u/GG1124

Hi all – I am in serious need of advice, coaching, wisdom…whatever the lovely Reddit community has to offer.  Warning: this is going to be a long post.

I work at college and have been very happy there for 5 years.  My plan has always been to stay long term and retire from there (I’m in my early 40s, so I have a ways to go).  Back in December, I was approached about a new management position that was being created with me in mind.  It meant the world to me and it would be in an office that has been my dream office ever since I started working at the college.  In this position I would be overseeing 5 clerical staff and performing my own duties and tasks.  I never wanted to venture down the management path (I’ve had supervisory roles before in previous places of employment, and while they went well and didn’t have any issues, I prefer to just focus on myself and get my job done) but I thought this would be an opportunity to work in the office I’d been wanting to work in – who knows when the next opportunity or open position would be available (more on this later).  I knew from the get-go that two of the clerks would be tough: they have a reputation among faculty, staff, and students for being difficult, not approachable, and sometimes downright rude and unprofessional to others.  They have both been in their roles at the college for 30 years, haven’t been held accountable for their actions and how they speak to others (especially students), and on top of all that – they absolutely hate each other (I don’t use that word lightly.  It is a severe and strong disdain for each other).  This was the biggest reason why I put so much thought and consideration into accepting this position.  These individuals haven’t been held accountable for decades – and now the college wants someone (me??) to start holding them accountable and documenting any issues, etc.?  It is mind boggling how they have gotten away with this for so long.  On the other hand, I also thought maybe my gentler, softer, more patient approach would help them improve and improve the quality of student services (this was back in December, I was younger then and full of hopes and dreams, haha).  So I moved forward with the new position. 

I’d say that the first few months have gone pretty well.  I have a good, solid grasp of my own responsibilities and enjoy them.  I’ve made a positive impact on the 5 clerks and do everything I can to support, encourage, appreciate, and motivate them – and do little things whenever I can to build rapport, camaraderie, and bring the group closer together.  They’ve made it clear that they appreciate all I do and they seem very happy to have someone in their corner who is there for them.  The one thing that hasn’t changed are the 2 clerks and how they are with each other and how they are with others (thankfully not with me).  Honestly, it’s gotten to the point where I think that I can’t stay at my job, which breaks my heart.  I love where I work and take so much pride in it, but dealing with these two will slowly kill my soul and my sanity.  I don’t want to be the person that comes in and starts documenting and writing people up and reporting incidents to HR after they’ve been doing it for so, so long.  One is retiring in December, so there’s a light at the end of the tunnel there.  The other one (which also happens to be the much more problematic one) doesn’t seem to have any desire to retire.  Their union is very strong - I can't even get into that right now, but I wanted to make it know that they're in a union.

Right now, it looks like I have two options:

1. I need to start sitting in the space they are located and work from there all day every day (I have my own space but make it a point to pop over and check in daily, and when my schedule allows, I bring my laptop and work in there for a couple hours at a time).  This is because I know they will be nicer to each other and to others if I’m there – like a glorified babysitter.  This will definitely impact me getting my own work done and my sanity, but it will hopefully improve the overall atmosphere of the office and they will behave better if I’m there.  But it will be something I’ll have to do for the foreseeable future until both clerks are gone and I’m able to build a team I trust – and who knows when that will be.

2. And now there happens to be an opening within the same office – a position that’s a step lower than me, but a step higher than where I was before.  It’s not a management position and I would just be responsible for getting my own work done.  I’m tempted to tell my boss that I’d like to apply for it.  It really stinks because I would hate to leave the clerks that I’ve built such a bond with and I don’t like the idea of moving to a new position so quickly – but I honestly don’t know if staying in my current position with two very difficult people is sustainable for me – especially with the toll it’s been taking on my mental health in such a short period of time.

There’s so much more I could add, but I’ll stop there for now.  Those are the big points: new job, tough crew, mental health quickly declining. Ideally I'd love to stay where I am, but realistically, I don't know if I can handle the issues surrounding these two individuals and the fact that one of them isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

WWRD: What Would Reddit Do?  What would you say to my boss?  Should I have a conversation with HR?  How would you handle this situation or have you been in a similar situation before?  If so, what did you do?

Hi all! I'm having decision fatigue and am in need of some input for what kind of flooring to install in my enclosed front porch. Here is some info:

• The house is on the older side, built in 1930, and is a bungalow.
• The front porch is enclosed and faces the south side, which makes it nice and toasty in the dead of winter where temps average 0-37 degrees Fahrenheit. If the sun is out, the porch is like a green house. This also means that the space is unheated and can be in the upper 80s during the day and well below freezing that same evening.
• Currently the porch floor is relatively new plywood, covered with puzzle floor mats that I put down a few years ago as a temporary solution until I figure out something more permanent. They're soft and easy to clean, but not meant for direct sunlight and haven't held up very well. They were very affordable, so if I get stuck, I could always do them again.

Flooring options:

• Because of the extreme temperature fluctuations, I know that a lot of different kinds of flooring can warp, expand, contract, etc., so I'd like to avoid any risk of this happening.
• I don't love the idea of doing a kind of flooring that involves leaving an expansion gap. This is mainly for aesthetic reasons - I know that the gap will be covered, but I don't like the idea of having a trim go along the perimeter of the porch. I could be overthinking this though.
• I don't love tile because of how cold the floor/porch gets in the winter/cooler temps.
• In a perfect world, I'd love something that looks original to the house or close to what would have been on the floor 100 years ago. That being said...
• I'm currently leaning towards wall to wall carpeting (low pile, something comfy and soft but nothing too expensive).

If you have any thoughts or recommendations I'd love to hear them!