Does people really like innovative new colleagues?

[Sandalison]

So this woman (let’s call her Lucy) is new-ish in the office (since 18 months ish). She is friendly and confident. She is always talking in meetings and stepping forward with suggestions, ideas, new information, etc. She is the ‘new and fresh’ person, who has been given a special project, made a big success of it, delivers lots of training and also seems to send lots of emails. She likes to make jokes about her “unruly” hair (gorgeous and curly) and “unhealthy dependence on lists” (which I interpret as showing off about how ultra-busy and ultra-organised she is.)

The bosses love her, and so it seems does everyone else. Eveyone except me! She reeeeally gets under my skin.
Now, Lucy isn’t even in my team, so it’s not like I’m in direct competition with her, but nevertheless I have come to terms with the fact that I am just being a jealous cow here.

To emphasise: I KNOW I am a jealous cow!!

What I am wondering is, am I alone in my bovinity (and suck as a human) or do other people feel the same way about the Lucys in their offices ( I still suck but feel a bit less like stabbing her with a pencil).

YABU - you’re on your own hun.
YANBU- yeah Lucy annoys all of us.

Does she work in marketing?

You've described someone I used to work with to a tee

Do we have any evidence that poor old Lucy was telling her colleagues things they already knew in her first week? I feel bad for her! If she is in finance, does she want a job working for me?

@Brighterthansunflowers

Depends. If she’s genuine and helpful and her improvements are real improvements not just change for the sake of it then I wouldn’t have a problem.

If she’s not a nice person and only doing things to be seen to do then then I would have a problem. But I’d have just as much of a problem whether she was new or had been there forever.

^this

Thank you for saying it so well

I'm a Lucy. My passion doesn't annoy my colleagues too much I hope. Do you think you may be a bit bored in your job op? Only saying that because in a previous job I was definitely not a Lucy. Quite the reverse in fact. I never thought of new ideas and envied those who did. I lacked drive and passion and had no interest in the job. Once I left it was a relief not having to pretend anymore or find enthusiasm for a job where the lights had long since gone out. I'm not saying leave your job op. I wouldn't advise anyone doing that in today's climate. Just thought it might be worth asking if you've been there for longer than you would've liked and can't drum up the passion anymore.

Try and use her to your advantage!

I've found that Lucys certainly do make work for others, and no matter how "nice" they seem, will in the end take credit for this work.

A Lucy is never to be trusted, and has normally long departed before all the disadvantages of their "improvements" become apparent, and are abandoned, to cries of "I never liked her!", and "We all told her this before".

Ugh, can't stand these types. Mine was called Nicky. The sheer volume of emails... the almost aggressive efficiency... the cringey phrases. I don't miss that woman.

I fucking hated our office Lucy for a while and was probably quite stand offish with her when she was nee, but when I got to know her I realised she was a really lovely, bright, funny person and after 5+ years of working with her I love her to bits!

I even love her Lucy-ish ways, now, too. I’m a cynical, hardened old witch and our Lucy is young and has boundless energy and ideas. She keeps the rest of us on our toes!

There's two types of Lucy:

Type A: the Lucy who is full of 'great' ideas that creates extra pointless admin for everyone else. Everyone hates her and she usually flits off to another job after a year or two.

Type B: the Lucy who just really likes working hard and actually has good ideas that reduces your workload sometimes. Everyone likes this Lucy but eventually she'll take on so much extra work that she'll become as miserable as everyone else when she realises the boss just uses her to dump their own workload on.

I've found that Lucys certainly do make work for others, and no matter how "nice" they seem, will in the end take credit for this work.

If you want credit, have some ideas or make positive suggestions.

A Lucy is never to be trusted, and has normally long departed before all the disadvantages of their "improvements" become apparent, and are abandoned, to cries of "I never liked her!", and "We all told her this before".

Christ. Who’d want to work with you?

I keep a sharpened pencil about my person at all times - precisely for this sort of eventuality.

I have come across this sort of person once or twice before. They were both called Sarah.

Or C:

Dressing

Old hands like me who Lucy by doing, mentoring the next lot and ALSO sitting back and think about just turning up, but also recognising that new shit needs doing so we do it AND delegate. Keen newbies welcome.

It's easy because we could just turn up and get paid well for presenteeismz, but it puts the noses out of joint to the lazy moany bar stewards and makes for interesting days.

Bloody random z there.

YANBU. At all.

dressingown has it to a t! Type A who likes to project manage and 'organise' people then takes all the credit!

Depends if she actually delivers. If she does then crack on it's the ones that talk the talk but are actually shit that Sri e me up the wall.

Same. If she delivers, it wouldn't bother me, it's her style. If she is all talk and no action, just shut up, sit back and stop creating hassle essentially.

Jesus, who knew so many people are irritated by people who are hard-working and enthusiastic? Tall poppy syndrome much.

There is one way to beat the Lucy's, and that's to out-Lucy them.

Be better, faster, more organised.

I don't think you're jealous OP, I think you want to be Lucy.

I want to be Lucy too

I don't think unruly curls would fit in my hoody though, and I can't be a Lucy if I spend all day watching Netflix and eating leftover pizza.

I am the Lucy in the team 😬

(Minus the unruly curls)

Lucy

Noun: Keen person who gets shit done.

@SpuriouserAndSpuriouser

Jesus, who knew so many people are irritated by people who are hard-working and enthusiastic? Tall poppy syndrome much.

Thats not what (i think) people are irritated by, they're irritated when the Lucy creates work for others, does none themselves but takes credit? That's what I've inferred!