ok this is a bit long winded but it’s been going on a while!!
I work in an educational setting where we get term time holidays, unless we ask for special leave (life events/celebrations) that has to be approved by SLT.
A while ago i asked for special leave for 2 days prior to our half term holiday to have a last family holiday with my mother. i work pt and had offered to swap the days with my job share so SLT approved it. unfortunately in the time of booking and going my job share was asked to work a different role as we were short staffed. SLT said it was still fine but i had to take it unpaid (fine by me) however a co-worker (not my department) found out and took issue with this. (quick backstory- always been friendly with this girl, have some mutual friends, she’s always everyone’s friend but i have and so have others witnessed another mean/ cranky side to her at times) she got married and had special leave but wanted special leave again for her honeymoon and was denied it)
coworker has since made my working life awful.she had been asking my colleagues if i was having time off and why. and generally bitching about it all behind my back until she aggressively tried to interrogate me in the busy staff room (mortified) about why i was taking leave and when i politely refused to tell her she took it upon herself to make a complaint to slt which caused them to have to give me a disciplinary (although they basically backed down immediately in meeting saying they told me i could go but because of complaint they had to have meeting and i don’t have anything on my file against me etc). Since then said coworker has constantly been making shitty comments, gossiping and generally being not pleasant. However i have gone out of my way to be nice (always professional) as i don’t really want that kind of negativity at work.
Last week it all kicked off again as she publicly humiliated me in front of my colleagues basically accusing me of verbally assaulting her at work! This absolutely did not happen and when i stood my ground her story kept changing, until she stomped off shouting she wasn’t discussing it with me! (she also didn’t bring this up with slt-which seems odd due to the allegation) Anyway i was utterly mortified and went straight to SLT who have asked me if i feel i am being bullied? I had to leave for an appointment so i didn’t get much time to discuss it with them, but i said no i didn’t think so.
Since that day i have felt so anxious and worried and i have so far managed to avoid this coworker like the plague. i’m also starting to feel pretty angry she has behaved that way which is so unprofessional, humiliating and just to go from being all smiles to basically vile in seconds!
I haven’t had a follow up with slt due to the dreaded big O being in.
My question is AIBU to feel angry, worried etc or am i just overly sensitive? should i have done something to acknowledge her initial upset or is she actually out of line? i just don’t really know how to handle the whole thing now!
thanks in advance sorry it was long!