'Negative Nancy' secretary spurs lawyer's letter to Ask Amy
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A 29-year-old lawyer has written Ask Amy for advice on handling a secretary who whines and complains so often that the lawyer is beginning to avoid giving work to the woman.
In a letter signed “Over It,” the lawyer dubs the 60-year-old secretary a “negative Nancy” and “Eeyore,” the gloomy character from Winnie the Pooh. The secretary is a nice woman, Over It says, but she is one of the unhappiest people the lawyer has ever met.
“As with many industries, secretaries are very powerful inside the law firm. They can make your life easy or terrible,” Over It writes. “We all work long hours. We are all stressed out and tired. Our firm IS terrible, and the partner we work for really is Satan. But no one else whines like my secretary does.”
Amy suggests that Over It may want to look elsewhere for a job, given his or her employment with Satan. In the meantime, Amy says, Over It should not commiserate with the secretary, should not comment, and should tell her they need to stick to the business at hand when she complains. Don’t avoid giving her work or instructions, always thank her for completing tasks, and always be polite, Amy says.
Amy also recommends reporting the secretary’s “manipulative behavior” to the human resources department.
Updated at 10:34 a.m. to edit the quotes.
