To tell coworker I’ve got work mapped out?

[Ritascornershop]

My coworker is in the odd position of being allowed to ask me to do tasks, but is not my supervisor and can’t forbid me to do things (which are in my job description but which she wants to hoard for herself). Fine. But she’s also decided she’s the monitor of my workload and if sees me answering work emails or checking my home email she’ll say “it’s best not to use the internet for that - they watch everything we do!” (They don’t, they’re too understaffed for that). Or she’ll ask me to go and “tidy things” - I just tidied yesterday most of the time so it’s just busywork. Meanwhile she spends a great deal of time on Amazon and Facebook, and entirely avoiding some of the work that is entirely hers to complete. So it just never gets done. I don’t want to give details, but it’s govt so if it’s not done the clients get substandard but no-one actually notices (except the members of the public who use our space).

I can’t bear conflict and don’t want to set her off (she’s fine so far but I’ve been bullied a lot at work). But how do I tell her I’m an adult and can figure out my daily duties just fine without having to list them for her? Every day. Again, she’s not my supervisor, I did this job independently at a previous site and it was fine in that regard. Tinkly laugh approach?

Get your facts straight with your supervisor and ask them to clarify her role and boundaries, a low key positive three way meeting would be good. She’s on a bit of a power trip and has annoying view in her role in relation to you but it can be assertively sorted to your satisfaction with no one losing face

That's a very unusual arrangement and I also think you should seek clarification from your manager.

make yourself some busywork in that you make a team organigram of the heirarchy and list under each person their role/duties. Show the boss and say you think it will make your team more efficient to have everything clearly defined.
Then shove it up her arse under her nose

This happened to me once. I just brought it up at the next meeting with my manager. I said that I hadn’t realised X was my supervisor. He replied with “she’s not” then had a word with her. Job done!

Get clarification, and boundaries established before saying anything.

Similar thing happened to me.

I asked my boss 'what exactly is so and so's role nowadays?'

You need clarification or, as you've seen, people just take the piss.

I know it sounds odd, we’re in different unions and she has different qualifications which the powers that be have decided means she earns 3 times as much and has tasks that are more interesting than mine (we both have degrees, just hers are seen as more relevant).

Having said that, most of the people in her role get there because of seniority. It’s as if someone studied hospital administration but not medicine yet was telling nurses how to nurse, how to deal with wounds and administer medication (we’re not healthcare, just an example). She doesn’t know the details in the way I do, so it’s a bit ... trying to be herded about like a lost sheep when I’m more than capable of mapping out my day. She’s really very nice, just has an overactive mother complex and thinks everyone needs telling what to do.

But yes, I may bring it up when I meet with the actual supervisor (scheduled after x months in the role). At least bring up that she’s not allowing me to do the more interesting bits that are in the job description.

Ha! She asked me what I was doing and I said “I’m making a list of x that we can consider adding” and she nudged a box of materials toward me and said “this needs doing”. “Mmmm” I said. She scuttled back to her room. Ignoring her may be the key!