Ok meeting at the end of this week and I need a stonkingly good answer - other than 'are you running a workhouse then?' or maybe 'I didn't realise that your office was run as a small communist nation?'
Bit of background - moved to an office due to a huge issue whilst pregnant at another office. Whilst there horrid comments made by woman who investigated issues at previous office - culminated in me refusing to go back to work and going on early maternity leave when she asked me to get on top of a desk to clean off a cupboard - she says this didn't happen but I remember it clearly and her awful attitude and some of the other stuff she did would most certainly swing things my way if we were in a Court of Law. I even remember saying 'If you would like to do the risk assessment' in answer to her!!
Anyway her issues with me are:
I felt that MC talked too much, which I found difficult to listen to not only because of the volume but because of the content and the tone of voice. I recall that MC would always be taking about things that upset or aggrieved her, or things that she wasn't happy with, and always in a harsh tone. I don't mind people talking but I expect that chat in the office to be light and cheerful.
She felt uncomfortable and under strain due to me incessant talking.
(although in another sentance says - My problem was not so much about the amount MC spoke but the way she spoke and the things she spoke about).
Now there were no other complaints about me - in fact everyone was very very complimentary, said I was professional, 'a breath of fresh air', fantastic at my job, some asked if I could possibly come back after my maternity leave and I had absolutely no [problems with anyone else. No one said I talked too loudly or too much at all. I only had one other person to talk to and we were both doing our jobs without issue or complaint from anyone.
Myself and the other woman in the office talked about our children, our homes, cars, holidays, haircuts, clothes, the new kitchen her daughter was having fitted, my pregnancy, holidays, nothing terribly negative or
The outcome of this is for me to be spoken to about my conduct and the woman to be taught 'how to have a difficult conversation' so she could have addressed with me the way she would have liked me to talk and the tone I should have talked in and about what I presume.
So if you were called into an office and spoken to about the abpve what would you say?