Is OTHER wrong in the post ? POST : Tl;dr at bottom

I have a particular coworker, let’s call “Sweet But Annoying” (SBA), that I can’t stand when they ask if I need help. It’s not that I think I never need help or that I have never needed help before, but for some reason SBA grinds my gears when they offer.

To offer a little back story, I have been at my current job for a few years and am well adjusted in my position. I worked elsewhere previously for a few years in a different specialty, so I was not new to the profession. I have a solid understanding of my work, and am 99% independent in everything I do. I don’t know everything, nor do I claim to, but in situations where I genuinely need guidance in a specific scenario, I wouldn’t ask SBA. 

SBA has worked at my place of work approximately 6 months longer than I have, so not much more experience than myself. However, I would estimate I have more experience as my previous job was built upon by this one, as they are different specialties but very closely related, whereas SBA’s previous experience was no where close to this. 

Regardless of our past experiences, I have been given much tougher assignment in our current workplace. I have more experience and poise with the various equipment we use and the people we serve. My critical thinking and knowledge base, in my opinion, is at a higher level than SBA’s. This isn’t a pissing match in who has more experience, but this will relate later on.

My job is very time oriented but it is a speciality where you normally aren’t running around in order to get everything done. So if you have good time management, everything falls into place as you work, leaving you comfortably independent throughout the day. You don’t usually require help unless something off the cuff happens, in which case there are several people available to help, and you don’t need to ask.

My specific complaint is this. In most cases, I will need a second person to verify something, per our policy. So I will ask SBA to verify, as a second person and myself have to sign as we both verified the information is correct. That’s it. That’s all I will have asked for, and then I will continue my work. SBA seems to linger many times once whatever is verified, and watch me continue working. SBA then, in the sweetest voice they could muster asks if I need any help. As if they are talking to a child or someone that just isn’t up to their standards, and obviously needs SBA’s god given gift to help the less fortunate.

I quickly say nope, as I have no need of their help, and SBA gives a facial expression as if I’m just lying about needing their help, as to not bother them and asks, “Are you sure?” 

To get my point across, I look up and smile, raise my eyebrows and look around the room and shake my head while saying no again. As if to signal that wtf else do you think I need help with?! I’m clearly working on whatever I’m doing, I called you in here for a specific reason in which I’m required to do, and you have fulfilled that request. I don’t need your help for anything else.

Normally this would be fine, (especially if SBA lost the little kid voice) but even after two no’s, SBA continues to linger like they still don’t believe me, and then eventually laughs and leaves. I kind of want to say “You can leave now” although I know that saying it would be rude, it would get my point across...

To circle back to the experience bit, I am calm and collected in situations, and I let my knowledge and experience guide me. I do have some internal anxious but I don’t full on freak out if something unfortunate happens, rather I move to find a solution to fix it. SBA gets their feathers ruffled at the slightest sign something is going haywire. I’m talking, shaky hands, whimpering voice, calling everyone in to help, running to do anything, complete blackout flight or fight response. This happens even when a minimal situation occurs, as I have seen first hand.

I’m not bothered by SBA for how they act, that’s not my beef and I help when needed. But when I am needing to calm SBA down on something not a big deal, and help correct such small situations before a full blown meltdown occurs, I would expect to not be treated in an holier than thou attitude.

I could run circles around SBA if I wanted to, so the constant asking if I needing help as if SBA is my parent, and myself a wee baby needing help, bugs me. I would expect that treatment to a new person, but if SBA is really thinking I need their help, solely because they have been there longer, they aren’t paying attention.

I am normally a very happy person, willing to chat with just about anyone, but because of this, I have found myself to become off-put by SBA and seemingly unwilling to want to have a conversation. I am not myself when talking to SBA, usually very short responses and not much else. Any interaction bugs me now, and I feel there is some fakery thrown in there. I’m not sure SBA realizes, but AITA?

Most this sounds very petty reading through it, but it is kind of insulting, and even though I feel I am “better at my job” than SBA, I never treated them any differently. I actually am usually the first to help when asked, with no qualms about what had been done. I stick together with my coworkers and look out for them when they make a mistake. I don’t run to management about everything, like some do, but rather ask that person about it and the horrified look usually tells me that they will pay better attention next time, without the needed berating from the higher ups.

I don’t even really care if you reply, this is more of a vent post, because I have been relieved of my subconscious thoughts many times after just venting. Reddit is a great resource to just get it all out. AITA because I don’t know SBA’s side, obviously, but yet I have chosen to treat them differently in personal ways (not professional).

Tl;dr Coworker insists on helping, not a wee baby, can do it myself, can run circles around coworker, wants coworker to go away, now constantly annoyed by coworker AITA?