Tensions permeate the workplace.

That happens daily. Same team member, different client. Same client, different team member. Some folks get along. Other pairs tolerate. A few would spar.

I am not a workplace idealist. Blow-ups happen. I accept it.

And sometimes, currents of conflicts run deep and strong beneath the surface. Some are epic.

And I never failed to sigh a little sigh.

Our Gen X client

Firstly, [just] to be crystal clear.

The person I am alluding to is one of our many Gen X clients. One of the many. And Sheila is one of a kind.

In fact, she is the only Gen X serviced by Isabelle [my team's Gen Z princess] who truly got on my young lady's nerves. And yes. Isabelle called her names.

Sh!tla. Whine-cess. Airhead. Stinky mouth. Blackhole Blues.

I don't call people names. Isabelle does. I can understand.

This Gen X client has been tasked by her boss to spearhead the roll-out of our software in their company. That's the good part. Everything else was a challenge.

No one in Sheila's team wants to work with her. They find her toxic and whiny. Sh!tla would go out of her way to get help or people to do her work. Where Sheila goes, they avoid.

And then… Sheila's boss does not have a good impression of her. This is my opinion. She would routinely report all the problems she encountered at work.

I remember that one meeting when Sheila spent 90 minutes articulating her problems. It was all problems. And only problems.

Every problem was masqueraded as an update. Every solution was having Johnny do this and Cynthia do that. Sheila's boss, our client CIO, would freeze. No smiles. No nods. Nothing.

The boardroom would go Antarctic-like sub-zero.

And Sh!tla's colleagues were boiling like ready-to-erupt volcanoes.

It was a spectacle.

Paths crossed. Swords drawn.

Sheila needs help at work.

And I [really] mean… plenty.

She needed handholding to deploy our software. I wasn't surprised. Sheila wasn't tech-savvy.

She could press buttons without a clue what the expected result should be. Her IT department counterpart gave up on her as soon as the project started.

A desired outcome? A system bug? No idea. Just escalate.

I sat in one of her lament sessions before.

It was a pain to watch. Sheila would raise 100 software bugs to keep our product team busy. They would reject 99 of them [angrily] because her issues demonstrated correct software build behavior.

I was bemused.

Sheila's boss, our client CIO, would routinely look away when moments of embarrassment surfaced. He got annoyed when Sh!tla turned to him for support.

Sheila would go,

"Harry, can you see? Can you? I did my part. The software is spoilt. I raised all my issues and concerns. Did you see how they brushed me aside and rejected all my hard work? Can you see?"

Her pitch was high and desperate. Her pitch got higher towards the tail-end of that conversation. It got so high, so high, that no one could ignore her.

Everyone turned to look at Harry when she was done with her accusation.

Harry frowned. His mouth twisted. I saw him lifting his index finger and opening his mouth in slow~ly~. He was about to speak. He was. But he couldn't.

Isabelle hijacked.

"What are you talking about? All the issues you raised are non-issues. You made us busy investigating and checking our development codes for nothing. When we tried explaining to you, you didn't listen. When did we brush YOU aside?"

Isabelle's soundbite manifested itself as an attention hijack. We were staring at Harry. Now? Isabelle.

Isabelle's face was flushed in bright tomato red. The sheet of paper in her hands was trembling with jitters. She stood rock-straight right in front of the screen.

She was in her confrontation stance. That, I can tell. I know her.

I thought of intervening to diffuse the tension. I couldn't. And Harry still didn't manage to speak up. His index finger was still up in the air. Hanging. Waiting for the right time.

Tough luck.

Sheila whined back before anyone could position themselves as a Henry Kissinger type.

"Look at this, look at this. So rude. I am just presenting the project status and difficulties as they are. Does the account manager need to be so provocative? I am the client, you know. You cannot expect me to be quiet and not seek help, right?"

Client dissatisfaction is common. That said, Sheila leaned in on personal attacks. I hate that. I was ready to jump in. But I held back. I wanted to observe Isabelle's response.

Surprise no surprise.

No one gets to cream her that day.

"Yes, sure. You are our client, But one thing. Please do not expect respect when you are incompetent. You don't know what you are talking about. And you don't know what it takes to get YOUR WORK DONE."

Hahaha, well.

I find her hit-back hilarious. It was because Isabelle did not mince her words. Anyone else in my team would have swallowed Sheila's whining and walked away.

Unfortunately, the account manager is Isabelle. Tolerating nonsense is her weakness. Speaking up is her strength.

I see the good… in having her manage this account.

I was looking for an opportune moment to make my presence felt. By now, everyone has lost their innate will to live. They got distracted by their smartphones and laptops. Harry's index finger is still up.

I spoke up quickly. I must get my words across before Sheila's can you see.

"Isabelle, thank you. Sheila, I note your points. Let me take this back to see how we can work with you better next time. You will hear from me before the end of the week."

I wasn't sure whether Sheila was appreciative.

This was all I heard.

"So many problems. So many problems. How? No one helping. Even the young girl is screaming at me."

Goodness me.

I would scream, too.

The close

I took Isabelle out for a breather.

That meeting lasted for 2 hours. Isabelle was noticeably frustrated. Fatigued. Annoyed. She needed an outlet.

Yet, she kept things within.

I gave her a pat on her shoulders.

She turned and stared daggers at me. I smiled.

"That's the reality of our business, my dear. We cannot choose our clients. Sometimes, we must work with the clueless, desperate, and whiny. Let it go. 2 more months, and you are done. Want Dora to support you from now until then?"

Isabelle said no.

And she said something interesting. To me, of course.

"Seriously? Are you suggesting that I cannot take her down? That I cannot manage her? No, I don't want help. I am capable enough to take her down."

Take her down was repeated twice.

I sighed.

Things have gotten so personal. And I wonder.

How would this project end? Would I lose this account? Would I lose my software renewal 2 months later?

Sigh. I wonder.

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