Coworker Issue- LONG VENT

[scrapquitler]

A meeting was called between she & I and the office manager to discuss this incident. Sue showed up slurring her speech. She told the office manager that she "blacked out" the other day due to a change in her psych meds and she doesn't remember anything that happened and she apologized profusely. I think that is bs, but it appeared as though she may have been intoxicated at the meeting.

Maybe she is diabetic?? My Mom is a type 1 Diabetic and when her blood sugar level goes very low, she acts a lot like you've described Sue: slurred speech, not remembering what happened, and acting intoxicated. You can usually tell the difference between a diabetic and a drunk by the smell: the diabetic smells sickeningly 'sweet'.

If she really IS on psych meds and that behavior was a result of a change in her medications, it's probably a protected thing and it's possible that she can't be fired for it. The office staff/doctors/whoever is in charge is going to have to tread very carefully and probably get legal advise.

 

[Andtototoo]

You need to file a police report and start looking for a new job ASAP.

 

[arminnie]

Don't you have a medical board in your state? You should report this to them in writing ASAP. You are not living up to "duty of care" if there is any such requirement in your position if you willingly overlook such things. The police won't care at all. The medical board WILL.

 

[OceanAnnie]

I have a coworker who is bat poop crazy (donutgate Sue for those who remember that thread). Mood swings, erratic behaviour, shows up late and calls in sick a lot. I have posted about her before, it is obvious she has some sort of mental illness that is not getting treated and her behavior has been going downhill for the last year or so. I must also mention that we work in a medical office and she functions as a receptionist and medical assistant, so her behavior or lack of judgment can actually harm a patient.

This past week she came in one day for work and basically refused to do her job all day. She was very agitated first thing in the morning, and it got worse all day. She was screaming at people, fighting with coworkers, and actually put a patient in the middle of one of the fights. She went into the waiting room where patients were waiting and cussed out another employee loudly. I reported her behavior to the office manager (useless) and also to one of the DR of the practice.

A meeting was called between she & I and the office manager to discuss this incident. Sue showed up slurring her speech. She told the office manager that she "blacked out" the other day due to a change in her psych meds and she doesn't remember anything that happened and she apologized profusely. I think that is bs, but it appeared as though she may have been intoxicated at the meeting. The Office Manager who is on the turnip truck still (didnt fall off yesterday still riding along) even noticed and asked her what was wrong. She blamed it on prescription ativan. I am not buying it.

Anyway- bottom line is she was given just a warning and told if she messes up again she will get fired. After the meeting she told me I better hope I do not run into her out of work or her friends will kick my behind. She also mentioned that for being a rat, I would be stabbed if I were in prison. I really don't think she would ever harm anyone and I am twice her size, but I do think she was drunk. Office Manager was told about these threats (not by me, by another employee who witnessed the conversation) No action was taken.

I think she should be forced to get medical clearance to work. If you black out for a whole day, you are a danger to the patients. Would you want this girl drawing your blood or giving you an injection? Can she be trusted not to harm people? I am so fed up.

Don't you have a medical board in your state? You should report this to them in writing ASAP. You are not living up to "duty of care" if there is any such requirement in your position if you willingly overlook such things. The police won't care at all. The medical board WILL.

Reporting to the medical board in her state is a good idea.

IMO, the police would act on her co-worker's threats, especially given her co-worker's unstable nature.

At the very least I'd file a police report and start a paper trail.

 

[FlyingDumbo]

Problem is, aside from nutjob I really do enjoy my job. The pay is good and I make my own hours. I have only started having issues at work after Sue turned into a lunatic, so about a year or so. I do not think she would actually hurt me but because she is so crazy she is really capable of anything. I really think she is drinking. A lot of us suspect it. She seems worse when she comes back from lunch. She falls a lot. Very clumsy. For those that have not read the previous threads about her, she used to be very heavy but had a gastric bypass. She lost a ton of weight and went nutso.

The employees ALL hate her. She doesn't even have one person whom she has not offended or alientated with her behavior. When she does get fired, there will be a party. I think I need to file a police report. I also need to start parking elsewhere so I can see my car. After the meeting I was afraid she would do something to my car, she is that type, the type that does stuff then lies about it. Very sneaky.

One of the Dr is aware of everything she has done, the office manager is his wife. My husband thinks I should try to get a restraining order, but I have never done anything like that before it seems a bit extreme. If she can't be near me, work would have to work out a schedule where we do not work together which would be a welcome break from her nuttiness.

We all think she must be related to someone important, possibly this Dr and Office Manager because we can not think of a single other reason she would not have been fired already.

I am working with her tomorrow all day long. And the first part of the morning is when it will be just the two of us. She is usually extremely grumpy in the morning so I avoid her. But for the first time in my life I am actually dreading going to work. I am thinking of calling out.

 

[WhatATreat]

I have to say that if I, as a patient, witnessed this behavior I would be speaking to the doctors myself. I would not want this person anywhere near me or to have access to my medical records.

ETA: About tomorrow OP, I would call and tell them that in light of the recent threats she made against you, you do not feel safe working in the office alone with her and will not be in until others are there.

 

[Andtototoo]

Problem is, aside from nutjob I really do enjoy my job. The pay is good and I make my own hours. I have only started having issues at work after Sue turned into a lunatic, so about a year or so. I do not think she would actually hurt me but because she is so crazy she is really capable of anything. I really think she is drinking. A lot of us suspect it. She seems worse when she comes back from lunch. She falls a lot. Very clumsy. For those that have not read the previous threads about her, she used to be very heavy but had a gastric bypass. She lost a ton of weight and went nutso.

The employees ALL hate her. She doesn't even have one person whom she has not offended or alientated with her behavior. When she does get fired, there will be a party. I think I need to file a police report. I also need to start parking elsewhere so I can see my car. After the meeting I was afraid she would do something to my car, she is that type, the type that does stuff then lies about it. Very sneaky.

One of the Dr is aware of everything she has done, the office manager is his wife. My husband thinks I should try to get a restraining order, but I have never done anything like that before it seems a bit extreme. If she can't be near me, work would have to work out a schedule where we do not work together which would be a welcome break from her nuttiness.

We all think she must be related to someone important, possibly this Dr and Office Manager because we can not think of a single other reason she would not have been fired already.

I am working with her tomorrow all day long. And the first part of the morning is when it will be just the two of us. She is usually extremely grumpy in the morning so I avoid her. But for the first time in my life I am actually dreading going to work. I am thinking of calling out.

I had a similar situation in that I enjoyed my job except for This. One. Person. (At the time, I had no idea what was going on, but I would now allege that he was using meth.) I ended up being sucked into the dysfunction and downplaying the level of insanity -- which is what I actually "hear" happening in your posts.

Long story short: nothing was done to/with him and in the end, I HATED my job and ended up having a form of PTSD. I also ended up being the person fired, not him because as the complainant I was the troublemaker, not him. Yup, it was totally irrational to fire the victim, but that is exactly what happened.

I have said many many times that if I could go back in time, I would quit and get out before I ended up with an eye twitch, high blood pressure, and a host of other issues, as well as a black mark on my employment record.

No, I should not have had to quit. But I cannot control others, only myself and I should have controlled my life by getting the heck out of Dodge. I lost in that shoot out.

So as I said, I would file a police report to start a paper trail and I would start looking for a new job asap. Unless your coworker chooses to quit, she's gonna out last you and you are going to be expected to put up with her behavior and her threats. Ask yourself if you want to live like this for YEARS. Because that is where this situation is going -- long-term.

 

[rie'smom]

Problem is, aside from nutjob I really do enjoy my job. The pay is good and I make my own hours. I have only started having issues at work after Sue turned into a lunatic, so about a year or so. I do not think she would actually hurt me but because she is so crazy she is really capable of anything. I really think she is drinking. A lot of us suspect it. She seems worse when she comes back from lunch. She falls a lot. Very clumsy. For those that have not read the previous threads about her, she used to be very heavy but had a gastric bypass. She lost a ton of weight and went nutso.

The employees ALL hate her. She doesn't even have one person whom she has not offended or alientated with her behavior. When she does get fired, there will be a party. I think I need to file a police report. I also need to start parking elsewhere so I can see my car. After the meeting I was afraid she would do something to my car, she is that type, the type that does stuff then lies about it. Very sneaky.

One of the Dr is aware of everything she has done, the office manager is his wife. My husband thinks I should try to get a restraining order, but I have never done anything like that before it seems a bit extreme. If she can't be near me, work would have to work out a schedule where we do not work together which would be a welcome break from her nuttiness.

We all think she must be related to someone important, possibly this Dr and Office Manager because we can not think of a single other reason she would not have been fired already.

I am working with her tomorrow all day long. And the first part of the morning is when it will be just the two of us. She is usually extremely grumpy in the morning so I avoid her. But for the first time in my life I am actually dreading going to work. I am thinking of calling out.

My opinion is get everyone together and call a meeting like agnes said. Who cares if she's related to the doctor and his "office manager" wife? I would definitely point out that she acted out in front of a patient. The other doctors might force her to leave. Or if you know the patients(s) she acted out in front of, encourage them to tell their doctor about her behavior. The patients bring in the money and money talks.

If you call her out, it will be the perfect excuse for them to fire you.

 

[Swan4Me]

Bump-I wanna know what happened today=plus I'm worried about you

 

[pkondz]

Bump-I wanna know what happened today=plus I'm worried about you

Yes, more hoping you're okay then anything.

 

[MickeySP]

I have a coworker who is bat poop crazy (donutgate Sue for those who remember that thread). Mood swings, erratic behaviour, shows up late and calls in sick a lot. I have posted about her before, it is obvious she has some sort of mental illness that is not getting treated and her behavior has been going downhill for the last year or so. I must also mention that we work in a medical office and she functions as a receptionist and medical assistant, so her behavior or lack of judgment can actually harm a patient.

This past week she came in one day for work and basically refused to do her job all day. She was very agitated first thing in the morning, and it got worse all day. She was screaming at people, fighting with coworkers, and actually put a patient in the middle of one of the fights. She went into the waiting room where patients were waiting and cussed out another employee loudly. I reported her behavior to the office manager (useless) and also to one of the DR of the practice.

A meeting was called between she & I and the office manager to discuss this incident. Sue showed up slurring her speech. She told the office manager that she "blacked out" the other day due to a change in her psych meds and she doesn't remember anything that happened and she apologized profusely. I think that is bs, but it appeared as though she may have been intoxicated at the meeting. The Office Manager who is on the turnip truck still (didnt fall off yesterday still riding along) even noticed and asked her what was wrong. She blamed it on prescription ativan. I am not buying it.

Anyway- bottom line is she was given just a warning and told if she messes up again she will get fired. After the meeting she told me I better hope I do not run into her out of work or her friends will kick my behind. She also mentioned that for being a rat, I would be stabbed if I were in prison. I really don't think she would ever harm anyone and I am twice her size, but I do think she was drunk. Office Manager was told about these threats (not by me, by another employee who witnessed the conversation) No action was taken. I think she should be forced to get medical clearance to work. If you black out for a whole day, you are a danger to the patients. Would you want this girl drawing your blood or giving you an injection? Can she be trusted not to harm people? I am so fed up.

I would get a written affidavit from the witness(es). I would also point out to my employer that their liablity if she should do something is HUGE
They can be held responsible for any damages or injuries done to you.

While filing a police report is a good idea, they really can't do much. Threats to kill statutes are hard to enforce.

OOh! One other idea is to document her behavior in video. Any interaction you have with her, simply turn on your cell phone camera and shoot away. Or buy a small pocket size voice recorder and turn it on in your pocket. My sister's DH had to go this route with his lunatic ex who was belligerent, violent etc. The vids came in very handy in court.

Be careful when doing this some states have very strict laws regarding taping especially with voice, it falls under wiretap laws unless she knows you are recording.

 

[tlbwriter]

If you think she's drinking at lunch, I wonder what would happen if you let the police know about it. Maybe they'd be able to catch her driving drunk.

 

[DWGal210]

THIS!! If she's licensed, there is a board she is licensed through. Report her, and your employer for being so blasé about the whole thing.

Also file a police report & look for another job. These loons obviously don't care about protecting their employees & practice. Unbelievable.

Don't you have a medical board in your state? You should report this to them in writing ASAP. You are not living up to "duty of care" if there is any such requirement in your position if you willingly overlook such things. The police won't care at all. The medical board WILL.

 

[DWGal210]

Another thought;

I know you like the job, but it would REALLY concern me that I was working for a place that tolerated this behavior. They have someone who's belligerent, can't co exist with co-workers AND most importantly, potentially harms patients. Making good money & your own hours is great, but at what cost?

 

[diznygirl]

Problem is, aside from nutjob I really do enjoy my job. The pay is good and I make my own hours. I have only started having issues at work after Sue turned into a lunatic, so about a year or so. I do not think she would actually hurt me but because she is so crazy she is really capable of anything. I really think she is drinking. A lot of us suspect it. She seems worse when she comes back from lunch. She falls a lot. Very clumsy. For those that have not read the previous threads about her, she used to be very heavy but had a gastric bypass. She lost a ton of weight and went nutso.

The employees ALL hate her. She doesn't even have one person whom she has not offended or alientated with her behavior. When she does get fired, there will be a party. I think I need to file a police report. I also need to start parking elsewhere so I can see my car. After the meeting I was afraid she would do something to my car, she is that type, the type that does stuff then lies about it. Very sneaky.

One of the Dr is aware of everything she has done, the office manager is his wife. My husband thinks I should try to get a restraining order, but I have never done anything like that before it seems a bit extreme. If she can't be near me, work would have to work out a schedule where we do not work together which would be a welcome break from her nuttiness.

We all think she must be related to someone important, possibly this Dr and Office Manager because we can not think of a single other reason she would not have been fired already.

I am working with her tomorrow all day long. And the first part of the morning is when it will be just the two of us. She is usually extremely grumpy in the morning so I avoid her. But for the first time in my life I am actually dreading going to work. I am thinking of calling out.

You need to do something if she has contact with patients. This could be a dangerous situation for them, and I would not hesitate to sue every person in an office that knew about the danger and did nothing to stop it. You need to let the doctor (not his loser officer manager wife) that you plan on taking police action against her with a restraining order and it will be their responsibility to figure things out for their business.

 

[disneymarie]

Sticky Finger Sue should have been fired for threatening you. No one should have to work under those conditions. Sue has been a nut for a while and now she is a threatening nut. Time for the office manager to grow a pair and do her job.

Nothing sunk in at that meeting, report it ASAP, she should be left go. THe employers are more afraid of a discrimination suit then a worngfull death one perhaps.

That warning should have included retaliation; when fired a no tresspass no contact should be given too....
This is going to be ongoing unfortunatly.

I feel bad for the coworker, I truely do, it hits home for family member. But that is why the person has a means to mental disability assistance income and get better medication control. She is self dosing, self medicating and it is not at all rare.
The employers need to address this, document, and relieve her of her duties.
wishing you luck.

 

[YodaGirl]

Stop posting this on the Dis and file a police report. Do you think we can help you? The police can. After you file the report with the police, take a copy to your boss. Demand that they take action.

Also, why are you still working for these loons? They obviously do not care about you. This isn't about the other employee. The people running that office are not worth your time. Leave.

ETA - This is as hostile as a work environment can get. You can sue them if you have witnesses to the threat if they do nothing.

 

[DisneySarah80]

Bump-I wanna know what happened today=plus I'm worried about you

She said she would be at work all day today unless she called out. So I'm guessing she didn't call out, and she went to work.... Hopefully we will know by tonight what happened.

 

[hereyago]

bumping because I am curious as well.


Sticky Finger/Off her Rocker Sue watch: sorry I'm tired and giggly.

Sue has way too many issues to be working around the public, just sayin.

 

[manning]

OOh! One other idea is to document her behavior in video. Any interaction you have with her, simply turn on your cell phone camera and shoot away. Or buy a small pocket size voice recorder and turn it on in your pocket. My sister's DH had to go this route with his lunatic ex who was belligerent, violent etc. The vids came in very handy in court.

In some states this could get you in trouble.