Passive-Aggressiveness is Like Smog, or Conflict Sometimes Creates Cleaner Air

I do not understand why this always comes to be, but it seems inevitable: no matter where I work or what I'm doing, I am always faced with at least one passive-aggressive personality. Sometimes more than one, but always at least one.

Unfortunately for me, the resident super-passive-aggressive employee works in the office next to mine. Even more unfortunately, every two offices in this building share thermostats. So guess whose heating/air conditioning ducts are controlled by the same mechanism?

That's right. Mine. And hers.

Fortunately, the thermostat lives a cozy existence in my office, meaning that I have immediate control over the temperature. (Something that, I admit, probably gives me a little more of a power trip than it should)

Anyway, this passive-aggressive girl also happens to be the girl whose position I filled when I joined this company fourteen months ago. Back then, she delighted in making me do things the long way--her way--which was supposedly "smarter and more thorough." (Interpretation of "smarter and more thorough": a colossal waste of my time once I discovered I could do things just as accurately and more quickly, which one might arguer was smarter anyway) I later learned it was her way of asserting dominance; she had, for a long time, been known as one of the brightest minds in the company. When she found a mind brighter than hers (mine), she had to find a way to assert herself. Thus the training. I'm probably not doing a good job of articulating just how passive aggressive the action was, but it was an action most definitely designed to say, "I'm as smart or smarter than you. Don't mess with me."

Now, here is an interesting fact about me: in non-work-related situations, I'm a conflict-avoider. I see a fight coming, and I run. Hightail it to safer ground, conversationally or physically. Or better yet, completely diffuse the situation by saying something completely random and funny--it works like a charm, most of the time, to stop an argument in its tracks. Arguing proves very difficult when laughing. True story.

But at work, I encourage conflict. Mostly because once the conflict is out and over with, the air has cleared. Grievances are understood and addressed. And nobody feels the worse for it when it's handled properly.

Now, the thermostat: it is never--and I mean never--at a temperature this girl is satisfied with. She's straight from Goldilocks and the Three Bears, except that her temperatures are even more extreme than those of Mama Bear and Papa Bear.

And she won't touch the thermostat!! I'll walk past her office and she'll be huddled in her monstrosity of a faux-fur coat. And she'll force her teeth to chatter as I walk by. Or else I'll walk by and she'll wipe her brow or spontaneously remove layers, complaining to her new office mate (who will usually ask me to change the thermostat, or change it herself) about the copious amounts of sweat oozing from her pores. (At which point, said office mate will roll her eyes and just keep working)

This is the point: I don't like passive-aggressive tactics. They are obnoxious, and they are designed to make somebody else change your situation for you. Conflict--taking matters into your own hands and addressing the issues--not only doesn't drive others batty, it gives you control!!

And who doesn't want to have some control over their circumstances?