Work issues for colleague

[littlemisspigg]

Hi, I have a colleague who works part-time in a team who are all full-time. As part of our training, we've somehow moved together from one department to the next. She's a lovely, kind person and customers dote on her...but somehow the rest of the team (especially these two particular women) always bitch about her behind her back , and try and turn everyone against her ...I'm often stuck in the middle as I genuinely like this lady but am totally unable to understand why these other women have got a thing against her? Any ideas? Is this quite routine in workplaces?

No, it is not, and it is grossly unprofessional (as well as immature and career-limiting); they could be in real trouble for doing this.

If they are talking between themselves, you could say it's not an advisable thing for them to discuss in public and they should desist. If they try to involve you, you should shut it down immediately; in person and (especially) online.

(If they have real/faux concerns about her work, they should be speaking privately with her line manager. Tell them that.)

Was she ever full-time? There was a whole recent thread about negative attitudes to part-timers recently.

It happens. Thankfully not in the team I work in. Suggest a conversation with her manager.

If you wont get involved the least you need to do is block it and move on. Depending on your relationship with them it will be different how you handle it. Stonewall. "What ever happened to #bekind? BEKIND LADIES!" and every subsequent tine they try to rope you in "#bekind!"

"She's always been ok to me".

Or speak woth your boss and say you don't like the atmosphere and whilst no One is directly being bullied, you feel uncomfortable and you'd like them to handle it by doing XYZ and think about what youd like them to do- Talk to them? Listen out for it? Send round a general email?