My job is actually IT professional. My big team is organizing a conference for the company. Someone offered me to help with logistics, like setting things up, running errands to help the staff-the office assistant - let's say her name is Anna.
I suspect my coworker Sue (on my team - the small team) felt unfair that I didn't seem to work as busy as her and complained to Anna. They have known each other for 7+ years and have been pretty close. So Anna talked to this older guy Jerry on the big team. He is not under my manager, but he is pretty senior and kind of in charge of organizing the event. Jerry sent my manager an email to ask me to help with Anna on logistics. My manager said yes.
The first two days, I did help a lot, running errands that Anna normally does. But I didn't like it at all and my face might show that. Jerry seemed to like my performance for these two days. The third day, I met the old guy Jerry in the morning and told him I would want to sit in the sessions. He didn;t say no and just said "I am not sure if Anna needs you." For that day, I didn't go look for Anna and check if she needed my help. She got another person helping her. I just sat in the sessions. At the end of the day, I met Anna and asked if she needed me the next day. She frowned and said "No, another person will come and help me." So I didn't go the next day.
But then I felt both Jerry and her didn't seem very happy with me at the moment. I am suspecting Anna would get Jerry to say bad things about me to my manager. I have been getting along with my manager so far. But who knows what Jerry and Anna may say. At lunch today, from Anna and Sue's jokes, I got a feeling that they had been talking about me. They are all Americans, and they have been working there for years. They do talk a lot. I have heard them gossiping behind other people.
I do suspect that my coworker Sue had something to do with this - specifically asking me to help Anna. I don't like it that they asked me to run errands for a staff, and she did try to use me as much as possible as a cheap labor. But then, what if they say things to my manager about me?
If you have some good ideas, please share.
