Friday afternoon I got an e-mail from sister1, which included a list of twenty questions she wanted answers to about a report she'd requested earlier in the day.
With the help of another individual, I began tracking down what went wrong with inventory. I ran a few reports. The other lady counted the stock. When it appeared I had an answer, I wrote it up and asked sister2 to read it and then fax it to sister1.
I wanted her to read it because it looked like it was a problem with the way the items were released, and it appeared that both she and the other order entry person had done it incorrectly at least once. Also, because I had explained, in the document, how to prevent this from happening again.
Ten minutes later she entered my office to say she "took exception" to the part that said she'd released the item incorrectly. She showed me the release, which was clearly correct.
At this point, in my mind, it was time to move on. I began trying to talk about the next step in figuring out what WAS wrong. However, she was convinced that I would still be accusing her. Each time I tried to speak, she began defending herself - before she could even hear what I was saying. She became louder and louder. I tried six times to say the same sentence before I finally asked her to leave my office. I told her that if she would not allow me to speak, then our conversation was over. She refused to leave. I asked her to do so twice more, admittedly I was getting louder at this point, too. She still refused, so I left my own office. She followed me, threatening to "take this up with" our general manager. I invited her to do so, and I went back into my office and closed the door behind me. I didn't come out for 45 minutes.
This woman is an hourly employee, and I am a manager. If I managed HER department, she'd have been fired months ago for gross incompetence, but I do not manage her department.
Up until today, I have not spoken with her about anything non-work-related. I do not feel that she is a human being who is in control of her mouth or her emotions, and I have no use for someone who behaves that way.
However, I became tired of having to reign in what I say to others in that office just because I don't care for her to know anything about me. Contrarily, though, I was unwilling to just forgive her when she hadn't even had the decency to apologize.
So, I went to her office when no one else was in there (I didn't want to embarrass her) and let her know that I was still upset about her outburst, and that I found it completely unacceptable. Her reply was that she "felt ostracized" all week. To which I responded that of COURSE she felt ostracized. I hadn't been speaking to her, after all.
She proceeded to tell me that she'd worked in the business world much longer than I have, and she'd been shouted at and cussed at before. I asked her if that made it an acceptable behavior. She finally got around to admitting that it was not.
Never once, in the whole conversation, did she apologize. I'm afraid she will probably continue to feel ostracized, because I still want nothing to do with her. She spent too much of the conversation trying to make it my fault. "Well, everyone in this office is always blaming me whenever something goes wrong...." This is true. Do you know WHY everyone blames her? It's because she is usually the one who messed up. In this case she was NOT the one who messed up. However, considering the information I had to go on, it surely looked as though she had. It's not as if I just assumed that, with nothing to back me up.
Furthermore, I did NOT approach her and ACCUSE her of screwing up. Sister1 asked me for answers. I provided them as best I could. I did not pretend that ONLY sister2's release looked wrong on that report. I fully disclosed that the other customer service person's release looked wrong, too. She behaves as though I singled her out to make her look bad when, in fact, the whole situation would have gone in an entirely different direction when the next report was run, without her having to draw attention to herself and make herself look like a child.
So, that's been my work week so far. I've really had about enough. I'm seriously considering becoming a stay-at-home mom.
Lastly, yes, I raised my voice as well. The last time I was shouted at, it was by my FATHER, and I was a CHILD. Admittedly, I didn't handle it well. Next time, I will just continue to sit silently at my desk and let her shout. I won't bother trying to speak. Because I'm sure there will be a next time. People who don't feel the least bit bad when they are that rude are bound to be that rude again.
Next time, however, I expect my GM to ask her to leave FOR me, or I doubt I will continue to be employed there. I will not be spoken to that way.
With the help of another individual, I began tracking down what went wrong with inventory. I ran a few reports. The other lady counted the stock. When it appeared I had an answer, I wrote it up and asked sister2 to read it and then fax it to sister1.
I wanted her to read it because it looked like it was a problem with the way the items were released, and it appeared that both she and the other order entry person had done it incorrectly at least once. Also, because I had explained, in the document, how to prevent this from happening again.
Ten minutes later she entered my office to say she "took exception" to the part that said she'd released the item incorrectly. She showed me the release, which was clearly correct.
At this point, in my mind, it was time to move on. I began trying to talk about the next step in figuring out what WAS wrong. However, she was convinced that I would still be accusing her. Each time I tried to speak, she began defending herself - before she could even hear what I was saying. She became louder and louder. I tried six times to say the same sentence before I finally asked her to leave my office. I told her that if she would not allow me to speak, then our conversation was over. She refused to leave. I asked her to do so twice more, admittedly I was getting louder at this point, too. She still refused, so I left my own office. She followed me, threatening to "take this up with" our general manager. I invited her to do so, and I went back into my office and closed the door behind me. I didn't come out for 45 minutes.
This woman is an hourly employee, and I am a manager. If I managed HER department, she'd have been fired months ago for gross incompetence, but I do not manage her department.
Up until today, I have not spoken with her about anything non-work-related. I do not feel that she is a human being who is in control of her mouth or her emotions, and I have no use for someone who behaves that way.
However, I became tired of having to reign in what I say to others in that office just because I don't care for her to know anything about me. Contrarily, though, I was unwilling to just forgive her when she hadn't even had the decency to apologize.
So, I went to her office when no one else was in there (I didn't want to embarrass her) and let her know that I was still upset about her outburst, and that I found it completely unacceptable. Her reply was that she "felt ostracized" all week. To which I responded that of COURSE she felt ostracized. I hadn't been speaking to her, after all.
She proceeded to tell me that she'd worked in the business world much longer than I have, and she'd been shouted at and cussed at before. I asked her if that made it an acceptable behavior. She finally got around to admitting that it was not.
Never once, in the whole conversation, did she apologize. I'm afraid she will probably continue to feel ostracized, because I still want nothing to do with her. She spent too much of the conversation trying to make it my fault. "Well, everyone in this office is always blaming me whenever something goes wrong...." This is true. Do you know WHY everyone blames her? It's because she is usually the one who messed up. In this case she was NOT the one who messed up. However, considering the information I had to go on, it surely looked as though she had. It's not as if I just assumed that, with nothing to back me up.
Furthermore, I did NOT approach her and ACCUSE her of screwing up. Sister1 asked me for answers. I provided them as best I could. I did not pretend that ONLY sister2's release looked wrong on that report. I fully disclosed that the other customer service person's release looked wrong, too. She behaves as though I singled her out to make her look bad when, in fact, the whole situation would have gone in an entirely different direction when the next report was run, without her having to draw attention to herself and make herself look like a child.
So, that's been my work week so far. I've really had about enough. I'm seriously considering becoming a stay-at-home mom.
Lastly, yes, I raised my voice as well. The last time I was shouted at, it was by my FATHER, and I was a CHILD. Admittedly, I didn't handle it well. Next time, I will just continue to sit silently at my desk and let her shout. I won't bother trying to speak. Because I'm sure there will be a next time. People who don't feel the least bit bad when they are that rude are bound to be that rude again.
Next time, however, I expect my GM to ask her to leave FOR me, or I doubt I will continue to be employed there. I will not be spoken to that way.
Mood: 
aggravated
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unamused
apathetic
complacent![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
cold
indifferent