Over a year ago I started a new contract job in an office about a month before another woman, E. We were allocated to different teams, although general secretarial / finance work. As newbies we would have morning tea together but we are quite different. She's in her late forties, two children, married and would be 'posh'. I'm in my late twenties, foreign, married, no kids, middle class.
Our contracts have kept being renewed, and we are both contracted until Christmas. Towards the end of last year we seemed to have drifted from taking our breaks together, but since we don't have a lot in common, its fine.
I enjoy the work and get on well with the other three people in my team.
I've had good reviews and it's been said that when the next permanent roles are announced, I should apply. In January E joined our section, and one of my colleagues trained her. I had two weeks holiday at the time and when I came back, there was a bit of tension evident. E wasn't adjusting well to the new processes and was making some significant mistakes. The same colleague trained me, so my biased opinion is that the training is fine and there is a written training manual. My colleague suggested that E shadow me and I spent three days with her plus an hour a day for a month. E was struggling but our supervisor said to persevere with the training. The team were getting lots of complaints internally and externally about problems, so colleagues and I have had to do a lot of fixing Es errors, and what work E does do, is done very slowly. She's made lots of comments that the work allocated to her is boring, but the team is reluctant to trust her with anything more interesting (difficult) until she masters this. The mistakes are silly, sending transactions to wrong accounts, forgetting where territories are (like placing orders for Australia in North America) etc
A month ago E's Dad was diagnosed with an illness and it was announced that E was going part time for 3 months. E wasn't completing work which became apparent when customers contacted us asking why their accounts werent updated and with some checking it was obvious she was only completing the easy customer orders, ignoring the more difficult ones. It was agreed E would tell us where she was in her workload daily before leaving so we could cover her outstanding, and E would ask if she was stuck.
On Tuesday I asked her for an update, and E replied that she had done about 10 orders in four hours; I said "Are you sure?" (Aswe are expected to do about 20 an hour). She then muttered " We can't all be as perfect as you". It was said sarcastically but low enough that I was definitely supposed to hear. I mentioned it to a colleague but left it.
Yesterday after E left, there was a discussion about Es errors with the team and our supervisor. My colleague brought up what E had said to me. I briefly explained but asked the supervisor to leave it as E is under stress. My supervisor sounded doubtful - as in "Are you sure? That doesn't sound like her" - but asked that I tell her if it happens again.
a lot of wider office are cautious about E as the part time gig is seen as the dream arrangement which many of the Mums have requested and had declined, so it's seen as E receiving a special favour. I don't have kids, so it's no skin off my nose. There have been barbed comments that E must know someone.
The job is well paid, convenient travel, interesting to me and I' enjoy it, but I'm wary that this is reflecting badly on me. Am I being unreasonable to worry about my job?