Hi GEC44, I’m not sure if your age and I don’t need to know. I was bullied all throughout school, college and at work. I am now in my early 50’s and I now realise that the world is full of arxxxoles who have very small brains and all they have to talk about is someone else. Just think how much you must be worrying them all if they are talking about you everyday - ha ha ha. I believe that they have very little in their lives and not much conversation.
If it makes you feel better and you want to contact family or friends by email or text on and off throughout the day and make sure you leave the message received sound on your phone and giggle when you read the messages it may just kill them with jealousy to know what’s going on and they can start another fake discussion about you.
Alternatively, I know you are a strong, confident lady with a good and kind heart, you could leave them to keep talking the same old rubbish day I day out (how boring!).
My Mum used to say to me that a cat can look at a Queen and you my lovely have found a horrible group of cats ( I am a cat owner and love cats but would like to call that bunch a different name). I know it sounds easier said than done but just like me, every morning look yourself in the mirror and say to yourself out loud that you are a strong and capable woman and no one is going to get one over on you.
Believe me after a short while you become so determined you stop noticing them.
You are also entitled to be happy at work, could you ask to move where you sit, I would not say anything about them, what they want is for you to answer them and then a whole dialogue can open, saying nothing and acting oblivious hours them the most, truly please believe me.
At work you could say the sun is in your eyes
and you need tI move desks or you need to sit in a different position and have tried another desk set up which is more comfortable and for health and safety reasons you would like to move. Do not ask to be moved tell your manager that you are moving for health and safety reasons once you mention that they will move you as they would not want you to get a work related injury.
Please stay strong, these people are not adults or grown up, they are still in the playground they are sad individuals.
Do not give them the upper hand and let them know you are aware of what they are saying as that is what they want. Please try and ignore them and the situation. I guess you need your job so you keep going, stay strong, you are a beautiful person inside and out. You will come out on top in the end, you will see they will start being horrible to other new members of staff when they join because that is all the conversation they have.
Apologies for the lengthy response, but I get what you are going through, I shared a room with 3 other women who had code words for me and if I left the room they were talking about me, I heard them say they were trying to get me to leave and they were taking bets from each other how long it would take for me to leave, they were supposed to be training me and they deliberately told me things incorrectly to try to get me sacked, they were appalling, but I became a stubborn woman and decided that they would not win and they didn’t, eventually they fell out with each other one retired, one was asked to leave as she had lied terribly on her cv and she was a lazy what’s it, the third one got a job somewhere else. It took time but I saw them off like I promised myself I would. I do t work there any longer and am much happier in my job. You will get there too.
Take care my lovely and stay strong, keep us posted.
xxx