Old PT returned to work

[Rivière]

Woo hoo another complaint thread.

So, an old PT whom I didn't really get along with at work has returned. I suppose 'didn't get along with' isn't exactly correct. But I'll explain...

Before I was a PT and was still training, I had to do my assessment with a 'client'. This being my mother, and when we were finished we couldn't find a PT to let us out, so ended up having to find somebody who was PTing. Obviously we didn't want to disturb anyone not on shift but we didn't know what else to do. My mum ended up asking this one PT if we could be let out, and she got snappy with my mum and just told her to type the code in the keypad to press for assistance and the PT on shift will come to help. Of course we weren't aware of that being a feature of the gym at the time, so there was that.

When I got my PT qualification and started work there, she wasn't very nice even then. She'd avoid contact. She'd refuse to speak to me. Even when I tried to engage in conversation, she just couldn't be bothered unless it was a topic she was interested in. If she and I were in a room together she'd just take off as soon as she could. At one point she tried to dictate to me about my job in the gym when she wasn't even on shift that day, telling me, 'Are you aware of the "no bags on the gym floor" policy?' ... ok then?

She's now back working at the gym. I guess the other gym she moved to didn't work out for her or she couldn't get enough clients. I feel like she was asked to return because she has a skill no other PT has, which involves yoga and pilates. And since we're short on staff, she's basically a free, willing body to return and help out.

Of course this is at a cost. Even the cleaners can't stand her. Apparently she treated them as someone beneath her and would dictate to them as well, 'Can you dust on top of the lockers before you finish?' or something similar. Like, why even get involved with what the cleaners clean? She should mind her own business. It's not her job to tell them what to do. The cleaners are operated by an entirely different company...

When she came in today, she didn't abide by the rules. Non-exempt staff must always wear a mask. Everyone should be cleaning up before and after using equipment. I have no idea if she bothers but so far I haven't seen her do so. She just turned up to PT and took off. When I asked another member of staff if they'd met her yet, they said, 'Kind of but kind of not. She just came in and wanted to get out' - what a great start back.

I don't know how well liked she is by members, but I dislike her. I dislike her behaviour and the way she does things. I'm dreading her coming back because although the current staff set up we have right now is a bit rocky sometimes, everybody pretty much gets along. There's this nice mentality of everything being fresh and happy. Everybody gets along with one another, for the most part. And now she's back. I feel like it's going to upset the happy balance.

[Ennui.]

Ew, gotta love it when you have coworkers you just have a problem with. I have one like that where even the people at the organization we partner with and my dad who has met her have said she acts snotty.

I hope she doesn't upset the balance like you mentioned. That one coworker who messes up morale can really do a lot of damage to an organization and its workers/members as a whole. I'm surprised she hasn't realized by now that she's giving off a bad vibe to people!

Maybe things will get better this time?

[Arabesque- golfing girl.]

Hi Sarah,

I am so sorry about all of this that is happening and I hope that you will be okay soon. When we have or we are working with someone who is not a very nice person it can be hard to go to work, focus on your job and try not to think about her being rude to you. When you are going to work and you see her, if you can try to stay away from her and just focus on what you are doing. If she is trying to talk to you, you can say hi or nothing or say you are busy with work or something else and don't have time to talk right now and then just walk away. No matter what she says to you, try not to get upset about this and I know it's hard to try to stay calm. If she is being rude to you and if you do not get upset or let her see you getting upset, she can stop.

When you are on lunch or when you are done working try to find something to help you get your mind off of this for a while and this can also help pick you up too. Try grabbing a book to read for a while or drawing or painting or writing or calling a friend or family member or something else that you enjoy doing. I wish you the best with this and hope that you will be okay soon. Sending you to help you to be okay soon.

[Everglow.]

I've worked with similar people to this before and you're right, it completely disturbs the dynamic of a happy workforce when someone like this comes in. I'm sorry you have to put up with that.

I don't know if this could be an option, but perhaps if there is enough of a reason to take action, somebody could report it to a manager? For example if she's not abiding by covid rules, or she's being rude or snappy for no good reason, a manager could maybe have a word and get her to tone it down a bit? I completely get if this isn't something you'd want to do though.

Hopefully this PT settles down soon enough and doesn't cause too many problems.

[Dawn.]

Urgh, I hate co-workers like this and I know/knew so many of them. I'm sorry you have to put up with someone like this. It certainly can make work so unbearable. I agree with maybe speaking to your manager how it?

[Rivière]

Thanks very much for the responses.

I did mention my initial feelings to my manager. Mostly because she asked how I felt about this PT returning. I told her I disliked her and there will likely be conflict. Given how I said it, I think I caused a bit too much alarm and she asked me to keep an open mind etc. Naturally I am going to try and do that, but she's the sort of person I struggle to change my mind with, given how she treated me last year.

The other manager sent a reminder out to everyone in the staff group chat that those without exemption badges must wear a mask at all times. Given this returning PT doesn't have an exemption, she must wear one. So we'll see if she does now she's been told.

[Dawn.]

Originally Posted by Rivière

Thanks very much for the responses.

I did mention my initial feelings to my manager. Mostly because she asked how I felt about this PT returning. I told her I disliked her and there will likely be conflict. Given how I said it, I think I caused a bit too much alarm and she asked me to keep an open mind etc. Naturally I am going to try and do that, but she's the sort of person I struggle to change my mind with, given how she treated me last year.

The other manager sent a reminder out to everyone in the staff group chat that those without exemption badges must wear a mask at all times. Given this returning PT doesn't have an exemption, she must wear one. So we'll see if she does now she's been told.

Let's hope things get better for you!

I'm glad you were able to speak with your manager, I hope things will go smoothly this time around.

[Rivière]

Well just over a week later after she's returned and already we've had a joyful conversation of her basically not giving a crap that our good manager (S) is being crapped on by the bad one (D). As soon as I mentioned D's name, she said how she really liked him and then said, 'I take it you're not a fan of D then?' I said that I like D as well and I think he has a good personality, just his managerial skills are bad, and that he constantly leaves everything to S. Her reply was, 'That's between them really isn't it...' and she looked at me in that 'I don't give a crap because it doesn't affect me' sort of way. And then when I expressed how bad his behaviour is that the man can't even change a single bin during his shift, and that he just takes off whenever, she was like, 'I don't do office politics'.

So you're telling me that D not printing maintenance sheets so nobody can track equipment maintenance...

D not caring about the fact we physically can't do the shifts he's tried to put us on...

D not caring about our wellbeing even though we tell him something is wrong (like me with my knee and still demanding I do a cycle class with it)...

D asking us what classes we want to teach then completely ignoring us and putting us on the things we just said we'd prefer not to do (such as the cycle class in my case)...

D not even putting classes up on the gym's timetable for members to book on and then have them complain to us...

D not sorting out the cleaning equipment before he finishes his shift and have gym members complain to us....

D leaving way before his shift is due to end, or not even turning up for several hours past it so when there's a managerial problem we need help with, no body is around...

...all these things are 'office politics'...? Maybe it's just me, but these things directly affect us. And not only that, if S wasn't around, nothing would ever get done. Because S is on annual leave for a week, D has claimed he's really ill and is 'dying' so needs more shift cover. He keeps wanting us to cover his shifts from 10 until 6 PM, on top of the fact we have clients and our own shifts to work on.

But hey ho, those things that physically affect all staff is just to do with D and S not sorting things out between themselves.

It was even more infuriating because S actually met up with her during the lockdown to see how she was doing and to be a friend to her. And this is how she repays her? Maybe I just have different principles to a lot of other people, but to me, if someone bends over backwards for me and tries to help me, I like to try and return the favour by doing it for them. S has really helped me during my time working at that gym, so I try and support her as much as possible in return. It's like she forgets S is a human being way before she was a manager. I don't want S to quit because of the pressure D puts on her because he's useless.

Even all the other PT's comment on how bad D is and that S ends up doing all the work. Yet for some reason she can't. She has to suck up to D thinking he's this great guy. She hasn't been here for a whole year near enough. She hasn't had to deal with his terrible management skills. And even then, her only response to my comments on D's poor managerial skills was, 'I've had worse'.

If I didn't like her before, I certainly do now.