Sorry it’s a long one!
So as the title suggests, I am having an issue at work with a colleague. I am just over 8 weeks pregnant and all the people in the office know as there are not many of us and the morning sickness was difficult to hide. One of my colleagues, I have always found her incredibly unprofessional and difficult to work with. I’m always polite and friendly but she has the opposite manner. She is negative, rude and challenging and often makes faces behind people’s backs, rolls her eyes when people are talking etc.
Recently I have been suffering with nausea. It’s not always bad but when it is, being in an office it’s really horrible. So I was discussing with my two bosses my nausea and if I would feel okay to do some overtime. Whilst talking about this, I see my colleague make a face to my other boss, roll her eyes and smirk as if to imply I was being over dramatic. I found it really belittling and rude as not only was it to my boss but she made no effort to even hide it from me. I decided to raise it with the boss she directed it too who is also HR. I was calm and professional but I explained I felt upset and uncomfortable and When she confirmed she saw it and didn't act on it I said I was disappointed that she didn’t decide to talk to her about her insensitive behaviour. She apologised and was very understanding why I was upset and said she would raise it with her, like she should have done on that very day.
So at the end of the day me, the HR director and the colleague are left in the office. My HR boss gently asked if we could talk about the issue and my colleague absolutely flipped out! She said she wasn’t ready to talk, started storming about the office, throwing her bag with her laptop on the desk, shouting that I’ve made the whole thing up and it didn’t really happen. She wouldn't look at me and was refereeing to me in third person which really irked me! I tried to address her calmly saying that both me and HR saw the expression and then HR boss starts to backtrack and say we could have misinterpreted it! I was just incredulous and then the colleague is still throwing what can only be concluded as a temper tantrum, throwing her bag on the copier and nearly damaging the feeder! She acted so unprofessional and was met with comfort and pandering, while she shouted that I made the whole exchange up and that she would never do that (even though HR boss witnessed it).
I spoke to HR after and reiterated that I was sick to death of her unprofessionalism not being handled despite numerous complaints from multiple members of staff. I said there was a double standard and some of the behaviour in the past has amounted to bullying and I was fed up of it never being addressed and glossed over as they fear upsetting her. My work has previously caused me great stress and anxiety because of this, and I am worried about what to do next. I can act civil and professional with this women but this latest conflict feels irreversible because of how she behaved around me. I would love to find another job but being pregnant and having a two month notice period I feel like there is no hope in hell!
Does anyone have any similar experiences or advice? I currently can’t sleep because I am so nervous about going in. I hate confrontation, I just wanted an apology!