Why did I do it...again!!

[Camperroo]

I worked for a physician for six years.  Loved the office, couldn't stand the woman who was the "office manager", we got along, but personally I couldn't stand her and it came to be, either could the patients 'cause she got fired. However I quit shortly before they fired her because I was sick of working with her everyday.

After that I filled in occassionally if they needed help and now two years later, they called me and asked if I could work a few hours a week as their new replacement could use some assistance.  As I met her before, she seemed fine, so I said ok.  However, I'd never spent more than a couple of hours with her or not at all if she was the one I was covering for during a vacation or sick day.  Well  now I'm working there about 12 hrs. a week and I've been there a few weeks now and I've got to tell you, I'm not liking replacement #2 very much either. Has almost the same personality of the one who got canned.  The scenario when I go in is I say hello nice and friendly, sometimes she responds back nicely but othertimes when she's in a "pi**y mood" she barely mumbles anything back to me and then she's sweet as pie to the patients on the phone, but when she hangs up she curses them out or flips the phone the bird, because they've ticked her off somehow.  I don't seem to have the same problem when I talk to patients, our conversations are pleasant.  Last Wed. she was a real grump or just jerk, can't tell which when I walked in.  So for my first hour I essentially ignored her, she got the hint and then started to try and chat but by then I was pretty darn mad.  On Thurs. I called into our service and left a message I wouldn't be in.  Frankly I don't care what they think at this point and I decided why ruin a perfectly nice Thursday going in and dealing with her.

So it looks like I'm going to quit the good docs office once again.  They know she has a "fussy attitude" but quite frankly they pay her cheap, work her like a dog, she's fulltime and she puts up with it, so they put up with her.  However, I'm only putting in 9-12 hrs a week so I figure I don't have to put up with being around someone like that.  It's just not worth it, life is too short to be around grumpy people.  I feel badly that I'm going to have to tell the doc I'm out of there once again, but my DH says I should stop worrying about them and concentrate on myself and the fact that this woman is just unpleasant to work with and I don't need the job.  I've been working in real estate and only agreed to do this because they called me personally to ask me to help out and I like a dope felt bad for them and find it hard to say no to them, because I like them.  But I think they are in for a surprise this week when I tell them I'm going back to real estate full time instead.  Normally I'd sugar coat it and just tell them that to make life easier for all, but you know this time, I'm going to tell it the way it is and let them know I don't care for the other woman's grumpy personality and quite frankly don't need to deal with it, so I'm not going to!!

The worst part is the doc's wife is a psychologist, so she's going to use that quiet, let's investigate this further voice, to get me to stay.  So I must use willpower against her to not cave in and agree to stick it out some more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

It doesn't pay to be a softie sucker kind of person!!!!!!!

[wiininkwe]

If they try to get you to stay by using those darn phsycological tricks, just stick your fingers in your ears, flap out your tongue and go PHLAAAAAAAA.  That should end any efforts to keep you around, LOL.  

Seriously, I know what you mean, I had a similiar experience with my last boss.  She was a psychiatrist, and always asking us "How do you feel about that?" when anything went wrong or we had a problem with a project.  I finally had to tell her,respectfully of course, "How do you think it makes me feel?  You figure it out for yourself!"   Good luck with this, sorry that you have to go thru this kind of crap.
T

[NightOwl]

Wow Rose,  can I ever identify with this!  I had the "perfect job" in a counseling office at the University of Michigan.  Then the two counselors I had  worked with happily for over a year went on to other jobs and their replacements were just unbearable.  My God, they were totally PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE :eyecrazy: , and everyone knew it, including and especially  the students they were supposed to be counseling.  So finally after 8 months of  grinding my teeth every day, I quit and I did sugar coat it for our adminstrators--I figured they'd realize they had a couple of  psychos on their hands sooner or later.  After quitting,  I was unexpectedly offered  a much better job at twice the pay and half the hours of the original position.

If your heart and mind agree that you need to quit and you can afford it or have something better to do with your time, QUIT!  There is absolutely NOTHING to be said for putting up with a bitch (or two.)   Been there, done that.  They never change and it never gets better unless your employer is smart enoough to can them.  (And often these wackos have just enough common sense to be able to fool their boss for awhile, meantime driving out good employees)

[Camperroo]

ahh you both have been through the "experience"...miserable isn't it.  The sad thing is I love the office itself and the patients, that's why I always came back to fill in and then agreed to the few days a week.  However, I've noticed many patients sending in letters requesting their records be transferred out to another doctor.  I know why they are leaving.  They don't like being treated badly by this person and they are offended.  Elisa is right in that the doctor is going to have smarten up and catch on to her antics sooner than later hopefully, but I think he is still smarting from having to fire the other office manager.  He's kind of in a "if I don't know, I don't have to deal with it" mode.  Meanwhile he's losing some of our nicest and long time patients.

Tomorrow should be fun, I'll see what mood greets me when I do walk in!!

[Camperroo]

Aaahhhh I did it.  I didn't even go in this morning.  I called the doctor's wife at home.  I've known her long enough now to do that.  I told her I had made a difficult decision and didn't want to put them on the spot, but I was quitting effective with my phone call.  I explained to her how things had been going between my coworker and myself and that quite frankly given I worked such few hours there, it wasn't worth it for me to deal with and have to absorb her stress and tension...I've been there...done that before....I won't do it again with anyone.

She was great, like I expected and analyzed it as I expected!!  She said she likes to "observe and gather data" before making her decisions and that I already now provided her the necessary "data".  She's very sweet but.....    :yikes:  She understood because she knows what I put up with for six years previous to that.  I told her this woman was essentially a nice person but she was so high strung and stressed that it made for a very uncomfortable work relationship and it just wasn't my thing to have to deal with.  She said she feels the tension herself when she walks in to check on things and that she will address it along with hiring someone at least 20-25 hrs. a week as that is the only thing that is going to help alleviate the stress and attitude of this woman.  We parted on very friendly terms that she'd see me over the holidays and to continue to update her on our move to FL.

I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders and my stomache stopped aching!!  Imagine that!!  :-()  :-()    :-()

[jstaddwtr]

Ok!  Now repeat after me......

Free at last, I'm free at last , thank God I'm free at last!

(life is too short!)  Good Luck!

[NightOwl]

Ok!  Now repeat after me......

Free at last, I'm free at last , thank God I'm free at last!

(life is too short!)  Good Luck!

Rose--WHAT SHE SAID!  :#

[brainpause]

she's sweet as pie to the patients on the phone, but when she hangs up she curses them out or flips the phone the bird, because they've ticked her off somehow.

CHARACTER is what you do in the dark when nobody's looking.

[NightOwl]

CHARACTER is what you do in the dark when nobody's looking.

AMEN, Larry!  Or when the boss isn't looking, eh, Rose?

Billy had an administrative assistant at UM who was soooo sweet to everyone when he was around and kept mouthing phrases like "the dignity of the working person" etc. (ICK!)  And one day while waiting for him to come back to his office, I overheard  her rip into a secretary viciously.  But then, SUDDENLY she began drooling kindness and patience  all over this woman, who was in tears by then--I  looked around, and here came "the boss."  I completely despised  her after that and learned later, that so did everyone else, except Billy.  He was a slow learner and it took him another 18 months  to see through her.

[Miss-Teri]

She sounds like the receptionist at one of the veterinarian clinics we work with.  Everyone was having problems with this woman, so the docs finally called in a counselor (these are country to the core vets and I can't imagine them using a counselor, but that's beside the point :p).  

The counselor went to everyone in the office and asked, "What is the problem?"  He got the same answer from everyone, "Lori is the problem."  When he got around to Lori she answers, "Problem?  What problem?"

:p:p:p

Sorry for what you're going through.  Hope it works out positively!

[Camperroo]

Thanks gang, it worked out great.  I'm very relieved to be out of that situation.  Unfortunately the doctor was also my doctor for the little stuff like colds, flu, etc., so I'll miss that convenience, but I switched primary care doctors so I wouldn't have to deal with the other secretary anymore.  I wouldn't feel comfortable coming into the office because of her...especially when she would be the one answering the phone when I call!!  :yikes: