Some individuals never seem to discard  their childhood playground antics, regardless of how high they rise in the workplace.

CASE: An employee is  experiencing retaliatory harassment after speaking (confidentially, she thought) with her supervisor and that person’s supervisor about the difficulty in concentrating with all the extraneous noise in a room of cubicles — workers talking and laughing, radios playing, loud telephone conversations, etc., in addition to the normal office noise such as file cabinets being opened and closed, normal conversations and telephone voices, etc.   A memo was sent to everyone, pointing out that the area sometimes gets very noisy and that all should work together to create a better working environment.  The person who “complained” is now the big-E, as in Enemy.  She experiences dirty looks, talking behind her back, bumping her, ‘accidentally’ messing up her papers, and other things. Also, some workers now seem to be intentionally noisier—slamming books on tables, banging file cabinet drawers shut, bumped carts into walls, etc.

You can surely sympathize with this worker if you have ever complained or reported to a supervisor in confidence, only to find later that the entire office knows about your conversation and the subsequent action, which now makes you Enemy #1 and the subject of ostracism.  The supervisor is probably as surprised as the worker to find that the positive memo would cause a problem for the worker who requested help.  Such an ugly reaction is frequently caused by one individual who functions as a “leader” in agitating others – often by circulating incorrect information. This same “leader” may sabotage other persons and projects without suffering any personal blame.

Does the worker in this case dare go back to her supervisor and explain that the situation has worsened? Can we assume that her coworkers received accurate information about what she said in that “confidential” meeting? Should she try talking with some or all the coworkers to be sure that her complaint has been fairly represented by the boss?

Should she try to pretend that the intentional noise is not bothering her, so they don’t get the “sick joy” of thinking that they are “pushing her buttons”?  Should she just smile at the worst offenders and hope that most offenders will cease to annoy her if she stays quit and friendly?

What has worked for you or someone you know in a similar circumstance?  Let us  hear from you.