To think that this is odd (office queen bee related)?

[ArabellaBoo]

I just wondered too if the queen bees (or their male equivalents) at other workplaces do this too, as I've worked in three different workplaces each with a definite queen bee ruling the office and they have all done the same thing.

Basically rather than just using the office/desk as a functional work space, they try to stake their claim on it by bringing in loads of stuff from home and just basically doing lots of 'home' things at work that are often inappropriate. Presumably for attention and to show others that they are so 'in' at work that they can do as they please?

The queen bee at my current workplace does things like cook a roast lunch for herself in the staff kitchen, taking ages when she's supposed to be working and making the whole office smell. I think it's a bit weird, as surely workplace kitchens are just intended for making hot drinks and heating up the odd microwave meal?

She also sits and paints her nails at her desk, does her make up at times, and has just brought in several large boxes of her kids old toys to 'store' in our office until she gets the chance to sort through them. They take up loads of room!

Plus there are the constant, very loud, personal phone calls; complaint calls to companies, calls to family members and her DH, phoning travel agents to book holidays....

Like I said too, other queen bees in other workplaces I have worked at have behaved in a similar way.

Does anyone else think it's odd,and has anyone else come across this kind of behaviour?

My managers think that our QB is fantastic. She does arse lick them though.

What is a queen bee? I've seen threads about them before but I've never really got the exact definition.

Plenty of people in my previous workplaces do things like have load phone calls, internet shopping and that kind of thing.

I've never seen someone cook a roast at work but then I've never worked somewhere with more than a kettle, toaster and microwave in the kitchen.

Is this Queen Bee-ness? I thought it referred to someone popular (although not necessarily nice), authoritative, cliquey?

I'm loving the idea of someone cooking a roast dinner at work.

People moan at a smelly cup-a-soup where I work, but peeling potatoes? Very odd.

What on earth do the other member of staff think?

Oh we had the Christmas present girl in our office too. Stacks and Stacks of them, God knows how she affords them or why her dc need so many!

Oh she's definitely the office queen bee; she's not a particularly nice person but everyone creeps around her and no one would ever dare cross her or question her. She has a sense of "I'm more important than you"

I'm at work right now and so far today she has phoned her mum for a chat, put on a full face of make up, and insisted that someone else in the office swapped chairs with her as hers wasn't comfy enough....

She sounds batshit. And waaay too comfortable. Start messing with her OP, get in a few minutes early each day and swap her stapler for the crap one and hide her mug.

She sounds hilarious op, though I appreciate she is probably a lot more fun to read about than work with.
Does her behaviour not give everyone a free pass to also do full face of make up, peel potatoes etc?
I worked in the health service in the days when there was money. I remember one wee lady ran her club book from work, club book being like Great Universal, pre internet shopping. It was all she did , she had been there so long no one knew what her job was.
We also smoked in all the offices , big long desks with ashtrays. Those desks were filled with booze Christmas birthdays etc so we were slightly hammered a fair bit.
I suppose we were all QBs . Ah happy memories .

A company I used to work at had two and they were very pally. QB1 was "office manager" even though she did bugger all and kept reducing her hours until she was doing something like 3 hours a day, 4 days a week for what should have been a full time role. QB2 did the storing presents thing! She also "worked from home" all the time, and had one of the admin assistants do her weekly shop for her.

OMG I totally forgot that QB in my office does Avon! Not so much the selling at work but constantly phoning up to place orders at head office!

I used to have a colleague like this until she was fired. Went clothes shopping during work hours, had personal stuff spread out everywhere, brought in her 4-year old DD and encouraged her to talk to people and disturb them when trying to work. One time, she had asked a colleague to do a client visit for her because she was "busy". When that colleague returned, QB was straightening her hair at her desk. She had been doing that all morning.

Oh, yeah and she used to bring in home made tat birthday cards and jewellery that she tried to flog to colleagues.

Haha, yep a very important man in our office makes himself a breakfast fry up in the office kitchen -- it is definitely a power thing, can't imagine anyone further down the food chain doing the same. But I have a few pictures in my office and also am not above doing make up/nails at the desk (not when anyone else is in the room, but people sometimes do surprise me halfway through!). I've also got a load of random stuff in my office from home. I can assure you it's not a play for attention (ha! as if - I just want to be left alone to get on with my work), it's just what happens when you have to work long hours. But I can see that it might be annoying in an open plan office. I'd have a word with the lady about the stuff that affects you (stuff left around, smelly food, smelly nail varnish) and ignore the things that don't (photos on desk, make up at desk). And I guess if it doesn't approve, approach HR.

People who see themselves as queen or king bees at my work bring their children in alot. That is the nearest to this I have come across.

Our QB has brought her child in on occasion but it doesn't happen too frequently thank god. Do the ones at your office bring their kids in for the whole day, Haydee?

Ooh, I think I need to find out how to become the office queen bee...

Our one just shouts at people when she has to do an extra second of work!

Yes I had the same thing in my old office. She got away with everything. Even printing off her 'glamour modelling' photos (aka. Photo shoot her mum paid for as a birthday present) on the office laser printer. It just amazed me how she managed to get away with it all. This was at a very well known private engineering firm.

I do my nails at work . But only at lunch on say a Friday if I'm going out that night. Your queen bee sounds insane though, I'd feel so awkward cooking a roast dinner at work. I feel bad enough if I bring in something stinky to cook in the microwave.

No, just for short periods. We are all self employed so it's not against the rules as such, but it is sort of "dominating" behaviour as you are disturbing the work of others.

I had a colleague like this. It was in the NHS, I lasted 6 months and couldn't take it anymore, it was so awful. THe whole time I worked there she never once did a full week's hours. She was either late (and I mean LATE, like in the region of 1.5 hours) or didn't turn up at all, usually with some really spurious reason. When she was there she did virtually nothing except noodle about on her phone and the internet. She had 3 weeks off for a cruise yet mysteriously had a full quota of holidays left (surprise, she'd never actually applied for the leave, just took it)

One day she came in 1.5 hours late, noodled about for half an hour (by this time it was around 11.30) said "I have to go and feed my rabbits", left work for about 45 minutes, came back and said "well, I'm off for some lunch now" and never returned until 2.30pm.

She was a bossy, maniuplative cow to boot.

I have to go and feed my rabbits", left work for about 45 minutes, came back and said "well, I'm off for some lunch now" and never returned until 2.30pm.

Ours has been known to go to walk the dog mid-morning, come back after 1.5 hours and head straight into a lunch break. When not occupied in either of the foregoing she does as little work as possible. I suspect she gets away with this lackadaisical attitude because she is the only woman in our department, ergo the token female and untouchable. That and the fact she is being serviced by one of the supervisors. Bloody infuriating that the management are too weak to do anything about it .

I used to work with one, worked a 4 day week, left early whenever possible and always face booking, phoning relatives and bringing grandchildren in. She was my boss' best mate though really. She called herself Top Johnny and Queen Bee of our v small co on FB and was over the moon to get a promotion (no payrise tho) to HR manager.

Amazing how these people also seem to con others into how much work or how hard done by they are.

And another one but from 1990. Large insurance company in Leeds. Awful woman with a rich retired husband. Put on a posh voice when on the telephone but actually very common and with a genuine rough Leeds accent to prove it. Had the nerve to requisition from me a large notepad I had specifically requested from admin. Also lied about her age. Claimed to have been born in 1947 but she really meant 1937. Or she'd had an incredibly rough life. She was a massive snob ( much worse than me) and a serious management arse licker. Dreadful, horrible bitch .