Upon reflection, it occurs to me that they could just be a bad-tempered old bitches, and it has nothing to do with you or me, Rebekkah.
This behaviour is known as “world revolves around me syndrome”. There’s no reason to feel guilty about it, some people have it and others don’t, it’s nothing to do with you.
Since you’re already planning on leaving (assuming it’s not because of her) then I suggest doing more things to set her off, a passive-agressive strategy. Leave the inbox as it is. Make a different flavored coffee. Wear something she despises (perfume is good for this). Arrive & depart with down-to-the-minute precision. Maybe even “do unto others” (double-check her work) as it were.
I wouldn’t have offered to give her the commission, seeing as how the client asked you to do the work and you spent four hours on it. Fuck her.
But that’s just me.
Well, the melodrama continues.
She didn’t come into work AGAIN today. If she doesn’t get fired over this, I’d be VERY suprised. My boss gets home from vacation at around 3 and he is going to be very angry.
I think she’s staying away because she’s sure I’ll be fired over this and she can just waltz back into work on Monday with everything hunky dory. I think she’s childish, and I am no longer placating her if she doesn’t get fired. On top of that, I have to spend my whole fucking day today working on her clients. Fuck, fuckity fuck.
I had to write a statement for my office mgr this morning that she will show to the boss. I tried to be as reasonable and as professional as possible, but after a night of thinking, I figure she should get fired. I don’t deserve to be talked to the way she talked to me, and if she gets this emotional over such a small thing, she must be unstable.
I’ll keep you all updated.
Is it still prohibited to pull up lawn chairs? This is something I want to see.
Rebekkah, you could find a better job than you have now by walking into a McDonald’s if only because the work environment wouldn’t include her. Don’t mourn the position you hold now.
Rebekkah, although this situation is 100% not your fault, I do think that by “bending over backwards to accomodate [Elma]”, you’ve made it easier for her to treat you like shit without your boss having to deal with it. Be professional, stay calm, but stand up for yourself! Being an asshole to a coworker is in itself a perfectly valid reason for someone to be fired, and it’s only the asshole’s fault. Stop feeling guilty and start asking your boss to fix the problem. If Elma is in fact fired and this is no longer necessary, don’t just forget about it – use this as a lesson for the next time, so things don’t go so far before you stand up for yourself.
Being nice is wonderful, but don’t be a doormat. You deserve to be treated properly, but you’re the number one person in charge of watching out to make sure you are.
I vote “escalate.”
Do everything that she’s been accusing you of doing. Put tacks on her chair, steal her clients, drink her coffee, wipe your shoes on her coat.
She’s got such a reputation for paranoia that the more exotic stuff you do to her, the less they will believe it.
Remember, the wolf got to eat all the sheep he wanted after the village stopped believing that kid.
Keep us posted- I’d love to see how this all plays out.
If she stays and you stay, let me know. I’m sometimes in Calgary to see clients, and I’m a commercial insurance broker, so I’ll come in and pretend to be a prospective customer and drive her 'round the bend with a list of good “stupid” insurance questions. Maybe if she freaks out on a client, she’ll get fired.
Um, no. Doesn’t matter how whacked out this broad is, this is unethical. Funny in the abstract, but unethical. Don’t do it.
Your boss has no balls. He’s asking you to appease her instead of dealing with her unprofessionalism and hostility himself? Fuck that shit.
I would stay out of it. If she attacks you personally or directly, take it to the boss. But when you come in and leave and how you leave your in-box is between you and the person who signs your paychecks.
Dust off your resume. Life’s too short to deal with pinheads. And both Elma and your boss are pinheads.
…and…
Don’t be so sure that the boss isn’t doing anything to Elma…she may already have some write-ups or other documentation that Rebekkah doesn’t even know about. With great certainy, bosses would love to see their employees get along with each other…less stress, better productivity, less discipline issues, etc…I can almost guarantee that even though Rebekkah has been told to accomodate Elma, I’m sure he’s read the Riot Act to Elma…unless he’s totally blind to the conflict…and right now, I don’t see that happening.
As a boss, having your own documentation is crucial to being successful against unemployment claims from ex-employees who don’t have a right to the claim because of their actions. My bet is that Boss is lining his ducks up in a row and waiting for Elma to cross that Line of No Return. That line is usually made on the second employee write-up with a “If you do this again, you will be terminated”. A good employer will make this line in the sand (and this does take time, mind you) for the employee to cross over or curtail the undesireable action. If you were the one who got the verbal (“please accomodate her”) instead of the write-up (“do this again and your outta here”), don’t do anything stupid, let the other party hang themselves on their own…it’s bound to happen soon.
I have had employees accuse each other of malicious deeds. It takes time and homework to separate actual misdeeds from gossip, lies and deceit. The two employees were threatening each other verbally. I could have fired them both on the spot, but for unemployment sakes (having a stronger case), I decided to write them up and warned them to stop immediately. One did, the other didn’t. So, instead of cutting 2 employees and ending up with 2 so-so UI claims, I ended up saving one employee who I value, and the other employee lost her UI claim hearing even though she cited “hostile work conditions” (which I proved that she created it in the first place).
Which boss would you rather have?
So Rebekkah, my advice is to maintain the course and not give Elma ANY ammunition to shoot with.
You don’t know that. Would you rather have a patient boss that collects facts and tosses out hearsay, or one that jumps to conclusions with very little (or wrong) info to go on? Besides, Boss hasn’t been there this week! You want him to evaluate this cherade over the phone?
Well, the hamsters ate my last post, so here goes again…
Whatever you do, do NOT leave this job because of that bitch Elma. All that will do is cement in her mind that her behavior is acceptable and she can feel free to treat people with less tenure in the way that she is treating you.
If she does in fact get canned, I would caution you to be extra careful with your personal belongings liek your car. This woman has already proven that nothing that happens to her is her fault at all, so she will undoubtedly blame you and it sounds like retaliation isn’t out of the question for her character. Make sure to lock your vehicle or even park it somewhere where you can keep an easy eye on it.
I’m not saying that she will do this or that you should go out of your way to be in fear of her, but it fits in with her personality type and if I was in your situation, I might be a bit more careful.
best of luck to you!
Sam
Well, here’s my update for the day. I sure hope no one finds this site 
So, my office mgr is going to talk to the boss over the weekend. I gave her my cell number and told her that the boss could call me if he wanted to get this sorted out over the weekend.
She has been told on several occassions that I’m not going anywhere and she needs to find a way to work with me. I think this may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
I’ve been thinking about it, and I am worried he’ll let this one go. He’s a really great guy, and aside from being a total loon, she does do a good job. I think he might dock her pay for the two days she missed and tell her that she’s on a very thin line with him and to watch her behaviour. I’m hoping this doesn’t happen, because I do not want to work with her.
I’ve reviewed my behaviour in this situation and I think I was in the right. I do think, however, that I should not have lost my cool when she was ranting and raving. I should have told her I refused to discuss things with her until the office mgr came in, but she was really pissing me off and I’d had it with her behaviour. I think that may be the only reason my boss has to be upset with me, but I’ll be really suprised if I get in trouble with this.
Needless to say, I’m sitting on pins and needles waiting to see what happens.
I’m curious as to what’s got this woman so riled up in the first place.
Rebekkah, you got any “offensive” bumper stickers on your car? Or how about the “wrong” skin tone? Or maybe you’re just a “heathen” who happens to follow a “false” god? What? 
People don’t get this batshit crazy without a reason…
Well, I think she’s just fucking nuts in my opinion, although she is a racist and a homophobe to boot.
I can’t think of anything I did. She was hostile from the minute I walked in the door.
Your boss might be a really great guy but, frankly, he’s also a total wuss if he doesn’t fire her. Her behavior is so far from acceptable that no smaller measure will cover it. She’s bullied and intimidated coworkers with her tantrums, blown off work with a crucial customer and walked off the job. No amount of skill, when and if she chooses to apply it, can overcome all that.
You’re completely justified in not wanting to work with her. I’m glad the office manager realizes that, and the boss had better grasp the realities too. It was ridiculous that they ever counseled you to give in to her on small things in order to stave off her tantrums. I thoroughly agree with Yeticus Rex and Giraffe: your boss has a clear responsibility to deal with this bully. And she surely is a bully, nothing less. Bullies can’t be placated or bought off. That’s not only wrong; it’s stupid because it doesn’t work. Bullies just shift ground and find new and improved ‘reasons’ to throw their weight around.
Nobody should have to dread going to work because of a coworker’s abuse. She’s there to work in exchange for money, not play out melodramas that prevent other people from working. Hang polite but hang tough, Rebekkah, and hold your boss’s feet to the fire. He’s responsible for cleaning up this toxic mess.
Best of luck to you!
Veb
You know, if they don’t fire her over this (and they should, most definitely), you might want to consider staging a protest of your own. Maybe a leave of absence until she’s gone? Maybe a resignation letter you can turn in as soon as you find out she’s not fired? I think it’s time for a “she goes or I go.”
Oh, please. If I had a co-worker who was making my life miserable because she didn’t think I was arriving or leaving on time, or that my in-box didn’t meet her cleanliness standards, you better bet the boss should step in and tell her to back off. That’s what a boss does. You don’t tell one employee to cater to another employee’s looniness.
I really think my boss was trying to find a way to keep both of us around. He said that they were ridiculous nit picky complaints but that I could make my life a little easier if I just followed them, thus leaving her with little to bitch about. The only problem is that she moved onto other things - she ALWAYS found something wrong.
Well, time for an update. My office mgr e-mailed me. She said she just got off the phone with my boss. He told her to tell me not to worry, he has no problem with how I handled things, and didn’t say much else other than that he needs the weekend to process.
My boss is a really methodical and cautious guy, and I have a lot of respect for him. Any other job that had this level of bullshit with the other employees and I would have left already.