Hit the Road Jack...

I have a new job. Prayer works. I heard about the job on Wednesday, applied Thursday, interviewed Friday and aced it. I am waiting for Monday and the call from HR to make it official. Same organization. I am transferring from the front office to our off-site back office. I am so at peace. You know it's time to quit, when you end up in the hospital with heart issues because you had to go to work. I want to be inspired, excited to go to work again! I feel loss at leaving my bestie coworker, who jokingly called me 'bitch' when I told her I applied for another job. 

Things I will NOT miss: 

Jurassic Park. The Divasaurus. High maintenance passive aggressive coworker with authority over me. 

Slacker Coworker. In every workplace, there is always that one person who doesn't pull her weight. I am tired of fixing her mistakes, of doing her work because she can't be bothered, her using my brain because two years later she still does not know her job, and her bipolar moodiness. 

A Toxic Workplace. 

In her book, Toxic Work, Barbara Bailey Reinhold, Ed.D. describes ways an unhealthy environment affects your psychological and physical health. According to Reinhold, a toxic workplace is “when the demands of your job, and your response to them undercut the quality of your family life and friendships, you are robbed of the very things you need in order to be fully alive and most creative and productive on the job.” My health has suffered along with my attitude. That is why I got wrote up recently.

My Stalker. There is a coworker, male, from another department who is all together too friendly, touchy and possessive. I have attempted to alert management and it worked for awhile, but he is persistent. I put up with it because he is in a position to do me some harm.

Bonnie and Clyde. The coworker who put me in the hospital... oh wait, I didn't tell you about that, did I? I am still not sure what sparked it. But I set Bonnie off somehow, next thing I know her voice is raised and she is yelling incomprehensible things. Let me start at the beginning...

Once upon a time, there was a hard working servant girl. She was very intelligent and did most everything right. The King and Queen were happy to have her in the castle. There was also a slacker servant girl.

The hard working servant girl would point out to the slacker girl where she missed a cobweb or left soap bubbles on the floor. The slacker girl grumbled because she did not appreciate doing the best job she could for the King and Queen. She plotted ways to get back at the hard working servant girl.

One day, the slacker servant said Princess Bonnie needed the hard working servant girl to do something for her. The hard working servant girl was puzzled because Princess Bonnie always gave her directions in person. She went to Princess Bonnie and requested that Princess Bonnie not send the slacker servant girl, but please speak to the hard working servant girl in person.

Suddenly, the air took on an eerie glow. A cold wind began to blow and Princess Bonnie transformed into a wicked witch who hurled curses at the hard working servant. The hard working servant girl backed away, fearful, attempting to speak words that would send the witch away. The King heard the commotion and when he arrived the witch fled. All too late. The curses began to work on the hard working servant girl and her heart began to break. 

I ended up in the emergency room with chest pains. I was kept overnight hooked to telemetry. I have since followed up with a cardiologist, had an echocardiogram, a stress test, a sleep study, seen my primary physician a couple of times, and a counselor. Most of those bills will be written off due to my employment, but not all. The hospitalization was $8,500 (luckily wrote off). Management has done nothing I know of. Not one word from Bonnie since. She walks past me as if I am invisible. It has escalated to include Clyde. They are attempting to mob me with intimidation and isolation. 

ODAS. The four most hated words in the English language—Other Duties As Assigned. I now have one job to do. I will be the only one to do this work. I go into my space, do my job, and take my paycheck home. Heavenly...

 

OMG

I am trying not to burn bridges while simultaneously holding this gas can and match. It would be soooo eaassssy not to filter my thoughts since I am leaving. For example, yesterday it was our monthly staff meeting. I work in a department of women. If you have experience with this, then you know how problematic the high school situations arise with the surfeit of estrogen. 

I read a book on this psychology called, In the Company of Women. The authors begin by defining and describing how and why women behave as they do.  After readers begin to identify interactions as they relate to relationships, power, and self-esteem and learn how to use the power dead-even rule, they can begin to understand the intricacies of working with women on a professional level. According to the authors,

"It seemed to us that women consistently failed to support other women and even actively undermined their authority and credibility.

They continue,

"...when women work together, they often experience conflict with one another--a phenomenon that is referred to most often by men as a 'catfight'.

Remember the coworker I had to assist and not eat lunch if needed? It is not just me. I created a schedule of who was 'on call' to help for the next quarter. We all have to leave our assigned work and calls and be there to play 'team' for an entire week. She gets her work completed on time and the assigned have to scramble to catch up. Plus, I had to endure an hour with the Director correcting my 'erroneous' thinking because I made a remark about this coworker's work habits within earshot. Here comes some irony. (I so love it!)

Last night at the meeting, right at the end, when we all wanted to leave, she decides to throw a hissy fit over some paper left on her desk. A file that was handed to her and she did not think belonged to her and she should not have to complete it. She backed the one who left it into a corner. All this done in front of the Director who emphasized 'team' for the one who will not play team. Me-ooow. Pffssttt. Ro-awrrrr.

OMG, I so want to confront both of them. *Sound of a match striking.*