Thanks for the support. I think that voice recordings might be the most effective tool I have. These people are not stupid enough to put their nastiness in writing or in voicemail. When they do put things in writing, it's to make me look bad all the while shielding their own asses. Right now, I'm keeping an incident log but I need to go out and get me a tape recorder pronto

 

Thanks for taking the time to google this list.  I appreciate it. The entities you listed are not the ones to go to in a situation like this. My only recourse is "La Commission des normes du travail" and that's AFTER I get fired and I must refuse to sign any severance package. I did find the name of an attorney specializing in work place issues, if it comes to that, though. But my problem is that my coworkers will not vouch for me, even though they are going through shyt themselves with the bully. I can write and document, but I don't know how far it will go. I will fight as much as I can, though. It's just that I'm kinda exhausted and depressed at this point

 

Yeah, that's not gonna happen. I'm the "get in to do my job, get out" type of gal. I have a hard time faking it. I'm polite, though

So be nice to her even if it makes your insides ache. Be nice to everyone & get as many people to think the world of you. If you are in a mood because of her all the time people are most likely to say to her "Yeahhh I see what you mean.. She's rude" & etc. 

So you get on with your work & during this time make sure you have studying your contract & employee handbook & DO NOT step out of line & every time she does make a note of it. Build rapport with your colleagues, even if it means writing down birthdays & etc lol. & it will give you places to escape to at work when she's being a right cow. 

 

As far as your situation goes, it's good that your coworkers hate her even more and are willing to vouch for you. You guys can come up with a concerted plan to push her out. Bullies often crumble when faced with a collective onslaught

 

Thanks for the words of encouragement, Organic. I try to stay the fucc away from her as much as I can and I don't hide my disdain either. Problem is, there are times when I am forced to deal with her when she's put in a position to "critique" my work. I had no problem telling everything I needed to say to her face at the meeting. The problem is I don't quite know how to handle my manager's apathy without getting in her crosshairs

Good luck, JP. A  hostile work environment is no fun. I remember being outside my building having a panic attack at 7am because I didn't want to face my supervisor. This was before I 'grew balls' and learned to stand up for myself and not feel guilty in doing so.

I really hope things work out for you. We spend too much time at work to be miserable.

It's not right for you to have to deal with that at work because everyone likes her. How would the directors feel about losing profits because your work is being suffocated and therefore you are not making enough of a contribution to the organisation as you ought to be? I am sure if you find the correct person to talk money and value with them when your team is working at 100% productivity in comparison to the stifled current situation they would be very interested. 

So who exactly handles your work if your manager and the other lady do not even have a clue on what you are doing. That person would be the correct person to speak to I'm sure.  

 

- I have had numerous conversations with my manager to explain her disruptive influence on myself and the team (to which she replied that I was right and to keep up standing up to her!)

 

-She is oftentimes given the task to review my work and she has negative feedback everytime, even though it is unsubtantiated (she has less experience than me and is not even formally trained in my line of work, yet she evaluates other people!). Problem is, I  cannot counter her claims with my manager because my manager knows nothing about my work, she only makes sure that tasks are assigned and followed through, but she has no way of judging quality control. She pretty much admitted to this herself.

 

- She criticizes everybody else behind their backs too. I called a meeting the other day and my manager set it up with her and another dude who is her only ally in the team. I pretty much exposed all her tactics. The other colleague took her side as I expected him too. And the manager called in the meeting to discuss "my work methods" instead of the actual problem at end (even though in private, she tells me I do a good job)

 

I forgot to mention that the manipulator is at the same level as I am. She is not a higher up in any way. But she is given review tasks that are beyond her

 

Thanks for the advice. I am planning to see my doctor next week to talk to her about the stress of the harassment, to have some medical backup (and because I need some advice!) I'm leery of using the psychologists provided throught the company plan, their allegiance is usually to their employer. I am a bit leery of lodging a complaint higher up, though. This manager is very well liked (and I can see why, she's a very kind woman in many ways, except she's not handling her business!) But I will get serious on the documenting. This chick knows the handbook by heart because she managed to get rid of an entire team before I even got on board. One of the first things she said to me when I started working there is that there was a girl on contract before me who had a "bad attitude" and kept "slamming drawers and behaving crazy". It's almost like she was warning me of her "clout" and reveling in it. What I need to do is keep my emotions in check and become ultra-strategic

I don't know if the law is the same there as it is here but anything that is recorded without the other party being aware cannot be used in court as it is a violation of their private life or some bull life that.

If not, then great idea!! lol

Even when you speak to her, or if it is at all possible have one of your colleagues that had complained as well as a witness or to record everything. 

& people take bullying very serious so do use the words in your complaint. Even if you have to say it is stressing you out to the point of having to take anti-depressants & with a doctor's note to back it up lol. 

Exaggerate if you have to!! Or they will keep brushing you aside. Then if nothing happens after all of this collect your material together, and approach her again and say you have done everything you could and now you are considering going to someone higher to lodge a complaint. At least she will know that you do not want it to come to that and you are giving her a chance to rectify the situation & any unfair dismissal/suspension of you will be duly noted in your complaint as you have done nothing wrong.  

 

Great suggestions, SBrownie. I need to go get myself a tape recorder. I hadn't thought of that. This is frustrating because this is my career at stake. It's not just a temporary thing to make ends meet.

 

And I have gotten ugly and started putting up a fight, but I don't think I handled it properly. I let my emotions get in the way. I need to learn to be more strategic but it's difficult because this bish is relentless

 

If I had to slip anything into her coffee, I don't trust myself for it not to be antifreeze, lol.

 

The thing is, at least 2 people in the team have lodged in formal complaints to HR and every single one of my colleagues (included myself) have complained to the manager individually and she has agreed with every single one of us that this woman is a pest. But in public, she'll take her side. And that' s what makes things particularly difficult. As nice as she is, she's incapable of evaluating the quality of work of the people under her, so she assumes that this chick knows what she's doing because she,s been there the longest. An attack against the troublemaker might end up being perceived by her as an attack on her because she's not pulling her weight the way she should. She is so aware of the situation that during my job interview, both her and the HR representatives grilled me on how I react to a "difficult person within the team". That should have been my clue but I didn't realize just how "difficult" this person would turn out to be

Put EVERYTHING in writing. No one takes you seriously until you do. 

Start using words like hostile work environment and stating that you feel 'unsafe'.

If you decided to have verbal communications with the employee or other managers on the matter or just in general, have a tape recorder or cell phone recorder on. 

If you can try your best to transfer.....go ahead.

Most importantly, do not let anyone have control over your bread and butter. Rise above and reclaim your control. You do not have to put up with anyone's crap, and if it requires you having to get ugly and putting up a big fight to do so.......do it. 

Best of luck and I am sorry to hear that you are going through this. It will get better trust me. :)

It is very difficult to deal with a person like that & unfortunately if you retaliate you will be the bad person.. It's really horrible that your manager is scared of her. Is there noone else higher to approach? I'm sure if your manager finds her job threatened because of this woman she'll spring into action. 

 

Same here. What usually happens is that they are genuinely scared for themselves because of the perceived clout that the manipulator seems to be holding or they are completely bamboozled by the person. My manager has told me in private that she's a difficult person to work with, yet she supports her in public because she somehow thinks that her knowledge of the company is precious and unmatched (sic)

 

Jeezus, they all use the EXACT SAME STRATEGIES! It's like they have the manipulator's handbook or something! You are going through the exact same thing as I am. The only thing I can tell you is to not be outright rude and nasty to her, but do feel free to take subtle shots. If you're outright rude to her, she'll start crying her white woman tears and paint YOU as the antisocial type. Write down every egregious incident, with dates and details. If possible, enlist the help of other people who also feel slighted to try and see if they can back up your statements (a lot of people won't want to put themselves out there like that but it's worth a try.

 

Other than that, I don't know what else to tell you because I'm in the same predicament and it's hard. Even the book I'm reading is a little bit pessimistic about the outcomes in this type of situation (The advice I just gave you comes from this book) and they tell you to keep your eyes open for a new job at the same time. I just feel like the universe is trying to tell me something and that if I don't somehow manage to get a handle on this, I'll just move on to another job in the same situation again. I even got called the N-word by one of her manager friends and allies when no one was around, 2 weeks ago. I didn't report that because I knew no one would believe me. I might have made a mistake on that one, I don't know...