I’ve worked at the same place for 25 years and generally get on well with people. Have been working at a senior management position for the last 5 years.
I had a peer in the same division join the organisation 2 years ago, she’s very prickly and it took me ages to warm to her. She has a reputation for not getting on with people and I’ve heard all sorts of tales from junior colleagues but haven’t witnessed this myself.
She’s notoriously brusque and it made sense when she told me she was ND and I was able to change my communication style so that we could submit joint reports as she won’t collaborate.
One of our department heads, who is one of my direct reports, had requested a meeting with the 2 of us other an issue she had with one of my colleagues departments.
I was shocked at how rude she was to this department manager, who is really experienced. She talked over her, patronised her, argued with me when I attempted to speak and then raised her voice and leaned forward towards her holding her palm outstretched. The department manager refused to continue with the meeting and left the room.
After going after my direct report and made sure they were OK I returned to my colleague who seemed oblivious as to how she had behaved. I told her how she’d come across but she didn’t agree saying that the department head had been rude and talking over her when the reverse was true!
I mulled on it over it over the weekend but then put something in an email to our respective boss. I’d hate for someone more junior to be hectored and bullied in such a fashion.
Our boss got us together and talked it through but she’s gone into victim mode, still saying that the department head was rude, just because she didn’t agree with what bossy colleague was saying. She’s now divulged all sorts of personal issues and says she no longer trusts me.
We’re both in our fifties and I really CBA with all this shit. Part of me wishes I hadn’t said anything and let her get away with being a bully but obviously I know it was the right thing to do.