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I would take this directly to management. If she's as loud and annoying
as you make her out to be, you're not the only one frustrated by her.
I would approach management and talk about "respect", "professionalism",
"tolerance", "work frustration" (as it relates to productivity) and the
"standards of office behavior". Politely tell your manager that you're
bothered by her behavior in a way that disturbs your productivity and
sanity. You're working under unacceptable conditions. The key is to
focus on how this behavior negatively impacts your work...so talking
about general notions of "respect" and "professionalism" will lend
credence to your complaint.
It's difficult to deal with team members who lack professionalism and
respect for their fellow employees. If you're uncomfortable in your job
because of this woman, you should be clear and concise to your superiors
about the problem and let them take over. That's step one.
If your management doesn't solve the issue, then you've got a real
problem on your hands...now you should start considering ways to change
her habits. Think of her like a noisy cat who won't stop meowing and
clawing at the furniture. You need a water bottle to shake her out of
her negative energies.
I also second earlier suggestions to start replying by email. In terms
of changing her behavior, you should look for opportunities to realign
her thinking (i.e. get her used to e-mail questions and answers; maybe
she'll stop talking all the time).
If none of these suggestions works for you, consider this: sneak up
behind her at work, wrap her in a burlap bag (which you've tied shut),
then drag her downstairs and leave her outside so she can scream at the
rain...
Or not.
I wish you luck!
Brian Gause
Technical Writer
EMC Captiva
EMC Corporation
10145 Pacific Heights Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92121
P: 858-320-1202
F: 858-320-1010
E: Gause_Brian -at- emc -dot- com
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+gause_brian=emc -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+gause_brian=emc -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of Mary Arrotti
Sent: Friday, April 27, 2007 9:00 AM
To: abby initio; TECHWR-L
Subject: Re: Problem Co-worker
Ignoring her is a good idea but it doesn't really stop the disruption or
improve your group's reputation.
I think that - without mgt intervention - it's difficult to handle
this without encouraging her. If you respond - you're enabling your
behavior. If you ignore her, then she feels justified in continuing
rant. I'd also avoid discussing the situation with her - from what you
write, it sounds like she enjoys her grievances & likes to air them - so
don't feed her. I've worked with people like this & sometimes the best
way to handle them is by being unfailingly polite, helpful, and
positive.
My suggestion is that you respond every time she yells out a question
about a file or makes an accusation. But do not respond in the way she
wants - do nothing to encourage her behavior. Instead - cc everyone in
your group & send her a simple message like this: I didn't change your
file. (Sometimes add "sorry I can't help you".) Perhaps other people
will also join in. Ideally - she will find the email responses
irritating & a poor reward for her actions. If nothing else - you are
giving her the info she asks for & have a record of this. This might be
useful if you ever want to push for version control or a better
communication process.
abby initio <abby -dot- initio -at- gmail -dot- com> wrote:
But on a funnier note, I have already implemented the "don't respond
when
directed at the group" tactic. The result? Yup. She just keeps ranting
away,
sighing loudly, demanding an answer, and griping about the non-response
from
everyone else. She'll say things like, "I know everyone hears me. Who's
been
in that file!"
---------------------------------
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