Or are my colleagues. Rather annoyed!

[Chillyegg]

So on friday i had to go into work (i dont work fridays) for an emergency meeting. I actually ended up turning up early because i over estimated traffic due to a local sporting event. Any way because i was early and i saw my colleagues were struggling i pirched in and helped out rather than go for a coffee. That day in the room was a new lady on our team who ill generally never see because we work opposite shifts.
Any who i helped out went to the meeting said my hello's to the lady and went on my way. So today it was communicated that id upset the new lady by coming in and helping because im a big personality and "confident" and i was stepping on her toes. I asked my colleague had the lady communicated that she said no it was an atmosphere she felt in the room.
This really pissed me off to be honest because i was in work Tuesday so why was i told today? I felt lambasted and horrible for making this woman feel unwelcome. My colleague said she was just watching out for her because shes trains her. So i spoke to my boss who said shw cant see the issue and why this was communicated to me as thus but if i wanted to chat to the new lady i should. So i spoke to this lady and apolagised saying i wanted her to settle in and be ok . She was absolutely shocked and was like what are you on about i didnt think that at all!...so now im very annoyed because i feel actually collegues who were the ones who had there toes stepped on.

Sounds like they ABU. I maybe wouldn't be so quick to help next time. Ungrateful lot.

Also im annoued this poor person was used as a tool to manipulate me.

Sorry i pressed enter too soon.

sorry to say this but I wouldn't trust those colleagues of yours...at all.

Well...you may never know who is stirring. I would keep an open mind. Don't assume it ISN'T new woman iuswim.

No im starting to feel like that.....i thought they were friends but clearly not. They were ok to make me feel awful for upsetting my new collegue with no factual basis.

I would go back to colleague who raised the issue, and cheerily tell them that you had spoken to both your boss and the woman concerned and that there was no issue at all. Make sure you smile.

This has two benefits:

If it was raised out of genuine concern then the matter is resolved.

If it was raised to undermine you/make you look bad/make you feel bad, a direct but insouciant manner will show you can't be manipulated by that kind of gossip.

Very true. Its awful now i feel like im second guessing everything because im "confident"

Im a very ipen an honest person so i sorted it today. I do think they were hoping i wouldnt say anything and just float about feeling shit.

There's no reason to feel bad, Chilly it was a useful day:

You showed your boss that you are open, honest, quick to resolve issues and have good communication skills.

You showed the new lady that you are helpful, kind and proactive regarding any potential issues

You learned that your colleague is either highly manipulative or poor at picking up bodily language and non verbal cues.

I've dealt with this kind of underhand feedback a few times myself "I think that X think that you are...."
The only way to resolve is to do ecactly what you did, get it all out in the open.

The spelling and typos! The shame

Ecactly???? Where did that come from!?

I doubt you will ever win with your colleagues - you helped out, which means you're throwing your weight about; if you hadn't helped out, I bet they would have been calling you horse that rotten.

Do as *Charlotte8 suggests so that they know you are on to them, and then let it go.

Well you obviously upset someone, OP!

It might well have been the new lady, and she denied it because you spoke to her about it and she was embarrassed.

I saw something like this (but much worse) happen once, when a woman who had left the company popped in to the office for a quick visit, noticed something hadn't been done yet (should have been by that time of day but not the end of the world) and was aghast and started ordering people about to get the job done. In FRONT of her replacement, who had clearly overlooked the task simply because she was new and still learning the job. It was one of the most gobsmackingly awfully rude things I have ever seen at work.

Obviously that's far more extreme than what you are describing, but I can see how your "I saw my colleagues were struggling i pirched in and helped out" could translated into "bloody Chillyegg comes in on her day off, swans in and takes over as if we can't cope without her and unless she's here it all goes wrong, making us all look useless."

I wonder if it was more a case of the person feeling that Chillyegg had highlighted that the colleague was struggling when she shouldnt have been. There is a woman my mum worked with before she retired and she would moan like hell about anyone "helping" her as if they were treading on her toes. In fact there were often 2 people assigned to tasks and she was unbelievably slow so in order to get the task completed in the time frame they would have to do their share and some of hers. She hated being shown up but never did a damn thing about it other than slagging off whoever it was that had worked with her that week.

Perhaps the colleague has a bit of a skive on a Friday because usually there isnt anyone there to show up how little she is doing.

I think whilst you see it as mucking in to give a helping hand, it could be easily construed differently (coming in and taking over when she's not even supposed to be working). It does have the potential to tread on toes.

Is it possible it irritated one of the others and they've communicated that by saying it upset the new person? People often do this I think to deflect the complaint from themselves.

I work with someone who has a 'big personality' (that is how we politely describe her, she is loud, bossy, a know it all) when I'm serving a customer she will butt in and try to take over, she is a work hog. She means well but is constantly 'stepping on people's toes'

This is just the type of thing she would do, arrive at work when off duty and then 'step in' to help as if we cannot cope in her absence.

YABU

It spends on how you went in to help, which I very much doubt you would be able to ser in yourself.
I've been in a work situation where one of the team (5 people all part time) was inclined to come in on their shift and pick up all the minor non-correctable mistakes that they wouldn't have even seen if they were getting on with what their Jo rather than checking up on others.
In their case it wad they lacked confidence and it was their way of showing they were useful. I could cope with it but others felt that she was constantly trying to undermine them.

Well i can see everyome elses perspective. I literally would not of been there unless i had to it coat me money to be there. It was unpaid and id rather of been at home. My helping was just putting away some of the stuff that i absolutely new weren't being used as the users of the room had gone home and offering to make the team a cuppa. Asking of they were all ok as i new wed gad 2 supply staff over the past two fays that hadnt at all helped in any way. However next time i shall sit in the staff room and have a coffee

You should take feedback on the chin. Someone clearly thought you were interfering so in the future don't help, but do publically point out mistakes in team meetings.

The woman did say what you were told, she just didn't have the courage to admit it. Don't worry about her, she's new so not surprising if she felt a bit uncomfortable with you - with longer epxperience there - and she will settle in and it'll be a non-issue.