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I have worked at the same place for 25 years. All this time in the same position. After all that time, there has only been 2 people that I have found it really difficult to work with. But recently someone new is in our "division." I didn't want here there because I knew she was really chummy with the boss. I made the HORRIBLE mistake of voicing my opinion to some of the other people in our division. It got back to one of the first line supervisors, and ended up with the boss. (He was only my boss for about 6 months--we change Department Heads every few years.) He was irate. I have good reason not to care for this person because of rumors she spread about my daughter that were not true.
Then I was given a new duty that usually the new person's position would do. Quite time consuming, but the boss decided that someone else should do this. I made another HORRIBLE mistake by voicing my opinion on that too--with the boss. He put me in my place and said I was going to do it. Period. Things have been going pretty well. I stay my distance from her because I know she is a trouble maker. Instigator. Gossiper. All of the above.
Something happened yesterday that really upset me. It was something other co-workers were saying that was disrespectful to the position of "Secretary." The new person asked me what was going on. I told her. She said that our boss would not like that AT ALL, and he should know. She said she would tell him so I didn't look like a tattle tale. BUT I think she changed the story all around to make it look like I was just whining over something and not that it was a valid complaint at all.--which it IS. I don't know how to repair this other than maybe just shut up for a change.
Obviously, you coworkers can not be trusted to not repeat what you say - therefore stop saying things that you don't want to be repeated.
It seems you have fallen into bad favor with your boss. For the time being, keep you head down, do your work, stop complaining and stop confiding in coworkers. If you do the right thing, your work will speak for itself and before long your boss will move on to someone else.
Well, that's pretty much what I thought I would have to do. The way this boss is, you can't go to him with ANYTHING it seems like....he always takes it the wrong way, and isn't consistent at all.
Yesterday mostly the "male" co-workers were angry because they were told they had to scan paperwork into the computer. The rest of the afternoon I would hear them say (loud enough for me to hear them, of course)
The things that were said that unrespectful to secretaries were things like this:
"Now that I'm having to do SECRETARIAL work, I don't have time for my REAL work. This is ridiculous!!"
I've been there 25 years, I'm not planning on going anywhere, but some days they are just such jerks!
I sympathize. I used to do more than my fair share of gossiping with coworkers, and I learned that nothing good comes of it, ever.
I found it colors the way people look at you, because they reason that if you gossip to them about others, you will gossip to others about them.
So I just don't do it anymore. I figure if something is so juicy I just have to tell someone, they will also find it juicy enough to have to tell someone else. It has made a big difference in my life. I just don't share my feelings about others at work with anyone. Maybe my dog. I try to keep a friendly relationship with my coworkers. It sounds pretty simple, but it goes a long way to making work life much better. And a funny thing I have found is if I keep my dislike to some individuals to myself, make an effort to be friendly to them as much as to anyone else, sometimes they end up being the folks I like the most.
Every 6 or 7 months, I go through something similar to this and it comes down to this (at least for me)........my co-workers are NOT my friends and don't treat me as such. So I just need to do my work and shut my mouth. What is frustrating is that when things happen that the boss really should know about and should CARE about, I can't tell him because he doesn't really care. He just wants smooth sailing all the time and that's not possible.
So the guys have to scan their own paperwork and they think someone else should do it.
Sounds to me like they are just engaging in the time-honored tradition of generic complaining, and if you make this into something more by running to tattle to the secretary or anyone else, you are just escalating matters that would resolve themselves on their own if you just kept out of it. I wouldn't expect to be thanked for this.
Well, I AM the secretary (Administrative Assistant technically, but really the Secretary).....The boss told them to start doing this scanning out of their folders. The one guy said very loudly "Now that I'm having to do SECRETARIAL work" to make sure that I heard it. That's why it was so disrespectful--to me. But I've learned here that Even if someone spits in your face, you are supposed to sit down and shut up and do your job. Of course there are the "golden boys" that can do anything. I'm just not a "golden girl." It's really sad the way so many people treat "support staff" so differently after all these years. Especially where I work, because I'm not only "support staff" but I'm also a civilian. Two strikes against me to begin with.
Let me tell you something honey. I know I'm young, only 22 years old, but I've had my share of bad co-workers and employees. I worked for Ginos for two years even became a general manager. I wasn't allowed to run my own store! I got paid min. wage being a general manager and got no bonus, no time off, and always had to re-do everyone else's paper work. I got sick of it. Even I had to work alone many times with no crew. My point is all this came to be because of one employee that got away with anything. My advice to you is don't say anything to anyone, set up your own plan traps. For ex. I knew, but was never told, to not let anyone in my register but they did it anyway. One day I went ahead and let one open for me and left a 50 bill from the safe in the drawer knowing he was going to take it and I had the $50 to replace it. He took it and got caught and I talked to the owner about it and let him know what I did. They will eventually hang themselves, especially if you help along the way and if your boss is a good boss he wants employees he knows that can deal with problems and resolve them in a mature manner. There's the boss's approval, there's maybe a promotion, and you now have his respect for looking after his store and catching something he wasn't. Of course to the owner he'll take credit but you have your dignity.
Actually, I've been thinking on the same line as that. The female is very sneaky and smart. The one male I'm having trouble with is very vindictive, but usually gets over it. The guy is a detective. The boss told them to start scanning their own stuff (as I have said a couple of times)--sorry. He's the one that made that "secretarial" work remark.
I get dozens of calls a day from citizens wanting to know what is going on with their cases, can they drop charges, what happens next, have we found their property, etc., etc., etc. From now on I am going to immediately transfer those calls to detectives (that ONE especially when I can) and tell that I would answer those questions, but it's really detective work and I'm busy with my secretarial duties.
My boss used to get on to these guys right away, but has only been back here since June 2008 and is already letting things slip.
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