Woman Forcing Colleague To Move Seats in 'Empty' Staffroom Dragged

An "unfriendly" colleague has been slammed online for asking a new employee to move seats in an "empty" staffroom.

In a popular Mumsnet post, user cheesecakeitalian explained she started a new job on October 18 and her new colleague's behavior has left her feeling confused.

She spoke about smiling at a colleague on the train after her second day and receiving a blank look in return. She wrote: "She probably didn't recognize me."

In March 2022, a survey revealed that 31 percent of 1,902 U.S.-based employees get annoyed with a co-worker a few times per week. The research conducted by Quality Logo Products found the most annoying types of behavior in the workplace were interrupting, arrogance, and taking credit for someone else's work.

The original poster went on to explain what happened on her third day at the new job, writing that she was sitting on a "huge u-shaped sofa" in the staffroom before being approached by her co-worker who is said to be in her 20s.

"She came over with a flask of tea and a sandwich and just went 'Oh I'm sitting there.' The room was almost empty, she could have literally sat on the same sofa with one of the other tables or gone and sat at one of the many other tables in the room. I just got up and sat elsewhere," she wrote.

The original poster added a comment, stating: "I wanted to say, 'Sorry has it got your name on it?' [I] felt so embarrassed and it was like being back at school."

In the comments, the original poster mentions her co-worker is "gushy" when approached by the younger attractive male workers.

Newsweek spoke to Donna Clark-Love, a bullying expert, who shared top tips on dealing with a workplace "mean girl."

Clark-Love said: "What this new employee is dealing with is 'mean girl' workplace behavior. The silver lining is that while many of us inevitably encounter mean girls throughout our careers, learning how to manage them will make all of us stronger, more resilient, and more confident.

Clark-Love, from Houston, Texas, told Newsweek about her top tips for dealing with "mean girl" behaviors in the workplace:

1. Take the high road—When it comes to mean girls, try your best to block out the negative noise they create. Do not take what they say or do personally. Sometimes the most effective reaction you can give to a bully is no reaction at all. Taking the high road can make them retreat. And if you cannot respond in a calm manner, simply walk away.
2. Understand that you have a choice—You can choose to ignore the behavior, or you can choose to address it by stating your feelings using an 'I-message such as "When you…; I feel …; In the future, I would like for you to…"
3. Let kindness and civility be your motto—What I mean by this is to just be kind and civil to everyone. Be nice (but not overly kind or fake) to mean girls, too.
4. Brainstorm how to respond for future interactions—Look for ways to address the problem with this person in a professional way, without stooping to their level. So, for example, if you are on the same team or volunteer together, can you find common ground to bring you closer? If not, can you get a third party involved as a sounding board/voice of reason? In all cases, document what is happening so that you have a record of the interactions in case you should need it down the line.
5. Do not become a mean girl yourself—It is human nature to want to retaliate and gossip about the mean girl(s) who are being cruel to you, but it just exacerbates the situation. This never works! And it's not worth it.
6. Find your posse—When you are being personally mistreated, especially as a new employee, it's so important to meet and surround yourself with people who support you and have your back.

The post received over 150 responses from Mumsnet users. One user said: "Did you possibly get the job she also went for? And now she is bitter? Anyway, she sounds awful. Good luck in your new job."

"I think you just met one woman who is a bit stuck in her ways, every workplace has at least one person like this. You will probably find other people think she's odd too. I am sure there are plenty of other friendly people to speak with," another wrote.

Newsweek was not able to verify the details of the case.