My Line manager fairly new to her role is not based at the same location as me. I speak to her on the phone, she is lovely and trusts me and the rest of our team (who are scattered about) to get on and manage/organise our workload day independently without micromanaging us which is great.
However, where I am based the buildings receptionist/gateway type person where my office is we’ll call her person A is in another department/team to me. But we still work fairly nearby and inhabit shall we say accommodation floor space I have my own office on the fairly small floor due to the nature of my work but their are few offices. Anyway person A is around my age, is two grades lower than me (and always has been), works full time and resents the fact I have my own office and the fact that I work part time as she is always clock watching and being sarcastic when I start work on a Wednesday or if I take leave. A colleague she likes in her team person B the same grade as me but in a different role doesn’t have her own office. They are both part of another team/department and person A is well known to be moody, awkward, up and down and has a difficult relationship with many in her wider team.
I used to get on ok with her when she was having good days which was at least more than half the time and I excused her occasional moods, snappy ness and occasional dirty looks. As she was sometimes kind hearted, was good with our mutual customers and I knew she had problems with her grown up daughter and financial issues as her husband lost his job at one point etc etc. I only work part time and whilst I have to pass her desk to get to my office and communicate with her occasionally due to customers in common. I don’t have to spend much time with her or work directly with her.
Anyway over a period of a few months almost a year her attitude towards me has got steadily worse. I have tried to be the same with her been nice, polite, respectful
to her shown an interest in her family and asked about some of her interests etc but she seems to have taken unbridge with me and it’s getting worse. Neither her supervisor or Line manager are on site either.
She’s surly and short when I go in and more awkward than she needs to be which doesn’t make for a pleasant atmosphere to work in,
Yesterday she sent me a short email about something she could easily have discussed face to face any time that I passed her desk after lunch or on my way to the loo or knocked on my door etc. She also took it upon herself to copy in her supervisor who is the same grade as me and also my Line Manager. It was something and nothing to do with the office I use as her latest tactic instead of moaning about person B not having an office seems to be to try and drop me in it instead. Offices are in short supply and person B has recently been moved to another work area further away from person A. Person B doesn’t seem to be bothered about not having an office or the move or if she is she certainly doesn’t vocalize her concern, unhappiness or moan about the unfairness of this unlike person A.
Where I am based is very convenient for me as it is extremely close to my home so I don’t want to rock the boat too much nor do I formally want to get her into trouble as I don’t want to be responsible for her maybe loosing her job or maybe affecting her state of mind. Her attitude to our customers seems to be ok and she seems to do her other work ok as far as I am aware but I think it’s her bad attitude towards me that is wrong and it can’t really go on or get any worse but I don’t know how best to resolve this? I have mentioned it to my Line manager informally on a couple of occasions so she is aware of the situation with her. My Line Manager was once also on the receiving end with person A on a phone call. So she is aware of what she is like but she is a also a fairly new manager. I would maybe like to sit down with person A talk this through try to resolve any issues she has or thinks she has and put this behind us and move on but I don’t think she is a very reasonable person so this might make things even worse. I think person A blames me for person B not having an office but she really needs to take this up with their managers if she feels so strongly about this and see what they have to say or leave it to person B to sort it out who is more than capable of doing this and speaking up for herself if she felt this necessary. Any advice would be appreciated or would it be easier to get my Line manager to have a word with her manager or her supervisor?