Rude coworkers

[Dentam]

Not looking for advice really just venting. I have a coworker who is in charge of distributing tickets to staff for special events held at our workplace. Every time I have to go in to her office to pick up tickets she is sarcastic and rude to me. Today took the cake. I walked in and immediately got the dirty look (I'm used to it) then when asked what I needed said I was there to pick up tickets. She said "please"? expectantly and waited for me to say please. It's not like I was rudely asking for them just stating why I was there after she asked me what I needed. I just stood there for a second feeling like I was in grade school being prompted to show my manners. It's like she's on some kind of a power trip or something. I can't imagine she would dare talk to our boss that way or a board member, etc.

I've gotten to the point where I feel like just skipping any of the events so I don't have to interact with her at all. I am a pretty mild mannered person but as I've gotten older I have just gotten fed up with taking people's crap. I will have to go in there again next month and I swear if I get her attitude again I will be having a chat with her about how to treat people.

Anyone here have coworkers with serious attitude issues?

 

[littlejimmy]

siding with your coworker on this one. you should have said "please" when you said that you were there for the tickets. lesson learned.

 

[Dentam]

lol - I was waiting for that one - didn't take long! Yeah, I was totally polite with her. She has an attitude and that is her issue.

 

[Happy_Haunt999]

OP, I am with you on this one. She has no right to act like that and if it becomes worse, I would consult someone above her at the office.

 

[JoeA]

Siding with the OP here. It's work, not grade school. It was petty of the coworker and I think displays worse manners.

 

[Dentam]

She's fairly new so I'm kind of just hoping her inability to work well with others will bite her in the you know where soon and she'll be replaced.

 

[Hrhpd]

Not looking for advice really just venting. I have a coworker who is in charge of distributing tickets to staff for special events held at our workplace. Every time I have to go in to her office to pick up tickets she is sarcastic and rude to me. Today took the cake. I walked in and immediately got the dirty look (I'm used to it) then when asked what I needed said I was there to pick up tickets. She said "please"? expectantly and waited for me to say please. It's not like I was rudely asking for them just stating why I was there after she asked me what I needed. I just stood there for a second feeling like I was in grade school being prompted to show my manners. It's like she's on some kind of a power trip or something. I can't imagine she would dare talk to our boss that way or a board member, etc.

I've gotten to the point where I feel like just skipping any of the events so I don't have to interact with her at all. I am a pretty mild mannered person but as I've gotten older I have just gotten fed up with taking people's crap. I will have to go in there again next month and I swear if I get her attitude again I will be having a chat with her about how to treat people.
Anyone here have coworkers with serious attitude issues?

(the rule)

Rude, yes.

Rude enough to make me not want to go get my tickets? Nope. People can only talk down to you if you let them. I wouldn't be phased by her rudeness. Probably would have just raised an eyebrow, said "excuse me?" and stood there silently until she handed over the tickets.

Don't let her get under your skin. People on power trips like to see others squirm. Don't go in feeling like you are beneath her and then her comments won't bother you.

 

[Disneylover99]

It sounds like you don't have to deal with her too often. Just smile sweetly, say please and thank you and keep your interactions as brief as possible. Then go to your flask and have a drink.

Or maybe you should do that first, before you talk to her.

 

[piccolopat]

OP, perhaps you can share more details. It sounds like she is in a separate office. If it were me, I would expect someone to knock first and then say something like "Hi Jane. Excuse me but I would like to pick up the tickets for..". If you are just walking in or not greeting her in some way, that might be what is setting her off.

 

[Dentam]

Rude enough to make me not want to go get my tickets? Nope. People can only talk down to you if you let them. I wouldn't be phased by her rudeness. Probably would have just raised an eyebrow, said "excuse me?" and stood there silently until she handed over the tickets.

It's happened enough times that I have started dreading going over there. And yes, I did raise my eyebrows and did say please. She ended our conversation by saying sarcastically that she was sorry it was such a burden for me to have to come over to get the tickets from her. I wanted to tell her that it wasn't a burden, it was interacting with her that made it unpleasant.

 

[Dentam]

It sounds like you don't have to deal with her too often. Just smile sweetly, say please and thank you and keep your interactions as brief as possible. Then go to your flask and have a drink.

LOVE it!!

 

[Dentam]

OP, perhaps you can share more details. It sounds like she is in a separate office. If it were me, I would expect someone to knock first and then say something like "Hi Jane. Excuse me but I would like to pick up the tickets for..". If you are just walking in or not greeting her in some way, that might be what is setting her off.

Yeah, luckily we don't have to interact much since she's in a different department. There was a meeting going in the room in front of her office that I had to walk through which was odd. Usually if that room is booked they will have us pick up the tickets with the receptionist. I did say hello first and said I was there to pick up tickets. It doesn't seem to matter how I approach her. I have tried being nice in the past and asking how her day was going. I always get the same kind of snide remarks and general lofty attitude from her.

 

[Ceila]

This is a situation where I would take the "kill her with kindness" approach.

 

[Hrhpd]

OP, perhaps you can share more details. It sounds like she is in a separate office. If it were me, I would expect someone to knock first and then say something like "Hi Jane. Excuse me but I would like to pick up the tickets for..". If you are just walking in or not greeting her in some way, that might be what is setting her off.

Yes, this too. I was assuming the OP did the above. But if she did just walk into the office and stood there till the co-worker had to ask her why she was there, that would definitely explain the sarcastic attitude of the co-worker.

 

[Dentam]

I guess I should mention that she doesn't have her own office - she shares an office with multiple other people in that department. Generally the door is open. Normal people at my place of work would greet you with a smile, ask how you are, etc. Not this person.

 

[declansdad]

Is she rude to others or just you?

 

[Dentam]

Is she rude to others or just you?

I was wondering this as well. The department as a whole is not known to be very friendly. We are given an hour and a half time period in the afternoon to pick up tickets so I can't be the only one who went over there. I did warn one of my coworkers in my department who was going to head over after I got back that he'd better be sure to say please initially, lol.

 

[unhinged]

I guess I should mention that she doesn't have her own office - she shares an office with multiple other people in that department. Generally the door is open. Normal people at my place of work would greet you with a smile, ask how you are, etc. Not this person.

I wouldn't hold the fact that she doesn't ask you how you are against her. Many people do not like small talk and prefer to keep their work relationships very professional. It is not rude to not ask you how you are doing. You said normal people ask you how you are doing. I would also say that it is normal to not ask how you are.

The comment about saying please was weird but I wonder how much of your perception of her always talking down to you is really just your co-worker not engaging in social conversation, something it seems you prefer.

 

[Dentam]

Normal people do not give dirty looks when you first walk in. I could care less if she asks me how I'm doing really. Believe me, her attitude is very obvious. I don't really even care what her problem is, was just venting about it.

 

[Ceila]

I wouldn't hold the fact that she doesn't ask you how you are against her. Many people do not like small talk and prefer to keep their work relationships very professional. It is not rude to not ask you how you are doing. You said normal people ask you how you are doing. I would also say that it is normal to not ask how you are.

The comment about saying please was weird but I wonder how much of your perception of her always talking down to you is really just your co-worker not engaging in social conversation, something it seems you prefer.

And, some people are just cranky. I'm usually a give-them-the-benefit-of-the-doubt kind of person, but I know that some people are just awful to be around. We've all run into them.

Just because the OP didn't give every single detail of how this woman is rude, or that the few examples she did provide can be explained away, doesn't mean that the co-worker is just misunderstood by the OP. She might just really be a miserable person.