Sorry for the novel, but ... Why can't she just be grateful?

@HomeBase (1153)
United States
September 17, 2021 4:50pm CST
I've been working at a job for the past 10 years. For the past two years one of the people the owner hired started bringing his girlfriend to work with him every single day. The company has a very laid back atmosphere. The owner is offsite 95% of the time so he has no idea who comes and who goes at the job. I haven't told on them because of "insert-reason-here". Well, since then, the girlfriend started doing work like she's an employee, but she didn't know HOW to do the work. "How does this work?" "I think we're supposed to do it like this?" she would say to the boyfriend. Then, after awhile, I noticed her looking down towards MY area and she started watching ME... and started copying everything that I was doing. Cut to months later, the man and his girlfriend have become emboldened and now they frequently bring OTHER people to the job site to hang out. Me, I'm quiet and do my work, other people who the owner hired ignore what's going on with this rogue employee who brings relatives to the jobsite. But here's the thing, the girlfriend tells these visitors of theirs that I copy HER. And it's like, "No honey, you learned this job from ME... and you're not even supposed to BE here." The office is divided into sections. On Friday nights I'll clear off my tables, put everything away so that nothing is left on top of desks, wipe everything down with Clorox wipes, put the chairs on top of the tables so the night cleaning crew can clean. In the man and girlfriend's section, every Friday night stuff would be all over the tables, pieces of paper all over the floor. A couple months of that and then she started taking all of her papers off the tables, chairs up, even started using Clorox wipes. For lunch I'd bring homecooked meals, or even cook simple stuff, fry up vegetables in the kitchen wok. They use to order out everyday, until one day she started cooking in the kitchen, frying vegetables in the wok and telling people to look at ME, how I was going to use the wok because SHE does, and I'm copying her. File room... mail room. When whiteout or printer ink ran out, the girlfriend would say, "Oh we have to pick up a bottle of whiteout when we go to lunch." Me? I'd order a whole few boxes of whiteout and have them delivered, same with the printer ink. Next thing you know, she's doing the same thing ordering in bulk and telling her not-supposed-to-be-there-visiting cronies, "Look, she got a case of paper delivered just like I did yesterday." And it's like, "No honey, you learned this job from ME... and you're not even supposed to BE here." If I spoke to her at all, because I don't, I would also say, "Yes, I had a case of paper delivered because that's how things work in an office, and I've been doing it for 8 years before you ever got here." Ugh. And of course her cronies STOMP past my area and try to bug me. Why can't she just be quiet and be grateful that's she's learned how to do certain stuff instead of lying and talking junk about me? Has this ever happened to you? Your thoughts??
4 people like this
2 responses
@RebeccasFarm (89882)
• Arvada, Colorado
18 Sep 21
You are wise not to interact with this useless idiot. I know it is bugging you immensely, beyond bugging, and I admire your ability to not tangle with her. I know you could floor her with words if need be. Yes it has happened to me. I did hair for a living and believe me, was I ever copied!! I mean some of the stylists would flat out stand there, watch me work it and TRY to copy my style, though they failed miserably. The satisfaction I got was in knowing that they had no style of their own, just like that one you are speaking of. So take pleasure in knowing if not for you, she would be nowhere. She is not worth the spit out of your mouth by the sounds of it. I am sorry this is happening though.
1 person likes this
@HomeBase (1153)
• United States
18 Sep 21
Yes, I feel that it is best to not interact, after-all when someone takes time out of their day to badmouth you, yet you are someone they have clearly learned a lot from, it's best to steer clear. I find it interesting and insightful that you say you got satisfaction knowing those other hairdressers had no style of their own. Did you really feel like they had no style of their own?! I'm positively fascinated when someone has a badass attitude like that. At times I tend to give people waaaay too much credit when they don't deserve it. I can be an ice queen though, if needed. I don't know if I can say I've felt satisfaction per se, but what I have felt is that it is so weird to have someone just blatantly copy what you do and not feel any shame about it, and then on top of THAT, lie about it. As I wrote in a comment below, I'm fat, she's not, so I think she really feels like she is more believable as an 'expert on the job', if you will. Thanks for saying you're sorry this is happening. This has happened to me a couple of times before, once on a job and once in a building I was living in. I feel like these types do it to everybody they come in contact with.
1 person likes this
@HomeBase (1153)
• United States
19 Sep 21
@RebeccasFarm Thank you for the "welcome friend", and for sharing your experience with me. You're right, it can be aggravating dealing with someone who acts classless, but you know what they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Clearly she's one of my biggest fans. Let me ask you a question here if I may, will you please explain to me what you meant about obviously she can't think for herself? Will you expound on that a bit for me? I'm interested in another take, if that makes sense.
1 person likes this
• Arvada, Colorado
18 Sep 21
@HomeBase Well the other co workers of mine the other stylists..of course they had their own style, but I had many more clients. So in the end, their style wasnt cutting it So she is a skinny minny and her brain is skinny right along with her. She obviously cannot think for herself how pathetic. Welcome friend ..believe me, I know how aggravating this is and I understand. I am glad you came here to talk about it.
1 person likes this
@just4him (317089)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
17 Sep 21
Your boss needs to show up and see what's happening and kick her and her cronies off the work site, and fire the boyfriend who brought her there. That's what I would do. I know everywhere I worked, that wouldn't have been tolerated.
1 person likes this
@HomeBase (1153)
• United States
18 Sep 21
I adore this comment, and I completely agree. I used to really be irritated about the girlfriend, but then I thought about it, like, "Wait, it's the BOYFRIEND who brought her here!" It wouldn't be so bad if she just shut-up and did the work, instead of lying about me. They share his paycheck but she does a lot of the work. She acts like the man in the relationship to be honest. The boyfriend seems nice enough though, but tolerates and encourages her behavior. I feel bad for someone losing their job, but she certainly doesn't have compassion towards me what with all the lying and smirks, and comments directed towards me. I don't say anything to them at all other than hello, and I keep going about my business.
1 person likes this
@just4him (317089)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
18 Sep 21
@HomeBase That's all you can do. No need to stir up trouble. It would only go bad for you.
1 person likes this