Responses to people when they try to complain or gossip to you?

[Anonymous]

It makes me uncomfortable to pretend like I care or want to hear this older woman's gossip and whining at work. We usually come in at the same time in the morning and it's just us there for a bit and somehow she finds a way to whine angrily and gossip about others and the bosses. Its really annoying. I dont want to hear or tell gossip but somehow I am just a pushover and go along and end up nodding or agreeing. I need ways to offset it when people come to me with that bullcrap.

Years ago she never even talked to me. So this shows she got comfortable and has come to think of me as someone who accepts or agrees with her whining and gossip otherwise she wouldn't keep coming to me with it. That means this is my fault. Being politely/agreeably passive is not helping. Its just making these obnoxious people see me as an easy target.

Sorry if that sounded like a rant. I'm just really angry at myself and people like her.

[WhitneySnow]

I would find some way to distance yourself from her (though I’ve recently been told you can’t block people at work, or at least it’s a really bad idea).