Today is the day to air your velvet.

Mrs. Zulkey.com returns today but needs more questions from you. She is willing to take time out of her schedule of preparing Thanksgiving dinner for 15 people to help you with your problems, so send her your queries today.

Mrs. Zulkey.com Helps You Rat On Your Coworkers.

Dear Mrs. Zulkey.com,

I'm the workplace cliche: the bottom-rung worker who keeps the whole organization together yet gets the least respect. That's fine. I've made my peace with that (mostly.)

What drives me crazy is my coworker. While technically she works above me, we work in tandem with each other. The thing is: she doesn't do her work. How do I know this? Well, for instance, right this second, I can hear her shooting the sh*t with another coworker next door (we share a wall.) They've been chatting together for an hour now. Tomorrow, probably, she will call in and tell me her car broke down. Friday, that her son is sick.

Personally, I couldn't care less but it affects me in a few ways. As she struggles to keep up with her work: 1.) Our boss gets irritable, which falls on me. 2.) Our clients get irritable, which falls on me 3.) When this happens, my coworker gets irritable, who then treats me like I'm her personal secretary.

Should I say anything to anyone? I've tried coughing loudly to let her know how thin the wall is. Maybe I could try walking by and ask if they need help with anything, as I've heard them in deep discussion for so long. Or I could just live my dream and tell my boss, who will then obviously give me a huge raise and let me work from home.

Do you have any thoughts?

Sincerely,

Why Am I Getting Paid the Least?

Dear Underpaid & Overworked,

It's pointless to address your issues with your co-worker since not only is she your senior in the firm and hence immune and impervious to your complaints, but for office morale purposes, you want to be seen to be a team player. (see below)

If I read between your lines correctly, the real problem is that you could use either a promotion or a raise. I believe your tolerance for your fellow employee's behavior would vastly improve if this could be accomplished. Rather than be passive and resentful, take some steps toward that end.

Arrange to have a performance review with your boss. Don't wait for your annual review, since by then your salary level will have already been set in the budget. You could propose this meeting under the guise of getting some feedback on your work. If you're as deserving as you imply, this meeting will make it clear that you have earned some compensation. You can support this by being prepared with the details of your accomplishments, your reliability, your rapport with the clients, how you've gone beyond your job description and are, in fact, indispensible to the operation. After you get your pats on the back, make it clear that you expect that they will translate into something more tangible at raise time.

Mrs. Zulkey