I often meet with a co-worker from a different department at lunch and we share what is going on with our days. Recently she has been telling me about a new girl in her department and the issues others have been having with her. Now, keep in mind, I don't really know the girl, so I can't judge if what I am being told is the truth about the situation. Given the personalities of some of the people involved, I suspect that there is a fair amount of bitchiness going on and that this girl may not be totally at fault. But I thought I'd write about it because it illustrates what perception can do.
This girl, let's call her Cathy, was hired not too long ago. I don't know the circumstances under which she was hired, for example, did she replace someone popular who was let go? There appears to be some kind of favoritism going on between her and her supervisor. Again, I don't know the supervisor so I don't know if he or she is well-respected or an a-hole. I suspect the latter, simply because it fits the dynamics here.
So Cathy has one strike against her already. Let's say she was hired to replace someone who was popular and was let go, and her supervisor is not well-liked. It is clear from what I have been told that the others in her department feel that the supervisor is showing favoritism towards her. Actually this is not the first strike against her.
The first strike against Cathy is that physically she does not look to be up to the job. It is a physically demanding job, involving a lot of lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling. You have to be able to do the work. Cathy, however, is pregnant. Not only that, a previous pregnancy ended in miscarriage. You see where I am going with this. Is Cathy capable of doing the work despite her appearance?
The second strike is the one already mentioned, the relationship with the supervisor. Cathy would be wise to distance herself from this supervisor.
The third strike against her, and the most damning, is that because of her pregnancy history, and some other health issues, she has requested special favors. She wants, according to what I have heard (and mind you, this is just gossip), an easing of her workload. However, the perception of her co-workers is that she is already not carrying her weight as far as her existing workload. In other words, she is lazy. They claim that she claims to complete tasks in a couple of hours that might take half a day or more, and these are seasoned employees who have a pretty good idea based on experience how long a particular task usually takes. They suspect that she is taking shortcuts and leaving some things undone. She seems to be the first to clock out, she takes frequent breaks with the smokers (even though she is not a smoker), and she never volunteers to help others with their tasks when she is caught up with hers. They also think that this talk of health problems requiring accommodation is a smokescreen. Said one woman upon hearing the latest tale of Cathy's health woes: "Someone just ought to euthanize her and put her out of her misery." They want to know: if her pregnancy is really as high-risk as she claims, why isn't she on bed rest? Why is she even trying to do this job that she can't do?
Now, I don't know Cathy at all. I have seen her a few times, once pushing a cart that looked WAY too heavy for her (I offered to help, but she said she could manage), so I can't judge if what I am hearing is simply cattiness and a matter of Cathy being a victim of circumstances. But let's just say her co-workers are right and that she isn't making any efforts to pull her weight but wants to use her condition and the relationship with the supervisor as a way of doing as little as possible? I remember a time when pregnant women were not allowed to work if they were in certain jobs. Women fought hard against that kind of discrimination.
One of the reasons that I have not gone to get a formal diagnosis is that I don't want to be lumped in with people like Cathy. People don't mind making special accomodations when necessary for a fellow worker, but they do not like being taken advantage of. And this is one reason why people with real disabilities have a hard time getting accepted in the workplace.
This girl, let's call her Cathy, was hired not too long ago. I don't know the circumstances under which she was hired, for example, did she replace someone popular who was let go? There appears to be some kind of favoritism going on between her and her supervisor. Again, I don't know the supervisor so I don't know if he or she is well-respected or an a-hole. I suspect the latter, simply because it fits the dynamics here.
So Cathy has one strike against her already. Let's say she was hired to replace someone who was popular and was let go, and her supervisor is not well-liked. It is clear from what I have been told that the others in her department feel that the supervisor is showing favoritism towards her. Actually this is not the first strike against her.
The first strike against Cathy is that physically she does not look to be up to the job. It is a physically demanding job, involving a lot of lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling. You have to be able to do the work. Cathy, however, is pregnant. Not only that, a previous pregnancy ended in miscarriage. You see where I am going with this. Is Cathy capable of doing the work despite her appearance?
The second strike is the one already mentioned, the relationship with the supervisor. Cathy would be wise to distance herself from this supervisor.
The third strike against her, and the most damning, is that because of her pregnancy history, and some other health issues, she has requested special favors. She wants, according to what I have heard (and mind you, this is just gossip), an easing of her workload. However, the perception of her co-workers is that she is already not carrying her weight as far as her existing workload. In other words, she is lazy. They claim that she claims to complete tasks in a couple of hours that might take half a day or more, and these are seasoned employees who have a pretty good idea based on experience how long a particular task usually takes. They suspect that she is taking shortcuts and leaving some things undone. She seems to be the first to clock out, she takes frequent breaks with the smokers (even though she is not a smoker), and she never volunteers to help others with their tasks when she is caught up with hers. They also think that this talk of health problems requiring accommodation is a smokescreen. Said one woman upon hearing the latest tale of Cathy's health woes: "Someone just ought to euthanize her and put her out of her misery." They want to know: if her pregnancy is really as high-risk as she claims, why isn't she on bed rest? Why is she even trying to do this job that she can't do?
Now, I don't know Cathy at all. I have seen her a few times, once pushing a cart that looked WAY too heavy for her (I offered to help, but she said she could manage), so I can't judge if what I am hearing is simply cattiness and a matter of Cathy being a victim of circumstances. But let's just say her co-workers are right and that she isn't making any efforts to pull her weight but wants to use her condition and the relationship with the supervisor as a way of doing as little as possible? I remember a time when pregnant women were not allowed to work if they were in certain jobs. Women fought hard against that kind of discrimination.
One of the reasons that I have not gone to get a formal diagnosis is that I don't want to be lumped in with people like Cathy. People don't mind making special accomodations when necessary for a fellow worker, but they do not like being taken advantage of. And this is one reason why people with real disabilities have a hard time getting accepted in the workplace.
