I suppose there is one in every workplace. How do you deal with them?
Before, we had a very healthy, productive workplace. There were good colleagues, even some friends. Because there were 200 of us in the office, you could easily avoid toxic people by just staying away from them and not getting involved and tangled up in their mess.
Now, due to mergers, acquisitions, mass firings.... there are only 10 of us left in the office. And since most of the people travel, there is usually only 2,3 or 4 people in the office. And if it is only you and one or two other people in the office, it is not like you can sit there all day in this open office and not speak to them at all. You often need basic contact, just in terms of information, business that need to get done.
Very unfortunately, the one person who is always in the office is extremely toxic. She talks horribly about everyone who is not around. If someone else is making a little trouble, she will encourage it or try to blow it out of proportion. She complains, but never to the person she actually has the complaint with. A few months ago she did this really icy cold I won't speak with you at all routine with my boss, and constantly complained about him when he wasn't there. Before that it was someone else. Now she has "made up" with him and she is giving me the ice treatment. Frankly, I'd love to just ignore her, because I'm not interested in getting into her mess and psyche. But I can't avoid her in this office, especially if it is just the us there. I need to get basic business done.
But the tension in the air - my G*D, you could cut it with a knife!
Ugh! How do you deal with such people? How do you cope with the stress?
Before, we had a very healthy, productive workplace. There were good colleagues, even some friends. Because there were 200 of us in the office, you could easily avoid toxic people by just staying away from them and not getting involved and tangled up in their mess.
Now, due to mergers, acquisitions, mass firings.... there are only 10 of us left in the office. And since most of the people travel, there is usually only 2,3 or 4 people in the office. And if it is only you and one or two other people in the office, it is not like you can sit there all day in this open office and not speak to them at all. You often need basic contact, just in terms of information, business that need to get done.
Very unfortunately, the one person who is always in the office is extremely toxic. She talks horribly about everyone who is not around. If someone else is making a little trouble, she will encourage it or try to blow it out of proportion. She complains, but never to the person she actually has the complaint with. A few months ago she did this really icy cold I won't speak with you at all routine with my boss, and constantly complained about him when he wasn't there. Before that it was someone else. Now she has "made up" with him and she is giving me the ice treatment. Frankly, I'd love to just ignore her, because I'm not interested in getting into her mess and psyche. But I can't avoid her in this office, especially if it is just the us there. I need to get basic business done.
But the tension in the air - my G*D, you could cut it with a knife!
Ugh! How do you deal with such people? How do you cope with the stress?
So it's hard to get over. But I have to remember that it's okay not to be liked by everyone and sometimes not being liked by someone is a compliment.
