A co-worker tried to assault me today

(sigh) venting. :(

She has had a long history of verbal abuse and a "my way or the highway, do my work for me" with the majority of her co-workers.

The kind of co-worker that causes disorganization and stress in the trenches but when a staff meeting is held, she is the first to complain about the problems..to the point where the rest of us sit there with our jaws on the floor how she misrepresents the "trench" problems so she is playing the martyr in the meetings.

Tonight I could take no more of her re-writing history and making it look like I was sitting on my ass the last 2 days while she did all the work. She was using that re-write as an excuse to get out of a patient related task today...like :"YOU are going to do what needs to be done since I did x and y and z the last 2 days". Um, ok, that's great but while she was doing x,y and z I had been doing a,b,c,and d...NOT sitting around doing nothing
What started out as a conversation in the hallway about her misrepresentation of the last 2 days ended up with her saying "let's go in this room and talk about it".
She shut the door behind me, I again reminded her of the work I had done the last 2 days (end of shift paperwork stuff).
The next thing I know she balls up her hand into a fist and raises it above her and gives me a look that I won't soon forget. I try to move to open the door, she blocks the way and more or less pushes her stomach against mine so my back is pushed up against the wall.
Not knowing what else to do, I start to scream bloody murder another co worker's name. She finally gets out of the way and I bolt out into the hallway..everyone who heard me scream meets me in the hall. She is denying up and down that she did what is said she did.
I demanded security be called.
They come and question both of us separately. Back and forth.
I ended up going home like 30 minutes early, she finished the shift with another worker..they said one of us needed to leave so we didn't have any more confrontations and she offered to let me go since I ride the bus and she had her car there. Gee, thanks for being so thoughtful.
Apparently, the encounter doesn't meet criminal charges.

So as it stands, we both are being asked to stay home tomorrow, management repeatedly telling me that they are asking me to stay home not for punishment or punitive reasons, they just want me to "decompress" after a "heat of the moment" encounter.
So tomorrow I stay home (as does she) and I guess I find out Friday if she will be held accountable or gets to go on with her once verbal abuse/now almost physical behavior.
she actually continued the yelling and moving towards me even after we both got brought into management's office, to the point where management had to pull her back from me and tell her to calm down.
I've called my sister and told her the co-worker's name JUST in case I somehow have some randomly not nice thing happen to me on the way to work/after work, or AT work. I want her name at the top of the questioning list.

Sorry to ramble, I just needed to vent some more...I already vented some to my family member when I called with the co-worker's name.

:hug:

...with as much detail as possible.

Include both today's encounter and all previous events that you can remember in as much detail as possible.

If you are in a Union shop you need to tell your shop steward what's going on.

If you are dismissed you need to be prepared to sue for wrongful dismissal.

If your co-worked is dismissed she may attempt to do the same thing.

If she approaches you outside the workplace you may need to get a restraining order.

Many years ago we had a continuing situation among some employees where I worked. One employee had kept a running diary that became invaluable when it all came to a head.

The woman in question was middle-management and didn't retain her position for long.

Don't you wish sometimes karma was quicker? A karma button would rock.

DID assault you.

'In most states, an assault/battery is committed when one person 1) tries to or does physically strike another, or 2) acts in a threatening manner to put another in fear of immediate harm. . .

edit: Historically, laws treated the threat of physical injury as "assault", and the completed act of physical contact or offensive touching as "battery," but many states no longer differentiate between the two.'

http://criminal.findlaw.com/crimes/a-z/assault_battery.html

Management (and you) have excellent evidence that she threatened you. "she actually continued the yelling and moving towards me even after we both got brought into management's office, to the point where management had to pull her back from me and tell her to calm down."

Sounds like there is NO CASE to be made against you. Do not forget this, and be sure to use it in your behalf whenever the need arises. DO NOT BE SHY in representing your position, and ask for assistance in this if you think it may be necessary.

edit: Follow the comments here to write up everything that happened.

Best of luck.

Seriously. This is the type of person you need to hurt before they will respect you. If she physically threatens you again, get her before she gets you. You are well within your rights to defend yourself and a precedent has been set.

and more importantly, make sure you have a witness when she's around. Do NOT go into any more rooms alone with her.

Keep all this documentation at home, or anyway, away from work.

Ask your friends/family/others outside work for recommendations regarding a good employment lawyer, should you need one.

Google "workplace bullying" and learn all you can about it.

My best to you. Keep us posted. :hug:

At the very minimum, you're helping the next person she targets.

could be your best friend when dealing with her.

In a way, that sounds even more threatening than a raised fist. You need to report every detail, in writing, to a superior and get a copy of the report.