Dear Joyce – Sniper at the Meeting

We have a weekly meeting at work. Someone who's slightly above me, but isn't my boss, will randomly bring up usually minor things that she had to correct about people's work, including mine. No one challenges her, I guess for fear that she'll make more (or worse) comments. This is really bothering me. What should I do?

Sincerely,

Enough!

Whatever her own deep-seated issue is, she's obviously found an outlet for it in your meetings, by sniping at people and tarnishing their reputations. (Of course, if those around her weren't making errors on the job, then she wouldn't have easy targets!)

The question is: Why is she getting away with it?

Is she otherwise decent outside of the meetings? Has everyone else become so used to her comments that they ignore them? Does she have a particularly useful skill that makes her too valuable to lose? Is she considered too emotionally "delicate" to confront? Is she a relative of the boss, and so protected by the magical shield of nepotism?

Depending on which it is – and you may not know – the safest thing to do is to talk to your supervisor. Don't criticize the sniper, just talk about the impact her comments have on you, by making you tense, fearful, anxious, etc.

Good luck!