At work, I believe there are three groups of people. There are the people you are "friends" with (as much as you can be friends with someone you work with). There are people that you are friendly with about work related subjects and you share an occasional "Any big plans for the weekend?" or "You going to that meeting?". And there are people with whom you have nothing to do, either because your position just allows you to go your whole life without interacting with them except akwardly at team building sessions, or because you just really don't like them. Either way.
One of the most uncomfortable things in work-life is when one of these boundaries is crossed.
Have you ever known the awkwardness of the non-work friend trying to be friendly with you, usually because they want something? Yesterday I was typing away on my computer, listening to Hits of the 80s on Yahoo Tunes, when one of my coworkers Sandie stopped by. Now, Sandiie is a nice lady, and a good employee (a work cheerleader, if you know the type. Go Work! Yay!!!) and I have absolutely nothing to do with her. We work in different departments and our jobs don't have a whole lot to do with one another. Nothing personal, just I have no use for her and she has no use for me. And I like it that way.
Anwyay Sandie came by and stood in my cublicle while I was typing. This is weird in and of itself because she never comes to my suite, much less to my cubicle which is tucked in the corner of No Visitors Ever.
I paused and turned around
"Oh, hey". I said.
She replied with a sigh "Hi".
I waited.
"Can you believe I still haven't taken down my Christmas Tree?", she asked.
"Oh haha no"
"Yeah, but I didn't put it up until Christmas Eve so it's okay, right?"
"Sure why not?"
"Yeah. I just can't bear to take it down. It's so festive!"
"Yeah I know what you mean".
Meanwhile, I am clearly in WTF mode. I never speak to this woman, hardly ever see her, and here she is coming to visit me and talk about her Christmas Tree? If she was one of my work friends or quasi work friends it would have been fine, but she was in the third group. So I was on Full Alert.
"So, what can I do for you?", I asked , willing her to get to the point.
"What? Can't I just come by and have a talk with one of my favorite coworkers"
If I had been capable of raising one eyebrow, I would have. Now I knew what was up, the fake conversation so I can ask you to do something really annoying move. A classic!
I immediately took the offensive...literally. "Ahh well in that case, look at my eyelid! Does it look weird to you?". And I launched into a tale of my eyelid and how it was extra puffy today because "I think that I'm allergic to my new eyeliner but I can't be sure because I had a blocked gland on my eyelid once and it kind of looked like this too and the stuff you use to treat that isnt he same as the stuff you use to treat an allergic reaction and do you think it looks really puffy? Or just kind of puffy?", I asked.
Because you see, If you are going to make faux- conversation with me, then we are going to talk about what I want to talk about and not your bullshit Christmas tree that you should have taken down 3 weeks ago.
"Oh ah it looks fine I think?".
"Really? I don't know.." and I went on for a few minutes about how I hope I didn't have pinkeye.
Right when I got to the part about how sometimes when you have pinkeye your eye crusts shut, she announced "Well I have to get back to work...talk to you later!"
And off she scurried. And I was VICTORIOUS. She may have thought she could come over here and lull me into a false sense of comradery before sticking me with some horrible and boring task but I turned the tables on her. If we are not friends and you want me to help you with something? You come up to me and be straightforward "Hey, I need your help with something, can we talk for a minute?". None of this faux conversation shiz.
Just then, my phone rang.
"Hi Sarah? It's Sandie. I forgot to mention, I am going to be out next week so can you log all my insurance certs for me? I have about 600 now and I may have some more by the end of the week".
Curses.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
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10 comments:
I was all set to leave a "you rock!" comment but then I kept reading and saw that she called you?! WTF is right. That lady has got some nerve.
I was all set to leave a "you rock!" comment but then I kept reading and saw that she called you?! WTF is right. That lady has got some nerve.
That lady needs to be slapped, and quick. She's gonna have you do her certs? Is she NUTS? Like you don't have enough to do - what about handing it over to someone else in the office?
Gotta love office politics - blah!
i know. i was so close!!
the cough is gradually getting better...it's slow going but it's going. thanks for asking :0)
Oh man. Its like The Office over there ay?
I have a co-worker that says stuff like "yeah i dated her a few times, she was nice and all, just not good looking enough for me"
and i just have to sit there, smile and nod because its the bosses son.
ugh! we have a few of those, too. they are the type that answer every phone call "what's up BROTHA".
Ohhhhh, you play DIRTY! And smart. I wouldn't mess with you on a good day. Except for I'd like to think we would fall into the "Friends you Work With" category, anyway. ;o)
Hope your, ahem, eye is better! Ha!
Balls! All that work to make her go away and she nailed you anyway. And I gotta say, if logging insurance certificates where you are is anything like where I am it B-L-O-W-S....I feel for you.
Hey, well, you could always respond with, "Gee, Sandie, I'd love to help you out, but with XYZ Project going on right now, I'm afraid it just won't be possible. Why don't you check with [Sap Other Employee]?" I have gotten way the hell over accepting work that isn't mine and for which I don't have time, personally.
But good show on the eyelid manoever.
oh totally. but my point wasnt that i didn't want to do the work (i don't mind helping her out) but i hate her bullshit fake niceness. just come out and say "i need some help".
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