News on the job front

So things have been ticking at work but I've been hesitant to write about them due to either laziness or embarrassment but I've chosen to update you now.

About a month ago I had ordered lunch for an editor and his assistant. It's my job to keep track of what job each lunch gets billed to and generally I'll just ask the editor what they are working on so I know which job to write down. This editor (we'll call him "B") came to pick up his lunch from the front desk. I asked him what he was working on, and he said, "I don't know. I don't know job numbers." I said, "No, not the job number, just what job in general." As he was already half way down the hall he waved his hand at me and said, "I don't know, ask my assistant." Wow.

Now, if we have editors working here that are completely unaware of what they are working on, we have problems, but that obviously wasn't the case here. This guy was just being a "diva" as he has since been called. In the hours after the "incident" several people came up to me asking about it. I was told, "just don't talk to him," avoid him," and, "in the future, don't ask him anything." Apparently he had told almost the entire office that I had a bad attitude.

Now, I wasn't aware that it was inappropriate for me to ask his highness a question, but you can bet I never have since. The funny thing is, ever since the "incident" he had been extra nice to me, commenting on how much he liked my nail polish color choices and inquiring whether I spell my name with a J or a G.

A week or so after the "incident," my direct superior asked me to go have a drink with her after work. She asked me how I handled criticism. I was a bit shocked, but told her I would rather be given constructive criticism rather than continue to do my job poorly. She went on to tell me that the owner of the company had expressed concern because someone in the company had complained that I had a bad attitude. I was completely caught off-guard. I had thought for sure that she was going to tell me I had been doing the bills wrong or something. I went through a list of employees in my head and tried to figure out who could think that I was being mean or bitchy. I tend to wear a frown on my face sometimes so I thought maybe that was the culprit.

I told her I was completely surprised, that I thought I had a great relationship with most everyone there and that beyond that I really respected everyone there so if I was coming across that way, it was certainly unintentional. I asked her to tell me how I was behaving that was wrong and she couldn't tell me. She said she thought I was doing a great job and that she felt like she and I had a great relationship, to which I agreed. After continuing the conversation, it became clear that she really had no specific criticism to give me. She simply suggested that in the future if she saw me doing anything...unfriendly? she would let me know.

This was three weeks ago, and I have yet to be scolded.

Funny thing: this past Friday the same editor who was upset with me wrote a rather off-putting email to the owner and producers complaining about the way the company was run and saying that if it was not changed he would turn in his resignation on Monday (today). Well, apparently the owner simply said, "we don't need you anyway." He packed up his desk on Friday.

The entire company is happy that he is gone and there have been many "he got fired!" whispers; apparently I'm not the only person he has been unreasonable with.

So, lesson learned. Try to be friendly, and stay away from people your coworkers recommend staying away from.


Also: karma's a bitch.