Terry Prone: It’s nothing personal, but I’ve no time for passive-aggressive talk

'Nothing personal' is one of the phrases that should be banned from every workplace. It is meaningless, while being offensive to staff on the receiving end

'Nothing personal' is never a statement on which to build a good working relationship. It reinforces a bad power relationship and is extremely difficult to combat, if you’re on the receiving end. Picture: Lauren Healy/PA

The best thing about a bank holiday is that even if you don’t want to watch a parade, it still gives you three full days away from the irritating person in the office. Or, if that irritating person is a high 10 on the scale of maddening, three full days to recover from their latest onslaught.

I hadn’t thought about this until the “nothing personal” episode. Here’s the story: These two women worked together, maybe eight or nine years ago. They were clever, accomplished, able women who loathed each other.