Hi all looking for opinions here as friend thinks i was but i am not sure. But ready to be told (politely) I was a bit U.
Part of my job is that i set up an area for use daily. This involves putting away equiptment and tidying up after previous users then re-setting up the area for the next use. It involves alot of heavy lifting. I have a time frame of 15-20 mins max to clean up and set up this area. (Could really do with 25-30 but that is never going to happen). The previous users are supposed to clean up and put away after themselves but they never do and after 6 years of complaining to management I have given up and absorbed the clean up in to my time frame.
I have set this area up on my own daily for the last 6 years. There are people that then come in to work in the area. They come in 5 to 10 mins before I finish setting up, they usually stand in the corner chatting. Now 2years ago i had a fall and ended up with a dislocated thumb and several fractures in my hand. Despite asking for help whilst wearing a cast on my hand, none came. So i struggled with setting up but i got it done. These people still stood in the corner chatting whilst watching me struggle. None offered any help.
Then 5 weeks ago, i injured my back (torn muscle) whilst lifting at work (thanks to someone over filling a box and not labelling it correctly). I should have had myself signed off but unfortunatley could not live off of sick pay so carried on. Management aware of situation, again I pointed out i would need help with the set up. No help came. Staff still stood in corner chatting and watching me. All commenting on how i shouldn't be lifiting anything let alone the heavy stuff but never offering help (even when i have asked)
Now this is the AIBU part. last week we had a big inspection. Everyone jumps to attention and wants to get themselves noticed! On the first day of the inspection all of these staff members came in 20mins early to "help" set up. This resulted in a laurel and hardy situation. Too many people trying to do things in a small area. Parts of the clean up got missed, and the floor and a wall have been damaged by them dragging things rather than lifting them(i got questioned later as to why i had not done the full clean up and where the damage had come from) I also got hit by 2 pieces of equiptment leaving a massive bruise on my hip and the whole set up took longer than if i had done it by myself as they kept stopping to ask me where things go etc.
On the second day when they came in early and started moving things I said "Don't worry about setting up, the area isn't big enough for 6 people to be lifting and moving things, please just leave me to it".
3 of them said no worries. The other 2 stood muttering and the words "ungrateful bitch" were shot in my direction. So i questioned their reasoning for the insult.
Apparently we are a team and i should be grateful for the help! So i calmly replied that i would have been greatful of the help over the last 5 weeks instead of people watching me work whilst injured and commenting on how it isn't fair that i am still lifting whilst injured, but none of them offered any help or told me they were busy when i asked for it. I also pointed out the massive bruise in my hip from the "help" they gave the day before.
One said fair enough. The other said i was being immature and she would never offer to help again. My reply was Thats fine because you were more of a hindrance than help yesterday and the only reason the offer of help was there was because they wanted to get themselves noticed by the management and the inspectors. If you really wanted to help and act like.part of a team you would have helped me over the last 5weeks whilst i was injured not just while the inspectors are here. She didnt have a reply to that! She then spent the rest of the week throwing daggers at me!
So mumsnet was i an unreasonable bitch or was i justified?