How to deal with diva coworker?
27F here, engineer, call me Becky (not my real name).
I have a superior at work who I feel doesn’t really like me; I’ll call him John. I also have another coworker who joined the company around the same time as I did, and I’ll call him Mark. Mark and I have the same position at work, but somehow, I’ve noticed that John talks to him more casually than he does with me. At first, I thought John acted this way because I’m a female colleague, and Mark is a guy, and maybe John doesn’t want to talk to me because he’s married. But that’s not all—he also seems annoyed with me and doesn’t give me enough instructions to do my job properly, whereas I’ve noticed that he explains things to Mark clearly and with a lot of patience. So, as much as possible, I avoid talking to him. I only speak with John if it’s very important and I need his input. He once also told me that I should fix my personality because I’m an introvert, so I think he dislikes that I’m introverted. But I’m fine—I get my work done, and I’m doing okay. I stay peaceful, just focusing on work and being professional. I don’t gossip; I’m quiet and focus on my tasks.
Then Maddie came, a colleague who is four years younger than me and very extroverted. She talks to everyone, and everyone seems to like her. Since I’m introverted, to be honest, I don’t like her “diva” aura. She craves all the attention. I’ve noticed that she always tells me that I’m pretty, but I feel like it’s a backhanded compliment. I don’t know, I just feel like the compliments coming from her aren’t genuine. Some people also tell me that I’m pretty, but when she says it, it just doesn’t feel real. Whenever someone is talking to me, she always interrupts to grab the attention. One time, she even said that “my face is all I have.” The nerve! I’ve never done anything to her.
Then, months passed, and I noticed that another colleague started acting weird around me. When I messaged someone, they wouldn’t reply, and instead, Maddie would tell me that she had already talked to them. I seriously don’t know what to do. I feel like she’s insecure about me, and honestly, I’m the type of person who just likes to do my work and mind my own business.
I also noticed that John and Maddie are mocking me during meetings. They mock the way I say “thank you.” They say that my “thank you” sounds so nice, and they laugh. None of what they said is genuine. I’m mad, and I feel so bad about myself.
What should I do in this kind of situation? dont get me wrong, im not trying to play pretty or nice in here. My problem here is i cant stand the mockery but i dont want to make this big and i really like my job now.