I need some advice on how to deal with a colleague. This person (let’s call her Chloe) is always calling me out in meetings, or challenging me when I speak - for example I’ll say something and she’ll say “Is that a fact Step?” I mentioned once that I don’t talk much in online meetings and prefer face-to-face meetings; her response was “she does talk in online meetings.” She. Almost as though I wasn’t there in the fucking room??!!
I catch her smirking with her work colleague when I speak in online meetings - they sort of smile wryly at one another as though I’m a circus act. It’s pretty obvious they don’t like me. And the thing is, I’m not an antagonistic person. I do my job, I’m articulate and calm and I get things done. I don’t ever “bite” and I treat others with respect.
I find her quite aggressive actually. I had suggested something for the team away day which everybody was happy with - our manager had even booked a table at the pub. Then, today, the manager sends round a message to the team saying that he and Chloe had discussed some of the food options and decided they were too expensive and therefore Chloe had kindly booked a table elsewhere. At a venue of her choosing. Fine.
I messaged Chloe to find out whether the activity we had planned was still going ahead beforehand (again an activity that I had planned and suggested and the team were all up for it) - she replied;
“Sorry we won’t be doing (the activity). We probably will do something but we’ll see what the team want first.”
I just replied with a thumbs up 👍 and left it at that. But the reality is she’s totally changed the whole day and overridden the plans that were made based on my suggestions - and just to be clear, at the time of planning, she did not come forward with any of her own suggestions and the team away day is on Friday - so I do find it odd how she’s jumped in at the last minute, had a chat with the boss and basically scrubbed my plans! Which everyone was really up for! Anyway, it’s just the latest in a long catalogue of weird behaviour from her that feels to me totally targeted as she doesn’t behave this way with anyone else!
Am I imagining things? How do I deal with this? Luckily we don’t work on the same work-streams so our paths don’t cross directly too often. I would appreciate your advice.