First day on the job, I was told to sit in on a client meeting to see how these Q & A sessions go. It was a phone conference. The client was in their offices and we were in ours.
The client had about five people on the line, we had one guy, Bill and me. Of course he was doing all the talking.
Midway through, a woman on the client side began yelling over everything Bill said. Finally, she was screaming things like, “You can’t be that stupid.”
At this point, Bill closed his laptop, picked up his stuff and just left without a word.
The tirade continued with just me on the line.
She finally ended with. “Do you understand that, BILL?” She slurred his name in a most unattractive manner.
I hesitated for a moment, before taking the phone of off mute and said in a small voice, “Um, hi. I’m Deidra”
<pause>
“This is my first day.”
<pause>
“Um, Bill left a while ago.”
<pause>
“I don’t know anything about the super awesome thingie. Do you want to leave a message?”
<pause, silence, no response>
“Okay then, I guess we can adjourn.”
I didn’t know that day, but I had been introduced to the woman who would be my arch nemesis for the next two years.
Oh no! How horrific!!
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Yeah, first day. It should have been a warning sign.
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That is awesome. Kudos to you for having the guts to pick up that phone. I think I would have just quietly slipped away and let her rant on.
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I should have, but I didn’t think of it.
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Yikes! Wow – I can honestly say I’m glad I do not have your job. So…what happened?
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She became my arch nemesis for the next three years.
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Yeah, I know, but what do you *do*? I want details. 🙂
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I’m actually writing a series of short stories. Many based on my run ins with the her, the Guardian of the Gates of Hell.
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geez, aren’t there company policies against that kind of behavior? it’s very childish
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Yeah and turns out she was wrong. You would think, huh?
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did she confess wrong? I’m curious 🙂
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No, I’m told people quit and noted her behavior as the reason for leaving. She’s very proud of that fact.
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That’s unexpected , people usually try to make someone that negative resign.
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How professional.
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It made quite an impression.
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Memorable as well, let alone you long history afterwards.
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She about drove me insane, though I must say I pushed her as much. I’m a master at passive aggressive.
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~(*_~)~~ Can’t be all one-sided. 😀
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She’s a my way or the highway kind of person not prone to compromise. Lots of people quite because of her.
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I hear of a lot of that going on and nothing is done about the bad apple.
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I think that is quite common. No one really wants to confront the jerks because they’re all afraid of confrontation.
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*shakes head* 😦
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If it weren’t for low class, she’d have no class at all. — YUR
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LOL crackin’ me up.
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Priceless. (Phone conferences are always tricky. Often reveals a lot about people without them realizing it?) Great handling of the situation
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Thanks.
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Wow. I don’t think I could have picked up the phone after that. Not without spitting rage anyway.
You did good for not telling her where to stick it. Why people are so rude in a professional environment is beyond me.
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I know right. We’re all here to do a job and make a living. Some people make it so painful.
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Crikey, can’t wait to hear what happened next…
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It’s coming, not to worry.
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Always leave the reader wanting more.. Thanks for the suspense.
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Thank you and you’re welcome. 🙂
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She sounds classy
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I think she wears coats made of puppies and sweaters of kittens.
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Practical AND evil – a devilishly attractive combo
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I hope we’re talking about me now.
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I wouldn’t have taken the phone off mute but rather let her keep on raving. Who knows what gems she would have spouted off when she thought no one was on the other end of the line …
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I let her go with just me sitting there until she asked him a question. Quite a lovely lady. She earned the title Guardian of the Gates of Hell.
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I’ve had similar experiences. In some companies, “THE CLIENT” can say or do anything they want and you are expected to sit there and “manage” it. Glad I am retired.
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Take me with you! 🙂
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eeek
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Exactly.
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Yeah. I’m getting too old for that kind of behavior to go unanswered. I would have taken great delight in telling her a bit about herself, before resigning. Yes, I’ve become accustomed to eating and having a roof over my head, but my growing need to show people just how much their “shyte” stinks occasionally outweighs my need to eat.
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Cudos, you are braver than I am.
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… wowza.
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Exactly.
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Scary!! An office thriller in fact!
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LOL Working with smart people can be scary. Thanks.
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