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Need advice regarding office politics - Anonymous


Posted: Mar 13, 2011

I would appreciate it if some of you could share your thoughts and offer advice about how I should handle a workplace situation.  I do MT on site and work Saturdays with one other transcriptionist.  We work on production and everyone's numbers are posted on an internal website for us to view.  Our production is being monitored pretty closely now because there may be staffing cuts in a few months and that is one of the criteria being used to decide who gets to keep their job.  I'm a hard worker and do well but my numbers are only about in the middle of the group.  Right now, I know that quite a few people are padding their line counts by working off the clock and requesting the easy doctors, but that's another story.

The thing that currently has me upset and that has bothered me for several months is what happens with my Saturday co-worker.  She's a very high producer, thinks she's all that (and a bag of chips) and implies that she's certain she'll be retained when they start cutting people.  She knows everyone's production and has on a couple of occasions quoted a co-worker's numbers to me, asking me what she does all day and why don't they do something about her.  Somehow she has also learned how much money this person makes and told me that too.  This past Saturday she pulled the production report up on her PC and showed me the numbers, pointing out one person and saying that they did not belong that high in the ranking, (no names are listed there, every MT has been assigned a number), it could have been me but fortunately it was not.  I got very upset and flat out told her that the only numbers we need to be concerned about are our own.  She did later apologize, I actually think it's an obsessive-compulsive thing, needing to be in control of what everyone else is doing.  I am also a radiology MT and several months ago when I arrived in the morning she told me she wanted me to look up her DEXA scan results.  Of course I said I could not do that, to which she replied "I don't know why I said that."  I let that go but actually now regret not having gone to may manager at the time, as that would have been a HIPAA violatiion.

I have submitted a request to have my schedule changed to Monday through Friday, thinking that it would remove me from that environment on Saturdays.  If I confide in another co-worker, the chances are very good that what I say will get repeated.  Going to the manager makes me look like a tattle-tale, although I'm still mulling that over in my mind.  If she needs a reason for the schedule change, I may still be required to spill the beans.  Hopefully the change will get approved with no questions asked. 

I'm under major stress working full-time, trying to study for a coding cert. exam and looking for new job, it's getting to me!

I'm sorry to be so long-winded.  Any advice or words of wisdom would be appreciated, thanks in advance.

ADVICE - mt2

[ In Reply To ..]
She may have asked you to look up her DEXA scan in order to say you were violating HIPAA and to get you fired. Your manager should be made aware of it, but then again it is your word against hers. Office politics is one reason I started working from home. Watch your back!!!!

No advice, but at least sympathy - cr

[ In Reply To ..]
Just reading about your miserable office situation makes me tense. Though
I'm not in that kind of situation now, I know so well how it feels to be stuck with someone who's got their nose in everybody's business. I know the anguish and pressure you're feeling. I hope for your sake (and the other sufferers), she's the one who's cut. She may be fast, but she sounds like a big problem for all.

Wow-- bad situation - ticchick

[ In Reply To ..]
Normally I am not one to report other coworkers to a manager, but she sounds like she is extremely 'into' everyone else's business that is NOT her business, and it is hard not to think the reason for this is to manipulate the situation for her own gain. This type of person always ends up reporting other people in the end anyway, and you could kick yourself for not wanting to do that to them when you find out they did it to you. I think that regardless of the job insecurity situation, which would make me at least second guess my motives, I do think that your manager needs to know that this person is spending a lot of time watching other people's stats and work volume instead of her own. That is not a team player and not someone you need on your team. Just mho. I don't know if you could report it anonymously if you felt more comfortable? Just make sure you do it because of the behavior, not because you want her gone, or think she is going to screw you first- those are not good reasons to report someone as good as they can sometimes feel. The only good reason is if it is a detriment to your office and staff to have this kind of behavior going on in the workplace. You could try bringing it up to her and see where that gets you but I am afraid I know this type and they don't always respond to that. Its worth a try though, maybe.

Thanks - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
Thanks to all of you for your thoughtful posts. I'll give it some more thought before doing anything. Getting the schedule change so that I don't need to work one on one with her on Saturdays would certainly reduce my stress level. I'll write again later and let you know what happens.

My advice - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
When she brings things to you, I would have a stock phrase like, "Sorry, I need to focus on my own work. I don't EVEN want to know what anyone else is doing." Then smile. Go out of your way to say "Good Morning!" and "See you later" to her. Then focus your attention on your own work. You are giving this person too much power. I would not report her. I would not be concerned with what she or anyone else does. Just do your work.

That's my advice, for what it's worth.

Advice - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
I think I like your suggestion the best, thanks again, all the feedback was very helpful.

Most companies have a policy - All Ears - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Not to discuss pay rates or salaries. Any place I have ever worked made it a termination offense to discuss pay rates or salaries with coworkers. You might want to make sure that they do not have such a policy where you work.

My first question is HOW - sm - greenie

[ In Reply To ..]
did she find out everyone's ID number and how much they make? Someone is feeding her information she should not have, and that right there makes her suspect as someone not to trust as she obviously has an inside track to someone higher up as her buddy. I agree with the suggestion above- smile, and keep your answers to a minimum. Be very careful here. Sounds like a plant person to me....

Greenie - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
I don't think she's a plant person but I think she's willing to do anything and everything it takes to keep her job while happily selling the rest of us down the river. The ID numbers - AFAIK she does not know names but has done a lot of speculating about who is who and how many MTs they plan to retain. The co-worker's salary? I think she was probably told this in a conversation with that person, who trusted her and assumed that it would be kept confidential. I'm just hoping my schedule change gets approved so that I don't have to deal with it any longer, then save everything for my exit interview if/when I leave.

Anonymous/office politics - Old Pro

[ In Reply To ..]
You have my sympathies. If I were you, I would go to the HR department and tell them EVERYTHING. Document everything. Keep a log. Good luck to you.

document everything, worked for me once. SM - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
...and be especially careful now, if she read this thread...


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