No one likes a gossip, especially at work.
Sure, it's fun to hear someone spill a little tea every now and then, but what happens when you suddenly overhear people talking about you? Let's just say it's not that fun anymore.
This new hire had the unfortunate experience of working alongside the biggest gossip in the entire office. This coworker's mother was also an employee at the same company, so clearly, she felt that she was able to get away with being wildly unprofessional in the workplace. On the new hire's first day, she overheard the coworker gossiping about her and claiming that there was no way she would last more than three months on the job.
Of course, this is the kind of comment that sticks with you, but I guess there's nothing like proving people wrong to get you motivated. The author managed to stay at the company for years despite secretly planning her departure every other day. Still, she waited until the coworker left the company. By the time it was her coworker's last day, the author took the opportunity to give her a piece of her mind. On top of that, it seemed like she did last longer than three months.
Now, this isn't exactly something I would condone for other miserable employees out there. It seems that the author was motivated into staying at a miserable workplace environment just because of an unnecessarily passive-aggressive comment made by a coworker. If you feel like you need to change workplace environments as soon as possible, don't stifle those feelings just so you can prove a random coworker wrong. That mentality ultimately gives more power to the coworker than to yourself. Most folks stay in toxic workplaces due to financial constraints or because they view their position as a stepping stone for the next opportunity. Staying just for a random coworker, who isn't even a decent person, should not be part of one's professional priorities. Protecting yourself, your agency, and your wants and needs is what's most important.
After all, there is a reason why they call it at-will employment in the first place. Let's not forget that employment is a two-way street between the employer and the employee, not the random coworker who sits near you! Do yourself a favor and learn from this person's mistakes: never forget your agency in an at-will employment environment!
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Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.
Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.
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