How can one ignore the annoying old lady at work?

Question

How do you deal with a colleague at work that just seems to grind on my my last nerve?

This is a little older lady who helps herself to platefuls of food at our potlucks to take home to "her family". She often will look at other people's food on the table as if she would take it if turned your back... She has been here for months..walking around only to start using a "cane" which is completely a wrong size for her. She said " I have always used my cane.." AH.. no she had not. She often refers to us as her "work family " and I swear to god when I say I saw her fingering a box of candy.. each peice was held looked at ane put down.. ( unwrapped peanut brittle ) only to say.. oh those peices are too big for me.. She did NOT wash her hands and just walked away. I told the rest of the office staff about this incident.. the candy just sat in the kitchen and was eventually tossed out.

I have found myself politely walking away from her when she enters the room.. any othe advice?

Answer 1

Depending on her age you should try to be patient.  If she's really old then she can't help it.  If she's not that old and she's just old to you then she's just a clod.  Ignore her whenever possible.

Answer 2

You seem extremely annoyed by this person and your feelings are valid. We have the same person here at work but he's a little more than just a nuisance and more of a prick. Having said that, there are a lot of annoying people out there and you're not alone on this. With my annoying guy, I just started tuning off and stopped having any conversations with him. I also stopped listening to evrything he says including insults and stupid remarks. Think about how unhappy this person is and instead of having annoying thoughts about her, just think about how sad her life is. She has no friends out there and noone to pay attention to her and her needs.

Answer 3

Just keep on avoiding her!  That's all that seems to work in my office, except i have to literally ignore my annoying co-worker....and it gets on her nerves...but i don't care, because she is a back stabbing, conniving, selfish person...who knows how to work the system and is totally disloyal!  So good luck to you!!

Answer 4

I thought you were going to hand in your resignation at that job..  you mention it every day that you have enough of your job there.. what this lady does ok, it's not very hygienic..So you tossed the candy out.. You also have to learn to be a little bit more tolerant.. with other people dear, I know you hate this job..  you talk daily how much you want to leave. I believe you will feel better if you hand in your resignation now.. you are very stressed.. this woman has a few annoying habits.. one can just overlook them... nobody is perfect. she is probably very lonely. so she feels this is part of her family.. I would not make a big deal out of it.. if she leaves candy behind just throw it out.. x*x

Answer 5

its not that bad. atleast shes not deliberately going after you. it sounds innocent enough =)

Answer 6

You might consider that this "little old lady" may be suffering from an early onset of dementia.   And, her salary may not be enough to cover the cost of food....a lotta people are in trouble with this last one(the cost of food)...even those who are gainfully employed and well salaried.  

Rather than shunning her, find out, if you can, what her living situation is...too many oldsters are living on canned dog food.

If she has no family, then her "work family" may be all she has.  

I'm not saying feel sorry for her; what I am saying is that there may be more to this than meets the eye.  Ask some questions...you might find yourself feeling a lot less hostile and more in a problem solving mode.   You never know until you walk a mile in their shoes.

Answer 7

I hate to tell you this, but there will always be one of these wherever you work. They come in all different shapes, sizes, ages, and genders. Politely avoiding them (if possible) is one way. Otherwise, you just have to grin and bear it. Be forewarned though that anything you say about someone in this type of environment will get back to them. This is a sure way to cause unnecessary problems and avoid being promoted.

Answer 8

By thinking of why she might do those things.  It sounds like she's not doing anything to you personally.  At worst, she seems a bit thoughtless, but not in a mean or deliberate way.

You might even talk to her, ask her about herself.  You just might find out that she's alone in the world, with no one to turn to, and that her job doesn't pay enough for her to buy adequate and nutritious food.  You never know what might be going on in another person's life that makes them the way they are.

At worst, maybe she's just one of those annoying -- but harmless -- people.

In short, try to find some compassion for the lady.