by
Kabu
on August 28, 2013 at 11:28 AM
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Well Jimmy at least you knew what she would say. I hated it most when a person kept trying to belittle one and yet professed friendship, it was a one way like you baby. 
posted by
C_C_T
on August 28, 2013 at 11:12 AM
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That person would annoy me too. Thankfully, I have never had to put up with someone like that.
I have written about bad coworkers over the years. The most recent one was Kevin Middleton, who I wrote about in a series back in June. He was the one with the know-it-all attitude and was too much of a teaser.
posted by
FormerStudentIntern
on August 28, 2013 at 10:30 AM
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I'm sure it was very aggravating to you, but it made me laugh. When someone has an oddity like that, I have trouble keeping from grinning in their face. Then they want to know, "What?" and I have to hum-haw around to keep from hurting feelings. One of the things that really tickles me is a person who always uses their hands a lot while they are talking.
posted by
TAPS.
on August 28, 2013 at 10:05 AM
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oh instead of questioning you she probably didnt think like that and instead of making a nice comment about the college etc she came out as a question.
posted by
Lanetay
on August 28, 2013 at 9:54 AM
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I have had one like yours and the two listed. The most annoying was a supervisor who put her hand on mine to stop me from using the computer. She then said, I am your supervisor so you can listen to me. She proceeded to tell me all of her physical ailments along with her husband who was ill at home. I had a group that I supervised and needed to input vital information. Needless to say, I changed occupations.
Jimmy the lady who repeats like that has a different issue. She has a processing disoorder. She repeats aloud what she hears for it to register in her brain. I had an annoying student like that once. They think aloud and process aloud. This way they are making sure they get precisely what you said. These people do not care about what you mean. They will come back and say BUT you SAID!
posted by
Dr_JPT
on August 28, 2013 at 9:22 AM
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I couldn't begin to go into all of them. Missing ten dollar bills every now for me and the office balance was one annoying one from a rough trainer. I could figure out who it was from the times she would close the door in our break room and from being disrespectful in one way, it led to another. Also, being fast and not paying back on a Christmas gift. She had more money than me and I disliked it quite a bit. I also have experienced one almost just like your example, and liked hearing her reason for it.
posted by
mariss9
on August 28, 2013 at 9:15 AM
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Oh boy
One hardly knows where to start! I think the worst co-worker I ever had was an arrogant, sexist man who treated me like a child. He would ask my opinion on a problem, I would provide him the information. Without fail, regardless of the topic, he would then say I was wrong and he should have known better than to ask a "little girl" such a complicated question.
Watching him parrot my answers and take credit in meetings was even more galling. It was that man, more than anything, that drove me out of the engineering profession.
posted by
Mia890
on August 28, 2013 at 8:32 AM
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I think I could put up with your lady more than a negative co-worker, and I mean constantly negative. She could find something wrong in anything said. I felt sorry for her, tried to make her smile, but it took so much energy!! i can't say I was sorry when she changed work!
posted by
adnohr
on August 28, 2013 at 7:34 AM
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