One year ago today, a co-worker at my job tried to attack me in the hallway. Two days later, I was put on an FMLA by my doctor for PTSS from the attack. I spent six weeks off from work, and still have issues over the attack and the attacker, though I have tried to extend the olive branch to that person.
The attacker was, and still is, one of the union stewards in our department. I had something occur on the job with the computer which scared me a little, and with no supervisor or union person to ask, had emailed the union to ask for comfort. (One day a year and a half earlier, I had sent an email to the union about the lack of advance notice we would receive when union officials were on site to visit and we could talk to them on out own time. This union steward figured out it was me from my email address, and verbally chewed me out for that. However, we did start getting better advance notice of the official visits!)
The word I got from the union was not to worry. A week later, I saw this steward for the first time since the holidays, and just said a simple "Hi, how are you?" This, apparently to her, was an open invitation for another verbal diatribe from her about contacting the union behind her back, again. Last time around, I walked away from it, but this time, because of the nasty way she was speaking to me, I told her the call center floor was neither the time nor the place for such a discussion, and if she had a problem with me, she could take it up with my boss, who was in a staff meeting.
She refused to leave my desk, and was speaking so loudly and rudely that she was disrupting my efforts to work, plus those around us. Therefore, I logged out and told her that we needed to take the matter out to the hall. Along the way, she continued to verbally attack me, and all I said was take it out to the hall.
As soon as the door shut behind me, I burst out "God damn it---" and the woman threw down her box lunch and lunged at me. She would have succeeded too, had I not had my rolling walker in front of me. Interstingly enough, several people who had seen us leaving the floor poured out of the other doorways and started to pull her away, telling her it wasn't worth her job, while the woman was still trying to get at me!
While I was sitting on my walker and shaking, one of her cronies came back and started to tell me off for causing the fracas, at which time I demanded my supervisor.
Well, the supervisor came, I told him what had happened, and later in the day, we (my boss, me, the steward and her rep) were called into a meeting with the department manager, who said he wasn't going to persue the matter any further, as it seemed a
she said/she said situation and further outbursts like that would be treated accordingly. This, despite the fact that violence against co-workers..and even the hint of violence...is a major no-no and a fireable offense.
Having been attacked and knifed a few years ago, I don't take to confrontations very well. This one caused me to recall the attack of earlier, and I had a bad case of the shakes and crying spells. The following day was worse, and whenever I came across the steward, the shakes would start again. This seemed to give her some delight, so
she seemed more visible to me that day than ever before. That next day, the doctor put me on the leave of absence, and I also sought counseling to deal with my feelings of fear, anger, and betrayal.
Well, I eventually recovered, and went back to work. I ignored her, and vice versa. Eventually, the inevitable happened, and we were assigned to the same team. The IIC told me I'd have to grow up and deal with it. I talked to the new supervisor, and she simply told me that she expected no trouble from either of us. I told her that it was neither my intention nor desire to cause any trouble, and if she could act like an adult, so could I.
Well, we've been cool toward each other since then. I extended the olive branch by giving her a Christmas card that was inscribed "Sorry we got off to such a bad start last year. Can we try over" She's never answered to this day.
I still feel that the company management let me down on this, big time. I can't help feeling that had the situation been reversed, there would have been no question of someone, namely me, being put out the door. Efforts on my part to follow up with other investigatory outlets within the company all supported the IIC findings.
So how do I feel today? A little more wary around this person and her friends, a little less trusting about TPTB. Wishing it had never happened, but have, after several months of brooding in the background, I've let it go. It happened, and I learned from it, so it goes.
