As a 21-year-old female working in retail, I have been dealing with a difficult situation involving a coworker who is 40 years old. Unfortunately, this woman has been bullying me, and I have been struggling to find a way to handle the situation. While I am typically not afraid to confront people, I have been hesitant to do so in this case because it could end up causing more harm than good. This is because many people seem to like her, and even one of our top supervisors defends her.
I have tried to take a more passive approach by remaining silent and not engaging with her unless absolutely necessary. I have been respectful, always using please and thank you, and minding my own business when she does things that she shouldn't. Despite this, she has continued to be patronizing towards me, exclude me, give me unreasonable commands, overwork me, and even mock me. She has also been unwilling to help with teamwork and has reported me to the manager for irrelevant things that she lets herself and others get away with.
What's worse is that she seems to be targeting only me. She is friendly with our other coworkers unless they spend a lot of time with me, in which case she gives them attitude too. Thankfully, my coworkers have been supportive and have even told me that they know she gossips and has a bad attitude. One of them suggested that she might feel threatened or jealous of me.
Despite all of this, I don't want to quit my job. I am seeking advice on how to handle the situation and stop feeling anxious and teary. While I don't care if she dislikes me, her efforts to make my job difficult and unwelcome are causing me a great deal of stress and hurt.
