New job, unexpected tension with a coworker on day one

HR Advice

Hi everyone, I could really use some advice.

I just started a new corporate job and so far I’ve only worked two days because then the weekend came. Tomorrow I’m going back.

On the first day, during a training session, me and two other girls entered the conference room first and sat down. While we were doing that, I heard another woman that was entering the room after us make a comment to a colleague. I couldn’t clearly hear everything, but she said something like “see, this is what I was telling you earlier” and pointed at us. It really felt like she was talking about us, possibly about me, but I had no confirmation. Since it was my literal first day and I didn’t want to cause drama, I ignored it and continued with my day.

On the second day, I was talking to the same colleague she had spoken to. I made a subtle comment about what happened the day before, and he seemed surprised that I noticed. He basically confirmed to me that she was talking badly about us, and more specifically about me.

For context: I had done absolutely nothing. I was polite, friendly, and professional with everyone. She had ‘known’ me for maybe 30 minutes before making that comment.

English isn’t my first language, and the word she used isn’t really translatable, but it was definitely negative and unnecessary. It really upset me because it was completely unbased and unfair. If I had done something wrong, I would understand, but I genuinely didn’t.

It gave me that typical vibe of being judged for no real reason, and that bothered me a lot, especially since it was my first day at a new job.

*Here’s where I think I might have messed up:*

The woman who is in charge of our boarding (kind of HR but not exactly) told us we could come to her if we had any issues. I know it should be job-related but I told her about the situation. I went to her using a tone of asking for advice, like what should I do in situations like these, as they never happened at previous jobs and I never worked in such a corporate environment before. Also I did it because, first, I genuinely thought it was unfair, and second, it felt like a pretty big red flag about that woman’s behavior in a professional environment. I also still have another full week of training with her, and I really don’t want to sit in a room every day feeling tension, getting weird looks, or dealing with passive-aggressive behavior when that’s obviously not what we’re there for.

That said, I’m trying to be self-aware too. Maybe part of me was just hurt and salty about it, and I reacted emotionally. I can admit that bringing it up might not have been the smartest or most mature choice, and I’m now worried about how that could have been perceived, like I overreacted or couldn’t handle something small.

She told me it’s better to ignore it, that these situations happen sometimes, and that it has happened to her too.

Now I’m worried that I made a bad impression by even bringing this up. I’m scared I might look too sensitive or like a “problem” employee already, which was never my intention.

Posted Jan 11, 2026, 8:02 PM UTC

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