So I had a summer internship at the place I work at now. Everything went fine. I didn't have ONE problem this past summer.

But now, things are different. I'm in a new department with a new group of people and a new super and things aren't working out anymore and I don't know what to do. Here's are the problems and what's going on.

1. My coworkers are the worst gossips, tattletales and busybodies I've ever dealt with. I know I'm only 18 1/2 but I've been formally working since 14 and while I certainly don't know it all, I think I'm in a position to judge that these people are WAY over the top. I mean all they do - ALL THEY DO - is sit around and talk about people. They talk about people during work. They talk about people during lunch. They talk about people after work. They go to the bar and talk about people. It's like an addiction. They'll talk about somebody else to me, and I know damn well as soon as I leave the room I'm the topic of discussion. I don't engage it, seriously I don't, I just make like I have something to do and make a quick exit, and I think that's part of the next problem, which is....

2. My supervisor believes every negative things she hears about me. Now granted I'm not perfect, and I'm kind of young to have a "professional" job, so I had and have some things to work on. Like I have a kind of dry, sarcastic sense of humor that can sometimes get misunderstood. It was an issue when I first started but I could see that I was partly responsible for why I was having problems so I make sure that what I say will actually be taken as a joke before I say it and that's not a problem anymore. Still, the busybody crew won't let it die. I was talking to a guy I get along with the other day who's just a couple years older than me, and we were joking around about stuff. He said how he had to do something and he better get on it because it had to be done by tomorrow and if it wasn't, he was gonna be in trouble, and I said "What you mean again?" He laughed and made a quip back to me. It was fine in the context and to the person I was talking to. Someone who OVERHEARD went and tattled on me that I was being "discourteous" to him and I got in trouble for it. I said he wasn't even offended, go ask him, and my supervisor said she did and no, he wasn't offended, but that it still wasn't a comment I should have said. I wasn't telling racist jokes, cussing up a storm, or making sexual innuendo. What's the damn problem? I can only filter what I say to the person I'm talking to...not X number of people who MIGHT be evesdropping.

3. The above example is only an instance. It is WAY out of control. I can't open my mouth to even ask a job related question and someone goes running to my super about my tone of voice, some criticism about my work, something. It really is that bad. The other day I asked where something was kept and got yelled at because "I should know that by now". Anyway all this stress is starting to impact my performance. I'm so worried about what's going to be taken out of context next that I'm preoccupied with it and I'm starting to make dumb mistakes. So now of course I'm getting in trouble for THAT. I've tried explaining it to my supervisor who just calls it "an excuse for poor performance instead of taking responsibility for it". That is NOT the case. I told her because I want her help solving the problem. I don't like that my performance is suffering either. She just used some really harsh language and basically called me a liar to my face.

Anyway because of all this now I'm more or less back on probation. This is NOT the economy in which one wants to lose their job, and if I can find a way to fix this it will pave the way for a really good job in my future. I just don't know what to do.

I mean I can try to just not talk to anybody and go through this probationary bullshit but I just have a feeling like there is no level where I'm concerned that will be acceptable, and that at the end of this "improvement program" I'll just hear that I didn't improve and get canned.

I'm a good guy with a good sense of responsibility and a good work ethic. I don't know why this is happening and I don't know what I can do to change it.