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"  &amp;quot;Everyone at my office gets in around 9 a.m., but because I drop my kids off at school, I usually come in at 9:30. I stay late, but I recently overheard a coworker making a nasty comment. What should I do?&amp;quot; The only two people who count here are you and your boss, and if the hours you keep are all right with her, then it&amp;#039;s nobody else&amp;#039;s business. If your boss hasn&amp;#039;t explicitly approved your schedule, however, make an appointment to address it with her immediately. A clear endorsement from her will make you feel more sure of your footing and less threatened by snide remarks from your coworkers. As for your nasty associate, you can confront her in one of two ways. Feeling courageous? Pull her aside, nicely let her know your hours are sanctioned by your boss, and politely ask her to refrain from putting her two cents in. If the thought of that one-on-one confrontation puts a chill in your bones, you could instead write a friendly email memo to all of your colleagues. Keep it concise and congenial; you&amp;#039;ll diffuse the office gossip and maybe even up your approval rating! Just say what your hours are and graciously offer your cell phone number for anyone who might need to reach you earlier than 9:30. Finally, remember that gossip is always born out of weakness and envy. Your coworker might be plain jealous of your position, your kids, or even your happy disposition. A snide remark is her misguided way of handing you a compliment. BARBARA CORCORAN started a small New York City real estate office that grew into the Corcoran Group, a $5 billion business. She&amp;#039;s also the coauthor of the best-selling book If You Don&amp;#039;t Have Big Breasts, Put Ribbons on Your Pigtails and the real estate contributor to NBC&amp;#039;s Today. Have a question for Barbara? Email her at worklife@redbookmag.com. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.redbookmag.com/life/money-career/advice/a3882/career-advice-nasty-coworkers/>