How to deal with problem co-workers?

[Daesania]

I will preface this by saying this may be a long read but i need some help.

I have been with my company for about 8 months now, I work at my company's helpdesk. Its not a hard job, but we have a lot of customers, so to "train" this job takes many months as there are some situations that come up maybe once every few months.

This woman, we'll call her Jane, she started a couple months ago. She is now working with me, typically they start off training during the day and switch to the night shift after about 4-6 weeks. She's now on with me for the last month. My boss also put another coworker on the shift with me to help alleviate some of my workload since the new woman is training, i'll be the one showing her everything and helping her. Well the other coworker leaves to go back to days next week.

This new woman just doesnt like me. I think she's honestly just trying to start **** with me because she's jealous. I mean, I'm 23, i'm young, and to be honest all the guys we work around have a crush on me, so several times a night they come to my desk to talk with me..etc. They're all old and married, but I like talking to them, they're cool people. Well anyway now this Jane girl has taken to my coworker to talking **** about me behind my back. Per my boss' instructions, when she does something wrong, I am to tell her and show her the correct way. I have been doing that, and every time I do, she flips out on me and gets extremely pissy, then goes and rants to that other coworker.

I really dont know what to do. Its going to be just me and her starting next week and I REFUSE to work with someone like her. I've tried getting my boss involved, but he basically just said there's nothing he can do and I've just basically gotta be the bad guy and keep telling her when she's doing stuff wrong no matter how pissy she gets with me. Tonight Jane told the coworker I said she couldnt take lunches when its just the two of us, which is a complete lie. I ****ing will take my hour lunch off campus if i want regardless if its just me and her, or if it was the 3 of us. Granted, i typically dont as I like the extra hour of overtime.. but still, she's putting words in my mouth.

What should I do in this situation? Its clear she's only trying to get at me because she's jealous and irritated that someone 15 years younger than her is her 'senior'. I'm really at my wits end and about to just quit because I'm not paid to deal with this BS.

[lithiumkc]

Cyanide? :o

[FallenAce]

No, I understand what you're going through. I had to train a 45-ish year-old woman at my job. She's been there 2 years, I've been there 8 months. The other girl I trained is 30 and has been there 6 years.

Both of these two girls came into my department after I started, and there are now a total of 4 of us (plus 2 bosses). As far as the department goes, it's 3 girls and me, and we run technical support.

All 3 girls are older and have been there longer, and certainly hated taking direction from me. Ultimately, though, when something comes up that they don't understand, we suddenly didn't have any kind of issue anymore.

All I ever did was smile when I helped them, and after a few months everything was ok. I rely a lot on my boyish charm, and I know you probably can't do that kind of thing as much, being a girl-to-girl conflict, but I think your best shot is just to act like you like her and smile when you do help her.

Good luck on that.

[DShiz1029]

Eh, just kill em and hide the bodies.

[SmokaCola]

Eh, just kill em and hide the bodies.

That or dip them in acid and then burn the bones.

[Simonious]

Cyanide? :o

Cyanide FTW

[IbanezBassist_v2]

D! Next time this happens ask her if she has a problem with you trying to show her the correct way to do things. If she gives you anything other than a satisfactory response, then tell her that you, her, and your manager need to have a meeting to get things straight. This will show her that you mean business. And if it comes down to needing said meeting, your supervisor will understand and respect you for trying diffuse the situation the correct way. Professionalism D! Professionalism.

[Apples]

For employees who will not behave or act professional, the best thing I've found is to bring pressure on them to improve. This can either come through suggestion, example, or coercion. The simple act of copying a supervisor on a discipline email can have strong effects.

It also helps if you can get a boss, coworker, or supervisor involved so that he's receiving this message from multiple sources.

Either that employee will shape up, or they'll get so irritated by the pressure that they leave/quit.

Above all, you must remain professional, emotionally detached, and by-the-book.

Edit: I think I said just about the same thing as the last post. Oh well.

[FallenAce]

And if that doesn't work, threaten their children, right?

[IbanezBassist_v2]

Oh, yeah! I forgot about that method.

[Eastwood]

Bring a baby for lunch... My prefered sauce for that is A-1... That will strike fear into those foul minions!!

[Daesania]

Thanks for the help guys. I sent her an IM last week and told her I know she has a problem with me, but since its just going to be the two of us, she needs to let me know what her issues are. I told her the reason why I was always sending her "work she did wrong" was because of my manager's direction!

Ugh.

Stupid witch. If she does continue, i can go the kid route :P Her child is in a headstart program for "underprivelidged families" and now she techically makes too much. That and i'm sure she's on welfare for her 5 kids. :P

[IbanezBassist_v2]

Lets stick to you and her. Don't bring her kids into this. They've done nothing wrong. They'll be the ones that suffer if you do. And thats not right.