Work-Related Question

I work at a nursing home and our department always goes on break together. The problem is with one of my co-workers. She is constantly complaining about how tired she is and how badly she needs a nap. This happens several times a day every single day. She also frequently mentions that her kitchen sink at home is full of dishes, and that she hasn't done any housework all week. When she volunteers to fill-in at her daughter-in-law's daycare, she complains about it and always says she needs a nap instead. I have tried to completely ignore these remarks which is hard since she repeats them so often. Also, the topics this person seems to be able to discuss are very limited. I would really like to spend my breaks with some of the other employees who are much more interesting, but this would make the other people in my department think I was being a snob. They would also think I was being a snob if I said something directly to this person. And if I brought this problem up with my supervisor she would just tell me to ignore these remarks.

I realize that this is a very minor work-related problem, but I would appreciate some suggestions.

It sounds to me that your co-worker is reaching out for help.
She should see her doctor to find out why she is so tired all the time.
She may just be overwhelmed with trying to juggle work & home (I often feel this way!) - or perhaps she is depressed, but there could be an underlying cause.

I suffer from anemia and now first hand how hard it is to be exhausted and maintain a normal life.

There are a varying number of medical problems that can cause fatique. You should encourage her to see someone soon.

Well, she may be reaching out for help, but I do think that this sort of behaviour in a work situation is really irritating. I think I would mention to her just once, that you think it might be medical, and then whenever she starts complaining, just try to shut her down by asking if she has done anything about it.

Some people are really in trouble and asking for help, but a lot just want to hear the sound of their own voice, and are perpetual complainers. And I had a friend who did have some serious problems, and I invested a lot of time into listening, and suggesting what he should do, and offering to help. He never did a thing, but stil complained about the same stuff all the time, I think to get the attention. I finally stopped speaking to him. It was mean, but I could do nothing to help, and his problems were really wearing on my own mental well being.

So I would start with a really pointed question about her health, then use that to shut down the complaints.

And if she is bothering you, I bet she is bothering others too.

I would ask her if she feels always very tired and if she is that maybe mean she is in need of Irion . That happen to me sometimes till I remember that I need Irion and after a few days my energie is kicking in again .

I have faced this problem at work also,When she starts look her in the eye and say ,you might want to see a Dr,or get more sleep at night so you are not so tired for work.

you know, i work with people that are always saying they are tired, and when you ask them why? they say i dont know i guess its just a habit to say im tired, because i think people that work on there feet all the time are tired alot, but it sounds like this lady wants people to feel sorry for her, if she feels this bad then she needs to see a Dr. not tell all of you about it , heck you cant do anything for her, maybe she wants you to do her work for her since she is so tired?? i would just tell her nicely, why dont you see a Dr, about this problem, heck i cant help ya im not a DR. maybe she will get the message and stop.. good luck

Actually your co-worker sounds like me! Only in the respect of how she feels because I don't talk about it constantly and usually keep it to myself!

I don't know what to say except you probably could encourage her to go to a doctor to find out why she is so tired all the time. In my case I found out eventually that I have narcolepsy. A sleeping disorder where you have sudden onset of sleep and constant daytime sleepiness. My specialist explained it to my spouse as the person with narcolepsy, on their best day, feels like they've been up for 72 hours with no sleep. Even with medication sometimes you feel like you've been up at least 24 hours.

I'm not saying that is what Is wrong with her because narcolepsy is very rare. But there could be any other number of things going on and she should have it checked out.

Can you find a way to change the subject and remain positive yourself? I know it's hard but sometimes this helps if you do it enough times. I know how you feel though. I don't care for being with people who are chronic complainers either. It tends to bring me down and you just get tired of hearing about it. Good luck!