Why would she do this?

As the admin assistant for my job, I word process the edits in the specifications we send out from our mechanical engineering firm. Once I finish doing the edits from the markups that the guys give me, I go back and double check my work.

So today, my "supervisor" asks me the ominous question, "Has XXX (one of the owners) said anything about a spec you did in the past few weeks?" No, he hasn't said anything to me. Was there an issue with the spec? "When they got to the meeting with it, there were a whole lot of errors. But don't say anything, just let XXX bring it up."

OK, well, if it's been weeks then he isn't going to bring it up. Either it wasn't that big of a deal and she's just getting some jabs in (she's been known to do that in the past, someone says something and she blows it up into a huge issue with me...), or he just doesn't want to say anything to me about it. If that's the case, it really bothers me. I can't fix something if I don't know there's anything wrong. I still hate it that the engineers go to her to complain about my position. At least that's what happened in the past, and she sure gives that impression that it still goes on. If I did something wrong, tell me. If I'm messing something up, let me know so I can fix it.

So why would she do that and tell me not to say anything about it? Should I go talk to XXX anyway and play dumb? Just say that she asked if he had said anything to me about a spec?

Personally, I would probably ask XXX about saying that you heard there was a concern with your work and you want to ensure something like this never happens again. As for the person who brought it up, it seems as if she is a petty little witch who has to much time on her hands - maybe she needs more work to keep her occupied so she keeps her nose out of your business!

Originally Posted by valanhb

Should I go talk to XXX anyway and play dumb? Just say that she asked if he had said anything to me about a spec?

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It's clearly worrying you so why not? It can be done calmly and clearly, saying as you did to us, that if there's a problem you'd rather know so you can make sure it can be put right. It will do one of two things, if there was a problem, the engineer would probably come to you in the future. Particularly if he thought that by going to your supervisor he would avoid having to discuss it - in future he'll know that that doesn't work. Or secondly, if your supervisor is blowing things out of proportion, the engineers will probably grasp this and be more careful how they phrase things to her or only say things to her when it is a big issue.

Either way, you will have cleared the air and won't have this problem knitting a worry knot inside.

Good luck - these things are horrible aren't they

Whatever happens, you're not paid to get blood-pressure. Personally I'd tell XXX to XXX off and go XXX herself. But I'm afraid that's just the bull-in-the-china-shop attitude I tend to adopt. I think this calls for a little bit of talking and finding out. Let us know if anything happens though beb. Calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean.

Sounds like a S*** D******** to me! If it's not a big deal, then there was no need for her to bring it up. If it's important, either the owner who mentioned it to her isn't being straight with you, or she is not being straight with you. And as you say, if there's problem, you need to know about it, before you can correct it. Been there, done that, not comfortable!

It's a touchy situation, but my inclination would be to talk to the owner. Say something like "[name] mentioned there had been some problems with a spec I did a while ago. She didn't seem to think I needed to bother you about it, but I'm concerned, because I can't correct a problem if I don't know about it. Is there something I should be aware of here?"

Good luck!!

To me it sounds like this woman has what we call the big wooden spoon out to do some stirring in order to add a bit of excitement into her boring life?!.

I've worked with sad people like that who live boring lives and love something to happen in the workplace just to put a smile on their face or to get people worried!.

I would just ask XXX quite casually when he/she's on their own " Was that spec ok? ".

I personally think if there was going to be anything said Heidi it would have been said by now!.

If that had been said to me i call peoples bluff by saying something like "No, i will go and ask because as far as i'm concerned it was ok!", then watch her face change!!!!

Im known for being a "No nonsense" person, and if anything is said like that they know i wont just let it lie!.

Yeah I agree with what everyone has said so far. You need to talk with XXX and then maybe miss snotty will learn to keep her mouth shut. I hate people like that! the ones with to much time on their hands and whose lives are so boring that they need to stir up some excitement at the office by talking behind backs and saying "well don't tell so and so." HECK no! someone tells me something like that and I'm off like a bat out of Hell looking to regain my status because if she's talking trash to you, imagine what she's talking to XXX.
But that's just me and I hate two faced people. All of my co workers are like that.

Originally Posted by flisssweetpea

It's clearly worrying you so why not? It can be done calmly and clearly, saying as you did to us, that if there's a problem you'd rather know so you can make sure it can be put right. It will do one of two things, if there was a problem, the engineer would probably come to you in the future. Particularly if he thought that by going to your supervisor he would avoid having to discuss it - in future he'll know that that doesn't work. Or secondly, if your supervisor is blowing things out of proportion, the engineers will probably grasp this and be more careful how they phrase things to her or only say things to her when it is a big issue.

Either way, you will have cleared the air and won't have this problem knitting a worry knot inside.

Good luck - these things are horrible aren't they

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I'd probably do what Beth suggests - talk to XXX.

she may have just been giving you a heads up.. Me and the other person i work with always tell each other when the boss is upset or whatever, not to be mean but just so we know..

Originally Posted by jcat

I'd probably do what Beth suggests - talk to XXX.

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Man, I kinda like what Emma in Scotland said.... all those XXX's!!! and XXX's!!! and XXX's!!! I like it!

Heidi you and I agreed we're in similar positions and I can honestly say I work around people with a lot of control issues. I think take it directly to him and use that good ol' Gee Whiz phraseology, "Gosh, I had such an off-day a week or so ago... I had wanted to proof a document that maybe routed itself to you too fast? I'm sorry! Please let me know directly in the future, so it won't happen again." <kiss kiss kiss> < stick my head in the honey jar>

I too would approach XXX and tell him what she said and assure him that if there was something wrong you really want to know so you can fix it or prevent it in the future.

I experience this once when the lady I worked with had typed a manual for one of the HR persons and when he mentioned how many typing errors there were in it, she told him I had done it. When I found out, I looked her right in the eye and told her I was big enough to take responsibility for my errors but I was da**ed if I would take responsibility for hers and told her she had better never do something like that again.

I agree with all the comments above. I never like when there is a concern involving me but I hear about it 2nd or 3rd hand. Its so petty. I have to put up with alot of that C**P at work for another 9 1/2 months yet!!

Thanks everyone. I think I will go talk to him this afternoon once she leaves for the day (hopefully she leaves early like usual, and his wife doesn't go into labor. They are expecting their second child any day. ).

Anna, I would agree with you...but...she has a history of making a mountain out of a molehill. She once made a comment about "people were complaining" that I was giving off attitude when they gave me corrections. Now, I don't think I did but I thought it possible if I was super busy that it could have come across like that. She wasn't there at the next office meeting, so I brought it up and apologized if I ever came across like that. Not one of the people there (95% of the office) even remotely acted like it was a concern. Another time, she changed her mind about how we handled something that the engineers were supposed to get back to me on. She had always asked me in the past before she placed the lunch order who had said they weren't going to be there. That month, I had gotten one, count it, ONE person who said they weren't going to be there. Next day, I get a rotten email saying "I just wasted my time checking with people who said they had already told you..." Well, the ONE person is someone she chats with regularly anyway but she made a big to-do about it.

Don't get me wrong, in most circumstances and most of the time I do enjoy working with her. She isn't like this all of the time, just every so often she gets a bug up her hiney and then it's not so fun for me.

Originally Posted by LilleKat

Calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean.

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Too funny. I'm passing that one on to a high strung relative.

Originally Posted by valanhb

a bug up her hiney and then it's not so fun for me.

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FANTASTIC!!! What an image. If ever she gets you stressed - just imagine her exactly like that! I wouldn't be able to contain myself

If she is your supervisor, and she is usually decent to work with, why not approach her? If she is the type of person unwilling to keep her staff in a positive working environment, who is unapproachable, maybe its time to find a new supervisor. Maybe XXX feels it is your supervisors job to talk to you about what you are doing wrong and would be annoyed that this is coming back to him. Maybe XXX made it clear to your supervisor it was a MINOR issue, and shes worried it will come back to get her in trouble if its discovered she made an issue about it at all. In either case, you are not the one doing your job incorrectly, so try to relax. If it ever were to come up again, you can defend yourself more then adequately.

Update:

Well, she not only made the comment to me, she also went and talked with the President of the company. It came up in the Office Meeting, as "The designers are responsible for what goes out, so be sure to double check the work when you give work to someone else to complete, no matter how good they have been in the past." So he didn't direct it at me personally, but I knew what the underlying issue was. The President and I have a really good working relationship so he brought it up this morning with me and gave me the benefit of the doubt that there could have been other circumstances, but I should go talk with XXX about it. So I did. Turns out he didn't think it was a big deal at all which is why he didn't say anything to me in the first place. It wasn't "multiple typing errors" that she told me and the president about, it was basically one sentence that was overlooked. But it was something that the project's owner latched onto and made a big deal out of in a meeting. He said that he just figured it was an isolated incident because he knows what kind of work I usually do. He also said that he would let me know if anything like this happens again so I don't just hear it from others.

So basically, she made a huge big deal about something that wasn't a big deal at all. :rolleyes;

she only acts like that coz you are better than her

Keep what he said locked in your head Heidi and play that as your ace card the next time she decides making that mountain bigger than what it is!!!

You've heard it directly from the monkey not the organ grinder and thats what counts!.

That must be a great weight off your mind. Hopefully, it'll see an end to that kind of thing as well - because she won't be trusted by people like XXX now.

Good for you for sorting it out