I’ve been in my current job for 1.5 years, previously was in the same role in a different place but got moved. My colleague gets to set procedure, but I mostly decide my workflow. I like the clients, the other staff, but for much of the day it is me in my room, her in an adjacent room and my role does not interact with other roles.
My colleague is very difficult to work with. I am the 6th person in this job in 8 years, no-one sticks it for long (previous people have stuck it from 4 weeks to 3 years). Management encourages me to discuss some things with her before proceeding. I consider it a heads up, or even an opening to a back and forth. She is not my supervisor, but she considers this an affront & says “don’t worry about it, I will take care of it”. And not in a reassuring way, in a “discussion over” way.
This keeps coming up because there are many, many tasks she should have done annually, monthly, when they need doing etc. “Housekeeping” issues, partly in the software, partly other things. She’s been in the role for a long time and a heck of a lot of these tasks have built up and the place is a mess, such a massive mess, in terms of data and physically. So I’m trying to get things sorted, many of them can be done by either of us, they’re in both our job descriptions but she shuts me down and management knows her Union is stronger so they won’t deal with it properly (they reign her in and then get busy and things go to hell again).
She barely speaks to me except to tell me not to do work, she undoes work I’ve spent ages on (can’t give details as it’s outing). The atmosphere is terrible.
I am looking for a new job, though this one could be just fine. But the job market is not good right now, so how do I get through this?
It’s difficult to explain but she unnerves me. I have to sit with my back to her and occasionally I’ll turn around and she’ll be boring holes into my back with her eyes. She complains daily about the perfume I wear (I don’t wear perfume), if other staff come in she whispers frantically “come here!” and takes them in the hall or her office for lengthy natters. She’s run through 6 people since she’s been in her job & likely won’t retire for quite a few years. So until I find another job, how do I keep my chin up? (Please be gentle, I am so stressed from 1.5 years of this, I’ve lasted longer than all but one of the people in this job).