I would never use the term "witness" if I just wanted someone there with me for moral support. A support person, an interested party, a person who can help me explain my POV, an impartial observer. You could even bring in a sympathetic superior instead of a co-worker to help get it straight. Witness implies litigation! Though, sometimes litigation is necessary....

The last time I totally lost it at work was when my co-worker (he was in sales, I was in support and we worked together on the same accounts), whose wife's name was also Karen said to me, "It's like I have a work wife, and a home wife."

ARrrgghh..I still shudder when I think of it, 14 years later That just betrayed the general attitude that I had already suspected, and I was so angry I said through clenched teeth, "Don't you ever even THINK anything like that again, much less say that to me!" and the tears started to flow and I left and called my husband. I really hated that dude, and to make it worse he was creepy in a physical way, his appearance made my skin crawl. I didn't stay there that long after that.

Now I deal with upset guys all the time--coaches yelling at me at tournaments, and stuff, and I've learned that if I just stay calm and focus on what their real issue is, I can address their issue without emotion. I put my body between a coach and an umpire who were about to come to blows just last week. (They won't hit a grandma!) It really ticks them off that I stay calm. I usually get apologies all around.

Karen