Question for retail pharmacists

[Estrace]

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Do you get along with your pharmacy manager or staff pharmacist ? If you work with a partner you don't get along with, how do you handle it?
I'm having a really difficult time ignoring my partner. She has only been the RxM at this location for 3 months and the environment has become very hostile. She has this "you are either for me or you are against me" attitude with the techs. I wanted this store so bad before she came and now I dread going to work. 😡
Advice please!!

 

[WhiteSnows]

Discuss with your supervisor.

 

[zelman]

I never worked with my partners. Maybe there is a possible schedule that would allow you to do the same.

 

[owlegrad]

What exactly is she doing to make your work life so miserable? It sounds like her attitude with the techs sucks, but what is she doing to you?

 

[Angela1234]

Try to work things out with your partner before going to the supervisor. Ignoring people sometimes makes you angrier, and doesn't solve anything. Working with her is still better than the alternative I'm in right now, being out of work and losing everything.

 

[Estrace]

There is really nothing she is doing to me personally except trashing me behind my back. I also know that I'm gonna get a bad review when the time comes because she is a fault finder. I do have a record of being the sole pharmacist (as a floater covering maternity leave)at the store for 3 months after the previous RxM left and did a fantastic job. I got the staff position because of my hard work and the SM also pushed for me to stay so I'm really not worried about her evaluation. I think what I'm missing the most is the peaceful and loving environment we used to have before she came along. Now it feels like I don't know my techs anymore. It's okay though cos I can put my big girl's pant on and suck it up. We do split shifts 2days per wk so we are not overlapping on those days but her effect lingers long after she is gone.

 

[owlegrad]

There is really nothing she is doing to me personally except trashing me behind my back.

That sucks. I think it is pretty normal for people to complain though - do you complain about her? 😉

Hopefully it will get better. If it were me I would address it with her directly. Being passive aggressive or just bottling it up is not gonna help IMO.

 

[Angela1234]

I can relate to the trash talking thing you are going through, whether it be from other pharmacists or pharmacy technicians. I wouldn't trash talk someone, but there are people who will. I try to rise above it. I will admit I still got stressed out for a while after I got patients who would yell at me and act crazy. I found that working in retail over time gives you a thicker skin for dealing with people.

 

[Old Timer]

No matter what, DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT say anything about her when she is not there. If the techs are talking, listen. Do your job. If you are hearing things, you need to speak directly to her. Also, keep contemporaneous notes of what you hear and what is going on.

 

[SoylentGreen]

If it's as bad as you say the techs are probably looking for other jobs, and you'll have staffing problems soon. Then you'll work in hell, a store with lack of tech help, angry customers, and a mean boss. I'd transfer out of that ship before it sinks, and keep my mouth shut and try to get along in the meantime.

 

[Angela1234]

I can relate to the work in hell situation. I tolerated it in hopes of finding another job. Unfortunately, I was unable to find another job because of the bad job market for pharmacists 🙁 The mean boss continued until he let me go, did all he could to block me from finding other work, and now I'm left with nothing.

 

[Estrace]

Resurrecting this thread to seek for more advice. One year later and nothing has changed.
I did a pretty good job just ignoring whatever was going on at work with my RXM. I even tried being friends with her so that the techs won't be so conflicted in dealing with both of us. I started liking my job again and pretty much happy to go in everyday. She's very sneaky and two faced but I tried to cover my back as much as possible and stopped entertaining gossips from the techs. Now her new goal is to get rid of me. She's been threatening to change staff pharmacist because we ended up at the bottom 5 stores in the district for the last fiscal year. She's also saying it behind my back because my senior tech jokingly said it to me yesterday. Today, she tried to make a big deal about me not filing VAR forms just because the store manager was there when she has never filed one herself. We always have out techs do it. Trying to make me look bad in front of the store manager because she knows he is my biggest supporter at that store. I know I need to do something at this point but don't really know what. I plan to speak to the store manager to ask her to stop harassing me about changing staff. It's stressful enough having to deal with angry customers because she has ran that pharmacy to the ground. I'm thinking about taking this up to the store manager, our district supervisor and then employee relations. I have pictures of her sleeping at work that my techs sent to me when she first got there. Anything I can do to stop her from harassing me. She talks so much trash behind my back that my techs are so disrespectful towards me now and she does nothing when I tell her. I don't even care what she says as long as she stops harassing me about changing staff. Any advice?

 

[rxglasshalffull]

wow its been bothering you for like a year now? my advice is to leave the store and start floating. lol thats what i would do

 

[BidingMyTime]

My experience, both personally and from what I've seen with others.....there is usually nothing you can do to hasten the process of a bad boss burning out, supervisors/managers above you don't want to hear about it and don't want to deal with it, and all too often will see *you* as the troublemaker for complaining to them and taking up their time. So 2 solutions, grin and bear it, bad bosses always do eventually burn themselves out, and usually when you least expect it, know that if you hang on long enough, chances are you will outlast her. Or, the other solution, get a new job, for your mental sanity, and because if she really is out to get you, she may succeed and you will end up being a casualty before she burns out. I know neither solution is ideal, but I think these are your 2 most realistic solutions (I've done both at different points in my career.)

 

[pharmacita0101]

I've dealt with a similar situation. I too tried to grin and bear it but it continued to escalate. I eventually had to call the district manager and make her aware of what was going on. Everyone has their breaking point and I had almost gotten to mine. So before it goes too far maybe you should let someone know. I did and things have gotten better...not perfect but tolerable. Hope this helps

 

[cnicolef08]

Transfer out but send those pics of her sleeping to the DM, store manager, and any other higher ups. Ok maybe I shouldn't encourage you to do that but I'm petty like that so I would... *shrugs* lol

I mean I understand that some people just don't take kindly to what they see as "tattling" but if you allow people to disrespect you and mistreat you all because you don't want to look like a snitch, they will continue to do it. She sounds like the big bully in school that used to push people around and it only pissed her off and fueled her bullying even more when she found out you told on her. So it didn't finally stop until somebody finally caught her red-handed and punished her or you beat her ass in the playground after school.

Pick your poison.