{"id":3007,"date":"2026-06-25T08:10:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T08:10:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3007"},"modified":"2026-06-25T08:10:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T08:10:20","slug":"dear-abby-my-vampire-co-worker-sucks-the-life-out-of-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3007","title":{"rendered":"Dear Abby: My vampire co-worker sucks the life out of me"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>DEAR ABBY<\/strong>: I have worked with \u201cBev\u201d for 12 years. She is insufferable. I love my job and my other co-workers, but they all feel the same way as I do.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3006\">Man killed in shooting near Oakland\u2019s Uptown District<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Bev is a domineering, bullying, entitled woman in her late 50s. She has two \u201cfriends\u201d in the entire facility and, unfortunately, considers me one of them. The other is our boss, \u201cJanet,\u201d who I am sure merely tolerates her as I do.<\/p>\n<p>Bev calls me incessantly during the day to talk about her personal life. She demeans people and is controlling and rude. She says she is \u201cso busy,\u201d but other people end up doing her work for her while she takes all the credit. When my phone rings and it\u2019s her, I can feel the life being sucked out of me, and I want to throw my phone at the wall.<\/p>\n<p>Because her other \u201cfriend\u201d is Janet, Bev constantly says that nobody can say anything about her because the boss will tell her. That makes it hard for the rest of us who all feel the same way about her.<\/p>\n<p>It is affecting my mental health. She calls no fewer than 10 times a day, and then she complains about how busy she is, after she has kept me on the phone 15 minutes or more talking about her personal life.<\/p>\n<p>I feel like one day I\u2019m going to explode, and I do not want to lose my job. Help!<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2014 VAMPIRE VICTIM<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>DEAR VAMPIRE VICTIM<\/strong>: Do you know for a fact that Janet considers Bev a friend? You may see them talking frequently, but that doesn\u2019t mean Janet is enjoying it. If, as you say, everyone else in the workplace dislikes her, it\u2019s hard to believe the boss hasn\u2019t noticed.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Have a private chat with Janet. Tell her about the long, unwelcome chats, the bullying and the rudeness. Be as specific as you can.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3004\">Livermore mechanic charged with stealing skid steer, excavator from employer<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Ask her if she really supports Bev\u2019s habit of invoking their friendship to avoid social consequences. If Janet takes Bev\u2019s side in everything \u2014 which is doubtful \u2014 at least you\u2019ll know where you stand.<\/p>\n<p><strong>DEAR ABBY:<\/strong> I have a male friend I would really like to get to know better. I would love to date him.<\/p>\n<p>We are both divorced and have relatives who no longer speak to us. I know he\u2019s single and not seeing anyone.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>I haven\u2019t had a relationship in three years. I sometimes wonder what\u2019s wrong with me. I\u2019m a bit overweight but I have a great personality. I can\u2019t understand why I can\u2019t get a man interested in me.<\/p>\n<p>What can I do to get this man (or any man) interested in me?<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2014 READY IN NORTH CAROLINA<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>DEAR READY:<\/strong> You say your personality isn\u2019t the problem, and not every man finds skinny women attractive. However, if you suspect that your weight is what\u2019s keeping him (and other men) away, it may be time to address it. Talk with your doctor about a healthy eating plan and join a gym.<\/p>\n<p><em>Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3002\">SF Giants\u2019 rookie Bericoto walks off A\u2019s with HR after Devers\u2019 tying shot<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>She is insufferable, but she says the boss is her friend so I have no recourse.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":88,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advice"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Dear Abby: My vampire co-worker sucks the life out of me - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3007\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dear Abby: My vampire co-worker sucks the life out of me - 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