I've been at my job for a little over a year, now. I love my job. I work at a candy store, what ISN'T to love? Well, unfortunately, my coworkers. I have a few coworkers I like, but I have a few that are blatantly shit-tastic workers. First of all, one of my coworkers is pregnant. She can't lift the fifty pound chocolate boxes, which I understand. But she leaves early all the time and claims it is because her back hurts. She acts like it is a huge problem when she leaves, but there are times that I can hear her say, "I don't want to work. I'll just tell them my back hurts."
Sometimes, we ask her to do little jobs that she is perfectly capable of doing, and she will look us dead in the eye and say, "I don't want to."
Another coworker treats me like an idiot. I guess I deserve it, since my "work personality" is very different than, well, how I am on here for example. I'm not a total genius, but given my age I think that I am pretty sensible and intelligent. At work, I don't talk about anything controversial. I don't fight, argue, or get mad. If I make a mistake, I pull the airhead card. It makes work easier for me to deal with. But when I say something about "being smarter than that" or "just being stupid me," this coworker never has anything nice to say. Did I bring it on myself? Maybe. But don't be a jerk with me. This worker leaves me with shit jobs all the time like I don't realize that I'm filling a 1,000 pound chocolate melter ALONE. Damn bitch.
We just hired a guy who was in a pretty bad situation before he came to us. He used to just do janitorial jobs, now he works with us before he cleans the place. He unplugged things he wasn't supposed to, but he had just started. Right? Pfft, wrong. He still does it. He told a coworker that "women are so irresponsible." Wanna guess what he says to me? He walks up and says, "You have a license, right?" I shake my head. I'm learning how to drive, I have a temporary license. He tries to say that he should buy a car, and I should drive us both to work since we work the same hours. I point out that I need to drive with someone that has a valid license. So the guy then tells me that he got caught driving drunk because of a headlight on his car being out. So, I'm an irresponsible woman... But he's the one that doesn't have a license because he screwed himself over. Then this guy doesn't listen to me when I told him NOT to put milk chocolate boxes and dark chocolate boxes together. People don't always look at what box they put in a melter. He says he understands, then HE PROCEEDS TO EMPTY THE DARK CHOCOLATE BOXES INTO A MILK CHOCOLATE MELTER. For those of you who don't understand, that's a BIG problem. We have won awards at this company for our chocolates because of how we mix everything-and people don't buy milk chocolate to taste dark. He sat there fishing dark chocolate chunks out of the melter for the longest damn time. He barely could admit fault here. He then proceeds to overfill the next melter. Okay, we all make mistakes. Been there, done that... But he walks away and leaves me to clean up his mess. We call him back to have him mop up some chocolate while we clean the melter, and he tries to shove it off on the coworker above (the one who thinks I'm a complete damn moron). He says it was HER fault for not watching the melter. She gets upset. He comes in with the mop and says, "Here, ____, here's a mop for your mess." They fight, she leaves, he tries to play it off as her overreacting. He had sat there and said things like, "You shouldn't have left it, silly." And, "It isn't something to be upset over."
It is the most stressful thing for me to be around. I hate conflict. I don't like it when I'm in the middle, but I don't like it more when I'm around it. I hate trying to do what I need to do around drama.
I just am so irritated with my coworkers, but I love my job. I don't want to seem like a moron, but seriously, how the hell do people get through jobs without lynching people!? How do you do it? How do you suggest I do it? Any advice?

There is never only one person at fault. Everyone makes mistakes but no one ever wants to own up to it. You guys have some serious problems to work out together if you all want to work efficiently and get along. Whoever's in charge needs to take charge and help out, but not go overboard.

I know it's hard with how stupid people can be sometimes, but when it comes to the people you work with, you all have to be willing to make sacrifices and take responsibility for the sake of your jobs. A job is a job and needs to be done efficiently and properly, otherwise, what's the point of having one and getting paid for it?

Like I said, it'd be better for all of you to get together and sort things out. Hope it helps, and hang in there :)

Wow. Just... Wow. I'm pretty surprised that he actually did that, to be honest. Now, I'll be perfectly honest here; I don't have a job, but I really want one. I'm going through the work of finding one, but I'm just a bit stuck. Regardless, the best thing for you to do is simply deal with it. I mostly stay out of situations like these, but when you suddenly come into a situation like this, it's best to keep your head down and say whatever is needed to be said. In my school, that's pretty much how I am all the time. It works, and the best part is, you don't get scolded for saying anything out of turn. Another thing is.. I suggest proving your smarts (if you've been there for a long time and they know you really well, then it shouldn't be too hard) so that they really know what you can do. but there are people within this world who will always look down on you, and be it as it may, sometimes you can't do much about it. (Sorry if these aren't too helpful)

I hope things get better as the days pass. Good luck!

>>3 I kind of disagree on many points in there, but here's what I think:
If you want to reduce the heat in a stressy situation, you can concentrate on 2 things:
#1 accept the situation you're in. It's simple. You're in the middle of a shitstorm. And it's about to go down, whatever you do. There is nothing you can do about that, even if you're not to blame. Even if you could have prevented it, that time is gone, accept it, and think "Well, it can't be helped".
#2 After accepting the situation, and also the reason for accepting the situation is for the following purpose: Concentrate on one thing and one thing only. Not who to blame, or who is at fault, or how fair the situation is, because most of these can't be helped when you're already there. But instead concentrate on how to solve the problem itself. The sooner you solve the problem, the better for you, and everyone can go on with their miserable little lives around you. Additionally, being a problem solver puts you in a position where you cooperate a lot with people who have the same interests. That means you produce value to those people.

Even if your janitor coworker is a dick, if you just clean up with a smile and after that just keep out of the part where they try to give someone the blame stating "This is a problem we've already solved, let's move on to everything else that needs solving *smile*", you'll even gain a lot of recognition.
Just an advice tho, what I wrote above doesn't mean you should spoil your coworkers or do their jobs instead of them. Don't let yourself be used. It's more like approaching the same situation a different way.

Also a small bonus trick: If your coworkers can't distinguish milk chocolate from dark, treat them like they're idiots. Treat them like a 5 year old, who really doesn't know the difference, and try to tell them nonetheless why and what the difference is instead of telling them "No! You shouldn't put that there". It has a different effect on people. When someone treats you like an idiot, you want to prove to them that you aren't one. If you don't allow someone something, they will sure as hell do it, just to spite the rule.

>>4 Ah well. Tbh it usually depends on the situation, but after seeing what you've written, I'd go with what you said than with what I said. (I wrote that late at night, couldn't think for half the stuff I was typing)

You guys are all super awesome. Just reading these makes me feel like I can deal with it all a little better.

>>2 I understand that there is always more than one person at fault, but the problem really started when Janitor tried to pass the blame to my other coworker. We would have happily cleaned up the mess with him had he not said such... rude things. I can assure you that I am just trying to get through the day. xD For me, it is all about just ignoring the bad and trying to get to the end of my shift so I come home. Thank you!

>>3 The only issue I have with "just dealing with it" is the emotional stress it puts on me. I come from a home that had a lot of fights and domestic violence, and just being around a verbal argument gave me so much stress. I left work with a pounding head ache, even though the fight was not boisterous, and with extreme fatigue. It effects me emotionally and physically, which can cause other problems. I can deal with shitty people, just not the fighting. You know? I'm sorry you feel like you have to live so passively like me... I know it isn't ideal, but thank you so much for your input.

>>4 I'm sort of getting the idea that I need to stop saying, "You MIGHT want to do this..." And start sating, "Put those back when you're done." I like to stay on their good side for the sake of work, but it is getting to the point that it's more stressful to deal with the aftermath... I honestly couldn't have cared less about the fact that he overfilled the melter. I had come in to clean up, whether it was my mess, his, or if it just happened for some stupid reason that none of us could explain. It's just the idea that he would sit there and say those things, cause a fight, etc. I feel like I'm repeating myself, but I'm giving each of you an individual response. I'm sorry!

Perhaps I should have labeled this, "How to deal with fighting in the work place," Since I have now realized that is the actual problem...
Thank you all so much!