Dealing with a possibly sabotaging Co-Worker

[leesaleesa]

I recently got a promotion-We do case reviews for Hip replacement recalls, and the job my immediate group does is (there are three of us) determining whether referrals are valid, and then creating agendas, meeting documents, and presenting the cases at bi weekly meetings. A team of two MDs and an RN determine whether the case will be approved or denied.

The woman I work directly with was responsible for creating the format. Frankly, it seems rather inefficient and very user unfriendly, but I have stayed quiet and just followed the convoluted process. I swear every time I ask her about a process, she shows me a different and even more difficult way to acheive it. She is fond of saying how everything needs to be done YESTERDAY, yet spends half her day on the phone, chatting with a annoying woman who takes 30 minutes to make a two minute point, and just dragging her feet.

She's expressed that the MDs are assholes and constantly tells me how demanding and demeaning they are. I haven't really participated in the meetings yet, but they seem fairly cooperative to me. I would imagine they're assholes because she makes a point to send the final draft of the meetings at the end of the day before the meeting, which means they have to stay up late reviewing and making determinations. We started the Tuesday meeting draft on this past Friday, and only got the first 5 parts done (There are usually eight) because she had to check my work, and took her sweet time doing it. I estimated I could have completed the entire meeting by 2pm at the latest, but I think she does this to control these people because she feels unimportant because she did not achieve the higher education they did.

I have already gotten off to a good start with the more down to earth Doctor, and think I will deal with the older, more set in his ways Doctor fine. The problem is dealing with this sour, negative woman until I get to the point where I have more autonomy over my work. Normally, I would just hand a person like her some rope to hang herself with, but being the new person and still struggling with the process, I have to show that I am competent first, but she seems to have a vested interest in that not happening.

It doesn't seem that she feels her job is threatened, as she was pulled from another position to do this one, and it seems like she would prefer to go back to her old position. I just think she's a controlling jerk, and need to find a way to deal with her until she either leaves the project, or hangs herself.

[agalisgv]

Just try to be in learning mode for the time being, listening to whatever she has to share, and learning avidly from others on your team and in related teams. Be a sponge and take it all in. If you're new, there's really little to be had for becoming adversarial or confrontational at this point. So just do your job, learn the ropes from your supervisor and from others (IOW, don't rely on only her tutelage), and see how things progress. She may not even be there in a couple months from what you describe.

[leesaleesa]

Yeah, that's what I've been doing. The Nurse reviewer is also a supervisor in the billing department where I used to work, and she reccommended me because I would offer to call back irate providers and get their billing issues resolved in addition to my regular work and other projects I would assist on. She is aware that my work ethic is very good.

it seemed feasible to do some research on the Doctors, so I googled them and read a few papers they had written. I'm pretty sure that I know what everyone on the team needs and how to provide it except little Miss Sunshine. She wants to be right at all costs, and I can't give her that because it's impacting how others do their job. She has this chip on her shoulders about how Doctors are just people too, and that she is their equal. Yes, as a person she is, but when it comes to medical review, she and I have no leg to stand on.

It seems they don't care for her because she is rather humorless and has no interest in them as people. I really just need to get up to speed quickly so that they can see my only objective is to get the job done accurately and in a time frame that is less onerous for them.

Grin and bear it for the time being, I guess. Why does there always have to be one like her in every department and every company? Ugh.

[Aceon6]

Agree that learning mode will suffice for a bit. In terms of actually solving the problems, your instincts about forming relationships with the doctors are good ones. Perhaps the more senior of the two can request that the files be available 24 hours prior to the meeting. After all, it's medical review. Anything not on this week's agenda will be on next week's or could be dealt with using your emergency review process.

[leesaleesa]

Seems my co-worker gets sick a lot. She was out Monday and Tuesday, so we got really backed up. We managed to get our heads above water by coming in early and staying late, but she did pretty much nothing today. The bad part is that she has shifted most of the work my way, and the good part is that I managed to do it. I felt bad that she has an illness, but she's still an ass.

Turns out that she has all the rope she needs-Out sick often, will not come in early or stay late. They know I created Thursday's meeting today and had it out completely by 1pm, and would have done it by noon if not for an unexpected meeting we had to attend. In addition to that, the resposes to the claim handlers from yesterday's meeting were gotten out as well with no help from her.

I fully expect them to give her the new account to manage once it comes online as it's US based and she has this notion that no one in Europe speaks English and she finds them difficult to understand. Never mind that English is not her first language, either. I think we are getting an assistant, which she will likely appropriate and torture. No matter, I enjoy communicating with the Europe accounts. Maybe in future, there will be a necessity for one of us to travel there.

[Triple Axel]

I have already gotten off to a good start with the more down to earth Doctor, and think I will deal with the older, more set in his ways Doctor fine. The problem is dealing with this sour, negative woman until I get to the point where I have more autonomy over my work. Normally, I would just hand a person like her some rope to hang herself with, but being the new person and still struggling with the process, I have to show that I am competent first, but she seems to have a vested interest in that not happening.
It doesn't seem that she feels her job is threatened, as she was pulled from another position to do this one, and it seems like she would prefer to go back to her old position. I just think she's a controlling jerk, and need to find a way to deal with her until she either leaves the project, or hangs herself.

leesaleesa,
I, too had a coworker come to work at our facility, and then proceed to attempt to make MY life Hell! I work in Health Care (Long Term Care) and have been at the facility where I work for 8 years, going on 9. This girl hadn't been there a month when she started accusing me of inappropriate actions (none of the allegations were substantiated). With Nursing, it isn't just your JOB that is threatened, it's your license and ability to make a living!! This woman even went as far as to fabricate evidence against me (and was caught out by the Director Of Nursing!), but for whatever reason, she wasn't sacked and continued her employment. After the fourth unsubstantiated verbal abuse charge, I went on the offensive. I went on Facebook (we have MANY mutual friends on there ) and said "If there is ONE MORE unsubstantiated charge leveled at me, she had BETTER have a damned good lawyer, because I do. He's from New York, and he does NOT mess around with this hillbilly junior high bullshit!!" She got the message. But the coup de gras came when I drew HER name for the annual Night Shift Christmas exchange! My friends were like "Uh Oh.." But I did the opposite of what everyone was expecting, after refusing to trade her name back in for another. She loves Rotweillers, and I found this beautiful hand made shelf scroll saw cut out of a Rotweiller-and I bought it for her. I was sick the day of the exchange, but my friend picked up the gift and took it to work for me. They said "You should have seen her-she was scared to open it at first, after she found out it was from YOU. But when she finally did open it, she cried. Real tears, and kept talking about how wonderful it was." Being the better woman without letting her crap on me felt wonderful, and now, the work environment is SO much better. We actually work VERY well together. I don't trust her any farther than I can throw her, but she is a good nurse, and I can at least work a shift with her and not go home and pull out a cutlery service for eight out of my back!!
Keep your eyes open, head down, arse up, learn all you can,coz from the sound of this jackal, you're not going to have to throw her under the bus. Just give her enough rope...she's already on the way to doing the rest...

[agalisgv]

I dunno--I guess I'm not really hearing anything that sounds tremendously out-of-line from leesaleesa's co-worker. The co-worker may be annoying, but annoyance is subjective. To me it's coming across more like leesaleesa is gunning for her co-worker's position. That may not be accurate, but that's the impression I'm getting from the posts so far.

[leesaleesa]

I dunno--I guess I'm not really hearing anything that sounds tremendously out-of-line from leesaleesa's co-worker. The co-worker may be annoying, but annoyance is subjective. To me it's coming across more like leesaleesa is gunning for her co-worker's position. That may not be accurate, but that's the impression I'm getting from the posts so far.

Well, I am pretty much doing everything she does while she sits back and complains and makes personal calls all day. If we hadn't landed the second account, I probably would have gone after her job. She doesn't want it, she treats the MDs and claim handlers disrespectfully, and she's just sour in general. It's a demanding job, but I enjoy working with the rest of the team. She doesn't, and makes it very clear.

She did volunteer today that her dream was to become a Mortician, so now I know something about her to relate to. Too bad Six feet Under ended years ago.

I wouldn't call her a jackal, just an unpleasant person. Really, I'm not sure it's intentional, just part of her personality.