The Annoying Co-Worker Thread

[The_Dude 1,142]

I don't think i've ever had a job where there wasn't at a minimum of 3 really annoying co-workers. I think i've vented enough about Theresa to merit a blog. I'm sure you all have really annoying co-workers. So, I thought we could post about our annoying co-workers and maybe swap ideas how to get them to leave you alone and or get them back

Here is my newest annoying co-worker.... we'll call her A. I've tried to like her for a long time now because she seems quite sweet. She is however petty and annoying and completely unqualified for her job (and insecure about that to boot.) Her most annoying quality is that she will just do stuff, and because nobody really wants to deal with it, they just let her get away with it. For example, she decided that because she injured her back, that she should be allowed to telecommute to work a few days a week. She just started doing it and sending emails to people a few times a day so that people would think she wasn't just sitting around watching Days Of Our Lives. First of all, her back injury is minor, and was a result of her ignorance and negligence. Secondly, there is NO part of her job that she could do from home. Her job involves being out in the field and interacting with people in the community. But nobody wants to deal with it, so they let her go.

A few months ago she went out on sick leave. While she was out, her co-workers did her work for her so that she wouldn't be swamped when she got back. As soon as she got back, she lodged an official complaint with the union and the department head that her co-workers were conspiring against her to take her job. #######? When she came back, she told everyone that there was something wrong with her respiratory system and that she was now super sensitive to smells. She was asking people to use unscented detergents and deoderants and to refrain from using cologne/perfume. She complained that I was burning insence in the office.... IT was tea.

As annoying as she is with her hypochondria, it is also funny to see her paranoia.

[thetreble 19]

Oh my word! Sounds like my life around here.

My annoying co-worker right now is of course, my boss, so essentially not my co-worker. I work in a very small office in a medium sized university so while I do interact with many people, my department itself is small.

Today my boss, let's call her B, slurped her soup all lunch. Yes, slurped. No spoon. She slurped her soup out of a bowl. Out loud.

[The_Dude 1,142]

At least she used a spoon

[thetreble 19]

At least she used a spoon

No spoon, Rob.

[Flames9_RN 358]

Maybe she is just environmentally friendly, 1 less utensil to wash!!

[DeadPoolX 9]

I've got one of these:

I was doing some seasonal work at Future Shop around the holidays. I was assigned to "shadow" someone else in IPG (the computer dept) which meant I had to follow him and listen to everything he said. That wouldn't have been too bad if the guy hadn't been such an egotistical twit and an all-around know-it-all.

I knew I didn't know as much about Future Shop as he did. That was a given. However, I've been around computers since I was a little (my first computer was an AppleII in 1984), so I know a thing or two about computers.

Anyway... we were walking around, checking the desktops and laptops, when he (I'll refer to him as "Jim") spoke up. Here's how the conversation went:

Jim: The monitors keep going into standby and it's really annoying.

Me: Why don't we just change the power settings and turn standby off?

Jim: No, that's just a band-aid solution.

Me: How so?

Jim: It's all due to faulty motherboards.

Me: All of them?

Jim: Yeah. There's nothing we can do about it.

Me: So... if they all have a faulty motherboard and there's no way to change the settings, why are we selling them?

He didn't have an answer for that and told me to go check the video cards.

[defunct 0]

^^

Mine is a woman who I'm retraining after she returned from a year's mat leave. She is notorious for talking on her phone all day long while working. I never really cared before her mat leave because I didn't sit next to her, so couldn't hear the one-sided conversations in Filipino. However, my group has all moved to another part of the building, and I'm now catty-corner from her, so I can hear it now...

Anyway, on the first day of training I was sitting with her at her desk showing her how to do something when her cell phone rang and she answered it. I thought to myself, "okay, maybe she just forgot to turn it off, no biggie." About 15 minutes later her cell phone rings again... and she answers again... Now I'm rather annoyed as she obviously didn't forget to turn it off. Then I had to run over to my desk, which is 10 feet away, to grab some documentation. I get back to her desk and she's replying to an email to her husband... I had to actually ask her to stop replying to personal email/calls so we could focus on the training. Who does that??

Edited April 1, 2009 by eyoa

[Hugglebuggles 60]

Oh wow! Some people are just out there...

My work is the worst place for drama ever! I don't have I annoying coworker but about 5 of them. I work with all women with the exception of 2 guys... and wow, the gossip and backstabbing is just unreal. The other day my boss informed us we would all have to sign waivers promising to never discuss work on facebook, because apparently girls have been posting stuff about each other and getting into fights. These are grown women! Just unbelievable. And then we were told that my boss has a fake facebook account and creeps us all the time to see what we are up to. Thankfully I'm moving in 2 months...

[Sprailenes 47]

The only person I have an issue with, and it goes beyond an annoyance, is on vacation this week. Positive thoughts... happy place... we are all there this week. It really does make a difference when that one person who puts everyone else through hell is gone. Things just feel better this week.

But when she is here, she can be super mean... with great and amazing comebacks like: "You're not in Canada anymore sweetheart!" and my personal favorite: "Thats how its done here in America! If you don't like it LEAVE!" all she has on me is the fact that I am young and from Canada and she picks at me for that constantly.

Yup. She's just so special.

[DeadPoolX 9]

The only person I have an issue with, and it goes beyond an annoyance, is on vacation this week. Positive thoughts... happy place... we are all there this week. It really does make a difference when that one person who puts everyone else through hell is gone. Things just feel better this week.

But when she is here, she can be super mean... with great and amazing comebacks like: "You're not in Canada anymore sweetheart!" and my personal favorite: "Thats how its done here in America! If you don't like it LEAVE!" all she has on me is the fact that I am young and from Canada and she picks at me for that constantly.

Yup. She's just so special.

That's completely uncalled for. It's obvious she has issues and is using you as a whipping post. I'd definitely complain. If she's your manager, report her to someone above her. Someone somewhere will listen, if for no other reason, this woman has probably rubbed others the wrong way too.

[Sprailenes 47]

I did complain. We tried to have a meeting last week about it. She threw a chair and walked out and said she quit. We all breathed a sigh of relief and then she showed up the next day like nothing happened.

They should fire her right? Well the problem is, so they say, is that she has been here for 10 years and she is friends with a lot of the members. She babysits for them and really does have the members on her side, if we were to fire her, it could be bad for our reputation. The members obviously don't see the side we see.

I guess there's just so much politics involved. It sucks but what can I do? Not much.

She rubs everyone the wrong way. No one likes her and she has had issues with every assistant that has come in here. The thing is, I am the first person to have called a meeting with her to try to resolve the issues. She has pushed everyone before her around and got away with it. Maybe she'll leave me alone when she gets back? Who knows.

[DeadPoolX 9]

I did complain. We tried to have a meeting last week about it. She threw a chair and walked out and said she quit. We all breathed a sigh of relief and then she showed up the next day like nothing happened.

They should fire her right? Well the problem is, so they say, is that she has been here for 10 years and she is friends with a lot of the members. She babysits for them and really does have the members on her side, if we were to fire her, it could be bad for our reputation. The members obviously don't see the side we see.

I guess there's just so much politics involved. It sucks but what can I do? Not much.

She rubs everyone the wrong way. No one likes her and she has had issues with every assistant that has come in here. The thing is, I am the first person to have called a meeting with her to try to resolve the issues. She has pushed everyone before her around and got away with it. Maybe she'll leave me alone when she gets back? Who knows.

She's allowed to babysit children?

[Sprailenes 47]

Yea i know right!

Her own husband, kids and grandkids no longer speak to her, but she babysits the members kids. Shes good at kissing butt. Some of the members have brought her on trips to Europe so she can watch their kids... yay for "family vacation".

She knows how to act nice to the people she can benefit from.. the rest of us are the dirt underneath her shoes.

Edited April 1, 2009 by Sprailenes

[The_Dude 1,142]

In my experience, the most annoying people at a job are the people who have no outside lives. The problem gets worse and worse over time. God forbid these people get put into a position of supervision. It's all fun and games when you've got 8-10 hours a day to kill at an office

[The_Dude 1,142]

Ohhhhh a new category of annoying worker to add to the menagerie: Overly Sensitive Co-Worker

I was dropping some paperwork off and heard three women congratulating another woman on her recent nuptuals. The newlywed started talking about the process to change her name etc. She had decided to not change her name after all. Which, I fully support (I hate my surname). But then one of the women asked her what surname her child would have when it was born. She said that she had convinced her husband that a double representation would be the most fair thing. One lady just kind of sat there and said nothing. Then one of the other ladies said "well, I guess your son won't be playing professional sports". The newlywed then turns to her, with a look of disgust and says "What is that supposed to mean? What because i'm Jewish, or because my husband is Polish that our kids will be inferior?". The lady who made the comment rolled her eyes and said "No, because your name is 9 letters long and your husbands name is 10 letters long. Add a hyphen in there and its a total of 20. NBA jersey's have space for up to 13 letters". She then walked away. The look on the newlywed's face was priceless. I couldn't hold it in and laughed out loud. I got a look for my insolence.