ajcjobs > BlogBreak > Archives > 2007 > September > 10 > Entry

Trouble with an office parasite?

By Kimberly Guelcher | Monday, September 10, 2007, 08:14 AM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

At some point in most of our lives we’ve had to peacefully co-exist with a co-worker who was overly invested in our own personal and professional activities. It’s annoying at best and in some cases they can be a detriment to our career.

While they’re usually harmless, these office busy bodies often consider their workplace a critical part of their social life. Unfortunately, they can seem like they’re more interested in your private telephone conversation with your sister than they are in the report they’re supposed to be completing for the division manager.

But occasionally, these Nosy Nellies aren’t so benign. There is a special kind of office parasite out there, who will infiltrate our personal space in an attempt to gain information that they hope will make us look bad and propel them forward in the eyes of the boss.

They may be friendly or they may be adversarial, but their goal is the same: to make themselves look good at your expense.

I once had a coworker who called my boss to report that I was two hours late for work that morning. Fortunately, my boss knew the real story behind my absence, because she had asked me to attend a networking event that morning on her behalf. In her haste to make me look like a slacker, the co-worker ended up looking like a school yard tattle-tale.

If you suspect you have a co-worker who is committed to your professional demise, you must take preemptive steps to protect yourself.

First and foremost, make sure that you are without reproach. If you are doing what you’re supposed to be doing at work, you should have little need to worry about what might be relayed to the boss. But if, despite your clean-living, you fear that your reputation may be in danger then you’ll want to document, document, document!

Check in with your boss on a regular basis and keep him in the loop on your activities and accomplishments. Depending on your relationship with your boss, you might voice your concerns and ask that she give you the benefit of hearing your version of the story, should unsavory information come her way.

If your company has a separate HR department, it may be worthwhile to have a conversation with an impartial third party, who knows the culture of your organization, for guidance on how to proceed.

You may choose to confront the co-worker head on, and in certain cases this may be effective. However, do not under any circumstances become emotional and escalate the situation. Keep your conversation factual and your tone of voice calm and professional. If you start handing out accusations, you’ll only invite an argument.

Have you had to face a similar situation? Were you able to turn a negative into a positive, or did the situation harm your professional reputation?

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By leslie

September 10, 2007 4:43 PM | Link to this

I wish I had seen this article months ago. I enountered an office parasite & lost my temper. I was the one with egg on my face after the smoke cleared. Office Parasites have a way of surviving. Documentation is the key

By Job30339

September 11, 2007 9:14 AM | Link to this

I work with two office parasites and they have caused people to quit their job and go work somewhere else. They talk on their cell phones all day and surf the internet. But yet when they see one of us do it they run straight to our boss and turn us in. No one but my boss likes them and they are the outcast of the company. When we have special outings we make sure not to include them because God knows what they will report back to the boss! They make our working envrionment a nightmare! But yet they always seem to get the promotions and special awards. It makes me sick!

By peachykeen

September 11, 2007 1:56 PM | Link to this

I currently work with an office parasite and we have a great working relationship. She hails from a family of racist bigots who live in trailers in the boonies of South Carolina. They have no idea they’re little pumpkin lives with her lover, a black woman. Anywho, this office parasite spent months running to my boss to spread stories about my alleged misdeeds. Other co-workers kept me abreast of her shenanigans and it took everything I had not to confront her. Finally, the ca-ca hit the fan. She told a big lie, my boss flipped out on me, and other co-workers had to come to my defense. When the smoke cleared, my parasite officemate was revealed for the big stanky liar that she is, and my boss felt stupid. A month went by and the parasite wanted to go to dinner and a show so we could have girl talk. I flatly told her that I knew all about her tattling and spreading tales and that I was not surprised by her actions. I told her that she lives a less than authentic private life so one can only expect her to also be less than truthful in her professional life. I remained calm, declined dinner and went on about my business. She knows that we are all onto her, and I know to watch my back.

By Stacey

September 11, 2007 2:03 PM | Link to this

peachykeen Loved your post! Behind her back, you should call your office parasite, Stinky McStink Face!

By AdAgencyWorker

September 11, 2007 2:04 PM | Link to this

What do you do if the president of your company actually likes to have nosie nellies working for her? That’s what happened at the agency I used to work for…..not only were her “key” people the types of workers you described in your article, but she only promoted people who would tattle and talk behind other workers backs. She violated HIPAA laws all the time, not to mention she was the most unprofessional professional I’ve had the misfortune of working under. Has anyone else ever run across this type of boss?

By The Essence of Taste and Sophistication

September 11, 2007 2:20 PM | Link to this

Peachykeen, why is the housing situation of the office parasite’s family relevant to your story?

Would you like the office parasite better if her family lived in a government housing project?

It sounds as if you have some prejudices of your own.

But I guess everybody needs to feel superior to somebody.

Right, Peachy?

By NewJobSabotagedByParasite

September 11, 2007 2:35 PM | Link to this

Thanks for this article, which should have been on the front page of the AJC. I am currently unemployed no thanks to the parasite at my old office who sabotaged my new job and caused the offer I was offered and accepted to be rescinded only days prior to the start of my new job. Due to the failure of my prior employer to consequence/ reprimand/ or terminate their favored “specially privileged” office staff who bullied, harassed, and set up other staff to look bad (and be fired) despite other staff’s reporting them to their supervisors, very good and productive employees left the firm. These non-productive (spend time gossipping, visiting friends’ cubicles and conjuring up schemes to run good people off) bully parasites continue to harass and essentially ‘run the show’ against their perceived foes without being reprimanded. They even receive the highest staff salaries (even more than degreed professionals) and bonuses and they flaunt the same to the productive staff who they make look bad. One secretary bragged she was always given the highest marks on her evaluations. This secretary is one of the biggest troublemakers and I have seen her bully new staff after new staff who seem to work very well with her boss. Her boss is either totally ignorant of his staff’s behavior, or prefers to look the other way, even when her behavior was brought to the attention of her boss (he continued to reward her inapprop. behavior with large raises and bonuses). This same woman gets her friends to bully and set up staff as well and is sugary sweet to her boss; she has many of the partners in the firm thinking she is an angel.

My story is that I had been offered a new job with a much higher salary in another firm. I had 2 interviews and I know via the staffing agency and the employer that they really liked me from the get go. The day after I accepted their offer and gave my 2 weeks’ notice to the current employer, the office manager from the new employer sent me a ‘welcome’ e-mail mentioning they were all excited that I accepted their offer and would be starting on a set date. I completed my last 2 weeks at the old job and had a week off in between the old job and the new one. While I was on vacation during that week off, the agency called to report the employer rescinded my job offer and gave no reason. I had been told by the agency that my resume and references were excellent. I would not have quit my old job (I was there for quite a number of years, which also gave me the opportunity for many years of observing the troublemakers at the old job run good people off and be rewarded with raises and bonuses and special treatment by those they have wrapped around their twisted personalities).

I later discovered that the job I was offered and accepted was reposted as open. When I gave my 2 weeks notice at the old office, they of course wanted to know where I was going and I expressed that I did not want to say for fear of someone sabotaging my new job. When one of my bosses came around to see me after word got out I was leaving, I also told him I did jot want to say to where I was going and expressed the same reason. I did end up telling him and he wished me well at the new job, and he also knew one of my new bosses.

The only explanation for how my new job offer was rescinded I can think of is that someone at the old office found out where I was going (the gossip in the old office runs rampant and also without reprimand to the perpetrators), and perhaps out of jealousy, contacted my new job and intentionally interfered with my livelihood, as the offer was rescinded only 3 days before I was to begin working at my new job. I have no idea who could be so hateful and unprofessional that they felt the need to sabotage my new job. I am a friendly and personable person and cannot understand why someone did this to me. You can bet that this is all being investigated and I will get to the bottom of what happened whether it be via subpoenas or whatnot. Yes, Georgia is an “at will” state and they do not have to give an excuse for rescinding my job offer, so I am told. However, some sick and hateful person obviously interfered with my employment relationship and I will not let them get away with it. I will not let the new employer get away with messing with my happiness and a chance at gainful employment, which is my livelihood. I was enticed away from my old job with a higher salary. I quit my old job based upon accepting the new job and their ‘welcome’ e-mail. I never would have resigned from my old job without first having lined up a new job- Never! I feel I am owed an explanation, but my gut tells me someone sabotaged my happiness, and my intuition is very, very strong and accurate. I believe in Karma, though.

I did forget to say that on my last day of work at the old job, I sent out a very nice ‘goodbye’ e-mail to all, indicating I was leaving and mentioned where I would be working, as have some others who have left this firm, only their new jobs were not sabotaged. I only sent the e-mail out as I’d been working there for so long, I wanted to thank the firm for the experience I received at the old job. I learn from mistakes and will never send a goodbye e-mail out if I ever leave any jobs in the future.

I am still unemployed. The work I do is not the type where there are abundant jobs. The job I was supposed to have is still open and posted- they unprofessionally blew off a very good, loyal, and energetic employee- their loss. Those who work in the same line of work I do (and same associations to which I belong) have been informed of what happened to myself and of the name of the unprofessional firm who rescinded my job offer.

I would not want this to happen to anyone else. I hope my experience will help someone else to keep their new employer’s name a secret if they are leaving a job. The employment laws in Georgia are not supportive of employees with this being an “at will” state.

There is something wrong with Georgia’s laws when a firm can offer someone a job, they willfully accept it, give notice and quit their job of many years, receive a ‘welcome’ e-mail directly from the new employer’s office manager after they gave notice from their other job, and they then can rescind the offer after the employee leaves their old job. What is wrong here? I cannot seek unemployment benefits because I never started the new job and I was not fired from the old job. I now am uninsured, have kids to feed and bills to pay, while the position I had accepted and was excitedly anticipating my first day of work, is still posted as open.

I am told that there is pending legislation right now, I believe it is called ‘The Workplace Bully Act’ or something to that affect. I highly recommend that people call their congressmen and urge them to support this act. Office bullies and parasites need to stop being rewarded. Employers need to open their eyes and believe the victims who try to report the bullies. Employers who allow bullying should be reported and fined. Bullies should be terminated.

It is a shame the power that some people are awarded in their jobs, that they can sabotage one’s livelihood and come out smelling like a rose- well, for now.

It’s not over.

Karma.

By NY 2 GA

September 11, 2007 2:51 PM | Link to this

I had an office parasite in NY who did it all behind my back and smiled in my face.

Little did she know the boss and I were friends before the job situation. She would tell him that she was tired of working in my shadows and that It was hard working with me.

In the meantime she came in late everyday and took more time off than she had on the books. She stayed on the phone and sent emails all day with her friends and I said not a word - just did my work.

One year she made the mistake of inviting me to her son’s birthday party - I looked her straight in her eyes and told her I spend my time outside of work only with my friends and family. That was the end of that.

She has been with that company for 14 years, I was with them for 3 and I earned employee of the month which she has never accomplished.

I have since moved on (GA) she told me on my last day to keep in touch - yeah right.

By Jethro

September 11, 2007 3:12 PM | Link to this

Apparently most of the posters here are female as well as their alleged office parasites…you women are so catty…

By Morrigan

September 11, 2007 3:16 PM | Link to this

NewJob, I’m sorry that happened to you, and I believe either slander or libel is the legal term for deliberately spreading info - even the truth - if the intention is to prevent another from earning a living.

But why oh why, when you KNEW BETTER because you’d been careful up to the last day, did you tell people where you were going?

By lovelyliz

September 11, 2007 3:22 PM | Link to this

How about the office parasite who never contributes to any of the office celebrations but never fails to show up for the ones where he think he is due? This is a real sore spot with me.

He never does much work and his quite often is riddled with errors which you fix because he does everything at the last minute so waiting for him to correct it means that you will be the one who is late.You fix the problems and quietly mention in to him later again that he made the same mistakes again and he brushes you off.

Then he find a minor issue with something you did and has to make a federal case out of it before verifying that’s even as issue. He has to go up and down the chain of command and proceeds to let everyone know about what you’ve done wrong and how he is going to fix it.

He did this with me the last time because he said I put the wrong zip on a package that was sent out. By the time I got back into the office I had 4 managers asking me about it and then tell me that the parasite saved the day by redoing the package, a 9 page report that he had to walk down to the network printer to retrieve and put in and envelope. I immediate called the customer who had gotten the original package on time and had no problems with it. Yet the parasite is still the good guy.

I’ve been given the advice to return the favor, but it never seems to still and I would hate to sink down to his level.

By Alexis

September 11, 2007 3:27 PM | Link to this

NewJobSabotaged….honey, your post is extremely contradictory. You state you have no idea how anyone could have found out where you were going, then later in the post state that you had sent a good-bye email with your future employer information contained therein. Sounds more like it was your lack of intellect and not sabotage that cost you the job. I am not sure specifically your line of work as you were careful to sidestep that throughout your post; however I am pretty sure you are not a degreed professional based on your sentence structure. Not that this matters, but it of course explains your inability to find a new job and your vindictiveness at threatening subpoenas at those you feel wronged you. Also, to label a company disreputable simply because they rescinded your job offer is not fair to that company. Perhaps you failed a background or credit check; often times those are ran post acceptance. Did you sign the offer letter? If you have a signed offer letter, read it’s clause regarding rescinsion of the offer. If you didn’t sign an offer letter, then you were never actually in acceptance of the new job.

By Beth

September 11, 2007 3:37 PM | Link to this

You guys should be off cooking up revenge schemes, not pretending to work AKA posting on AJC blogs!!!

Just kiddin’. Sorry to those of you who feel sabotaged in the workplace… Stories like that make me nervous about working in offices and such. I hope when I graduate from college I can freelance and work from home, which is often done in the line of work I am seeking to enter.

By Job30339

September 11, 2007 3:39 PM | Link to this

NewJobSabotaged it sounds like you should go back to the temp agency that offered you the job and ask them to find you another one. Or have you thought about going back to your old? Yes, it sucks to give up your pride but face the facts.. you have bills to pay and children to feed. You have to do what you have to do. Also try going to the department of Labor. Maybe they can find you something. Wasting your time on finding out what happened will do you no go. Maybe go back to college and work on your degree. There are lots that you can do. Don’t give up! You will find something to make you feel better. This has happened to me before as well. That is why I don’t trust job agencies. They never tell you the whole truth….

By NY 2 GA

September 11, 2007 3:41 PM | Link to this

Alexis, I agree with 90% of what you said - but gracious New Job Sab may be feeling a little anger. New Job I agree with Alexis because loose lips sank your ship - why oh why would you tell them where you were going. Were you braging, maybe?

Well either way try to move on or better yet, if you left your job on good terms try and go back - until you find something else.

Sometimes you have to swallow your pride - don’t sit home angry, hungry and broke especially when kids are involved.

By lovelyliz

September 11, 2007 3:41 PM | Link to this

And when the office parasite is also the office brown-noser there is only so much you can do besides tolerate or quit.

By Anne

September 11, 2007 4:03 PM | Link to this

NewJobSabotaged,

I hope you’re reading what the last few posters had to say about your situation. I’m no expert, but I do know from experience that we lose out in the end when we spend energy stewing about how we were wronged. The only details that matter are that you have kids who have needs that must be cared for, and that you will have to get creative to figure out how to get that done. You sound like a hardworker, and I hope you can use that dedication, drive, and energy to improve your lot. It won’t happen overnight, but you can do it.

In the meantime, I do have a suggestion… the company of the blog on which you are posting — the AJC. They are forever hiring new carriers for routes. ~$300 a week [and yes, the checks are weekly] for 2-3 hours of your time a day, plus benefits after 90 days. some carriers make a little less, but I’ve known of some that make twice that amount by doing a little extra. Maybe not high on the hog but a lot of people do it when they’re in between jobs, or as a second job to raise some quick extra cash. It’s worth a shot…

Either way, take care and best wishes on moving on past this unfortunate experience, and finding something that works for you.

By ejaxn

September 11, 2007 4:06 PM | Link to this

Rule to remember -

You NEVER give notice at your old job until you have a SIGNED offer letter outlining all details of the job. I have always been super paranoid about getting all of it in writing -start date, pay, vacation, position title, etc in a formal document signed by typically the head of Human Resources.

Also, even in the best situations you typically tell NO ONE where you are going.

By Anne

September 11, 2007 4:08 PM | Link to this

NewJobSabotaged,

I hope you’re reading what the last few posters had to say about your situation. I’m no expert, but I do know from experience that we lose out in the end when we spend energy stewing about how we were wronged. The only details that matter are that you have kids who have needs that must be cared for, and that you will have to get creative to figure out how to get that done. You sound like a hardworker, and I hope you can use that dedication, drive, and energy to improve your lot. It won’t happen overnight, but you can do it.

In the meantime, I do have a suggestion… the company of the blog on which you are posting — the AJC. They are forever hiring new carriers for routes. ~$300 a week [and yes, the checks are weekly] for 2-3 hours of your time a day, plus benefits after 90 days. some carriers make a little less, but I’ve known of some that make twice that amount by doing a little extra. Maybe not high on the hog but a lot of people do it when they’re in between jobs, or as a second job to raise some quick extra cash. It’s worth a shot…

Either way, take care and best wishes on moving on past this unfortunate experience, and finding something that works for you.

By Anne

September 11, 2007 4:10 PM | Link to this

Agggh! My computer sabotaged. My apologies for the multiple postings.

By Shaquita

September 11, 2007 5:01 PM | Link to this

We have too many office parasites at my work. The main one is pretty much best friends with the boss. She gets away with everything. She got caught clocking out after she left work, basically stealing time and was caught red-handed. What does her boss do, she corrects it before HR sees it! Her boss regularly steals time for her by adding overtime hours. She is the slackest, highest paid, low-class, office parasite you can find. She has many kids, cough 5, all by different guys. She is in her mid-20’s. Her boss even lies on her paycheck so she can get welfare and food stamps. She just stole her best friend’s baby daddy, a co-worker, and has no remorse. She owes everybody in the company money yet gets paid the best. What can you do when the boss looks out for the office parasite. So far, almost everybody that works under her quit within 2 months. 6 people have quit in less than 6 months. Just had to vent!

By NewJobSabotagedByParasite

September 11, 2007 5:57 PM | Link to this

NY2GA- yep, that’s how the parasites in GA work. I am also from the north and I have never worked with such catty, phoney women before in my life. Northerners are much more direct, as you will see. I am generally a laid back individual and I stay away from the troublemakers, but I am trained very well in observing behavior and I saw so many nice people who were great workers get run off.

Jethro, the cattiness I observed was a major reason for my leaving the old job.

Morrigan, my goodbye e-mail was sent late the night of my last day of work. I now realize it was a mistake to send it because I was not in the office parasite club; had I been in that club, I could have sent that e-mail. I had formed relationships in the old office and did not have the time to go around and visit with everyone before I left because I was busy being productive. So the e-mail was my goodbye. I have never had the experience of someone sabotaging my chance at a new job before.

Alexis, I found your comments to be inappropriately condescending and full of false assumptions. I am not writing for an award nor for pay in this blog, so who cares about sentence structure here? I did not say I had no idea of how someone found out where I would be working. I said I had no idea who could be so evil as to sabotage my job. Additionally, I have great intellect as evidenced by the positive comments made to me by my own former bosses and others for whom I have worked. I see that name-calling appears to be one way in which you debate others. And another reason for accepting a higher paid job was to afford to further my intellectual knowledge and certifications. By the way, perhaps it is not myself who is spending the time investigating these matters. And who would want to work for a company which is unprofessional enough to rescind a job offer once it has been accepted and discussed? I responded to their ‘welcome’ e-mail further expressing my excitement at being offered the job. I have never used a headhunter firm nor temp agency to seek work prior to this once time. I have always gotten any job for which I applied. I got hooked up [uh oh, I used slang… that darn intellect again!] with this headhunter because I answered an AJC online ad that this headhunter placed for the other firm. I had googled certain terms and this ad came right up- I was not even on the AJC’s site. Since I had everything for which this advertised positionrequired, I applied for it. I relied on the headhunter’s phone calls and verbal discussions offering the position and discussing the benefits. Would the headhunter have records of these details? Or is all of what she was told by the office manager of the hiring company only in her head? I did learn a lesson from this experience and that was to get any new job offers in writing. In regards to the credit and background checks comments, I checked with the headhunter and she said they did not do any. I have nothing to hide, anyway. I am not your ‘honey’, by the way. When I wrote my initial comments to the article, if I gave too many details, I could be giving myself, my former employer, or the unprofessional rescinder’s identity away.

As an intellectual being, I am always willing to learn new things. Alexis, the manner in which you condescendingly responded makes me wonder where you are on your work’s totem pole.

Anne- thank for the job leads but I do not want to work for the AJC. I already have some leads.

Everything happens for the best and I stay positive. And at times, yes, I do feel angry about this, wouldn’t all of you who read this?

Job30339- (a great zip code!) I did have plans to add to my knowledge after starting the new job. I could not afford the additional board exams and certifications at the old job. I am in a profession where I constantly learn, due to the evolving changes in the technology and advances in the profession in which I work.

Beth, thanks for the kind words. You have a great trait, empathy.

Ejaxn, you are right.

By peachykeen

September 12, 2007 10:57 AM | Link to this

to Essence: I could care less about the office parasite’s housing situation. My point was, and still is, that she is deceptive to her core. She comes into the office whining to everyone about how she has to ask her girlfriend to move out when her family comes to visit so they won’t know that she is gay and living with a black woman. I don’t care that she’s gay or that she prefers the chocolate chip (I’m black, too so I can understand the attraction—we are fine!). But she is a big ‘ole liar in her private life and she is a big ‘ole liar at work. She can’t even stand up for herself and be real about who she is. So i do believe that quality is reflected in her work relationships. She lies, but smiles in your face and pretends she is your best friend. If she asks me for one more hug, I will scream!

By terri

September 18, 2007 9:38 AM | Link to this

BLACK REPULICANS WAKE UP! TAVIS SMILEY GAVE A PLATFORM FOR THE REP AND DEM CANDIDATES TO DISCUSS SOME IMPORTANT ISSUES! NONE OF THE FRONT RUNNING REP SHOWED UP! WHAT DOES THAT SAY!!! WAKE UP! VOTE DEMOCRAT! REPUBLICANS DO NOT CARE ABOUT OUR ISSUES!

By Roy

September 18, 2007 11:00 AM | Link to this

In the famous words of a prophet of the 21st century: “Why can’t we all just get along”. One thing I found out on the Entrepreneurs Underground Railroad is that we are all in this thing together whether we like to recognize it or not. And the Conductor is not going to let you off the train until he’s ready. All Aboard!