A bit of background: I'm first in line to stand in for the receptionist whenever she needs to go away from her desk. It is just one of my duties. Officially, it is so that she can go to the toilet or make a cup of tea or attend to some work that requires her being away from her desk, but unofficially (based on 'good working relationship') it allows for her to go make tea, toast sandwiches, quickly run out to draw money, etc. It is one of those give and take things.
Except, she's been abusing me.
A few weeks ago, at 1pm (lunchtime), I was warming some lunch (pizza leftovers) in the microwave, and passed her desk bringing a cup of hot chocolate to my desk. She asked me if she could quickly go to the toilet, so I asked her why the accountant (whose switchboard lunch-duty day it was) wasn't there yet. She said that she'd volunteered to sit through lunch for her, as the accountant had a headache. I told her she could quickly go, while my food was in the microwave, so that I didn't have to wait (and let it go cold) once it was ready (because she would be back by then).
She took 10minutes, while I was waiting, to go to the toilet. Except, she didn't JUST go to the toilet, SHE MADE HER LUNCH THEN TOO. I went towards the kitchen and met her coming out with her food, and said to her "I thought you were just going to the loo..?? I've been listening the whole time" so she replied "I was listening from the kitchen". Nice, you could have TOLD ME so that I could have eaten before my FOOD WENT COLD! Thank you for volunteering to stand in for someone then USING MY LUNCHBREAK instead!!!!
Anyway, today, at 1pm, I'm getting up to go warm my lunch (pizza leftovers again), as, although Thursdays are my switchboard lunch-duty days, today is my once-in-6-weeks Thursday off. She says "can I just go to the loo and make tea", so, because my food isn't yet warming/going cold, I agree. I head to the kitchen, after 5mins, to make some tea in the meantime, to find her TOASTING SANDWICHES AND MAKING A WHOLE GOURMET MEAL. I say "you're making food now??" so she says "yes, I said I was going to make tea" so I said "tea, you said tea, not lunch", so she replies "tea is food, is the same thing" so I said "no, tea is tea, tea tea"... I was so angry I just left my mug there and stormed back to my desk so that I wouldn't lose it and give her a slap.
She took FIFTEEN MINUTES of MY lunchbreak.
I waited, til I'd cooled off (after having my food and tea), and wrote a civil email to her:
(her name)
Please can we reach an agreement regarding lunch times.
I am happy to stand in for you to make food/go to the toilet on the days where you have to sit at the switchboard during lunch, as I understand about being hungry and having to sit at the phone without actually getting a lunchbreak the whole day.
But please don’t do it during my lunch break - plan ahead and ask me BEFORE 13:00. It is my lunch time that you are using up and I don’t get the time back afterwards because my hours resume at 13:45 (that is when lunch time is officially over and I have to be available immediately for Mr Colussi or whoever else may need me urgently). When I sit at the switchboard on normal Thursdays, I usually don’t get the time back afterwards to have my OWN lunch for this same reason, so I basically miss out on a lunchbreak most Thursdays.
As the receptionist, I didn’t have anyone like a (my name) who is there to sit for you whenever you wish, I had to run to and from the kitchen to make my food outside of lunch-time, so as to go during a quiet time when I could hear the phone from the kitchen. I am happy to listen for you so that you don’t have to starve or run around, but I’m not happy about doing this if you abuse my goodwill by using up my lunch time.
I don’t want to stir up hard feelings or have an argument, but I have to bring it up so that we can resolve it.
I would not call that a rude or aggressive email.
I, however, get this as a reply. Please bear with me, it is pasted verbatim (yes, she really IS THIS FUCKING ILLITERATE):
You know that mostly before one I get so busy and normally you get here at 1:05 or 13:10 have I complain about that NO!!!!!!!!!! starting from now you will be here from 13h00 and I will do the same to you, I didn’t think I was abusing your goodwill which so you were also abusing mine by coming late to releave me, starting from now you will be here at 13h00 sharp and I’ll be back at 13:45 sharp as well, no lhard feeling is that you just know how are welling to help and not I always know you don’t like to help when it comes to switch board.
. As the receptionist, I didn’t have anyone like a (my name) who is there to sit for you whenever you wish, I had to run to and from the kitchen to make my food outside of lunch-time, so as to go during a quiet time when I could hear the phone from the kitchen. I am happy to listen for you so that you don’t have to starve or run around, but I’m not happy about doing this if you abuse my goodwill by using up my lunch time.
This highlighted one I wont urgeu about because it was like this before I came.
The italics is her quoting my email.
Oh, my, god. I cannot believe her GALL!! And then to go on and accuse me of being LATE to relieve her?!?!?!?!??!?!?! I am never late unless my BOSS has delayed me. I go and make my tea BEFORE lunch so that I am READY AT 13:00, but she often makes me wait while she tidies up her desk, which can take 5mins and wastes time. Not to mention her often coming BACK late!! The UTTER CHEEK to reply with such a lie, I'm just ... baffled. Enraged!
I have emailed the bosses, as this is UNACCEPTABLE. I tried to resolve this amicably, but she turns around and LIES and gets all aggressive about it.
I'm so fed up. If I get crap from EITHER the bosses, or her, I'm going to resign. I'm sorry, but this is unacceptable.
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