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Update 2 to Work Abuse Situation

Evil4's picture

Well, a colleague whom I have talked about in blogs before got another job. Her last day was Thursday. She's the one I named Spitfire because that's what she was. She was the one who brought down Bully Boss. On her last day, she decided to stir up a hornets' nest and went to the highest of the high including our new Head Hauncho and sang like a canary. She named me and another colleague as the main targets of the brutal bullies. She spoke about EVERYTHING that's been going on. Now a bunch of us have investigative interviews with mine being scheduled for next week. I plan on singing like a canary including naming names. I can't wait. I don't give a flying shit if I should refrain from saying certain things. My truth is that I was bullied to the point of being diagnosed with trauma so I will speak how I want. I've lost the care and the fear and I'm not fun at all to deal with when I lose my care or fear. Stay tuned and grab your popcorn. I have quite a bit of concrete evidence that I plan on presenting. I'm doing it for me. I need to speak my truth. I will not be shut down. 

 

 

Comments

Evil4's picture

Thank you, Rags!

Yep! I'm doing it for me. I don't expect a damn thing to change. It's all for me. 

CLove's picture

Im in a situation where I am shunned and excluded, which apparently is considered harrassment.

But I dont want to rock any boats.

Good on you and your soon to be ex co worker on outtting the work abuse.

Looking forward to a successful (for you) interview.

CajunMom's picture

Stand in the truth!! So proud of you, taking care of you! And the timing is perfect. Best to you! 

ESMOD's picture

At this point.. you have been given the opportunity to corroborate your situation... and you should take it.  I would be sure to document the conversation... and any "retaliation" you feel you experience after this.. you may end up in litigation at some point.. and need to have your ducks in a row.  
 

Unfortunately.. it's rare that the "company" does anything but covers their own self.. and that is what HR's role tends to more often be.. they aren't there to protect employees.. past ensuring legal protections that could blow back and harm themselves.  You still wii likely need to find a new employer.. because this situation will probably follow you if you stay within the same organization.  But, since it has come out.. you should be honest.

grannyd's picture

My Dear Evil,

Your intolerable work situation has disturbed me since your first ‘Evil’ incarnation. Having been employed by the government for decades where employee politics are rampant, I’m well aware of how some workers are singled out for intimidation.

Bullying was mainly directed towards newly hired folks who were resented for winning a job that long-timers wanted either for themselves or for their friends. Other times, an employee may not have been willing to accept the unkind attitudes of the ‘mean girls’, and once the ‘outcast’ was labelled, she (these situations applied mostly to women) was stuck in her position with no chance of promotion.

I recall one woman in particular, the manager’s secretary and a very competent worker, who was universally hated because she dressed poorly and pinched pennies. She was a divorcée, determined to hang onto the house that she and her ex had purchased during their marriage and was unable to join in with the lunches and after-hours drinking that her coworkers enjoyed. The woman was treated abominably. 

Because I’ve been cursed with an excess of empathy, was anguished at watching the poor woman eat her lunch alone every afternoon and because I was popular with both management and my co-workers and had little to lose, I began to occasionally sit with her at lunchtime. 

As much as I’d love to say that Ms. Secretary’s enemies began to join us, it didn’t happen, proving Evil’s point that once earmarked for irrational dislike and deemed to be substandard, one is trapped in that role forever.

Evil, I hate what those awful people have done to you, both physically and emotionally and hope that karma visits them with something comparably nasty. I have no faith in HR; in my experience, they are committed to their employers and unwilling to ‘shake the boat’ in order to address injustices in the workplace. However, your meeting with ‘highest of the high’, long overdue, might just make a difference, since the way’s been paved from the woman who left. If not, at least you’ve got a chance to speak your mind. You GO, girl! ♥️

Rags's picture

IMHO they tend to have a huge superiority complex in relation to the individual contributors, and an envious axe to grind with leaders since they know what everyone makes. HR is generally not the highest compensation category in any organization.  Always the last ones gone in a downsizing or business closure.

My interface with HR has been varied.  Mostly reasonable in large actions, but in the few focused actions I have had they hung me out to dry.  First was a difficult situation with a Sr. Director I was matrixed to as a Sr. Manager.  He had a severe Napoleon/Little Man complex, was cheating on his wife and twin babies with several young women ladder climbers in his organization.  The whole sequence of events leading up to the who shit show is a long story.  I filed an HR complaint and shredded him in front of his whole team who ended up interviewed during the investigation. He was demoted and transferred after a very in depth investigation. I was interviewed several times on his behaviors on business trips where young women who were his direct reports would do the walk of shame from his room to theirs in the AM in yesterday's clothes, his rants during staff meetings, etc....  I got RIF'd 6mos later after HR, my direct line boss, and two up solid line boss all assured me that my role was secure and that the HR investigation would not impact my career. I got RIF's after the all clear was called after a large company wide RIF was executed. I had to RIF my entire department (30 people).  I had cleared out my office the day before when I was given a RIF package for everyone on my team that I had to implement.  I got the call 3hrs after the all clear was announced . My direct report boss was in tears as he gave me my package and then sent me to the Sr. Leader out processing room.  I was one of a few dozen. Several of us who had earned either 1 or 2s on our recent reviews.  That company rated people 5-1 with 1 being the highest. I was a 1 at that time.  

The next time was at my next company when I had an employee who lost their shit at a lunch I catered every other Sunday.  We were doing a productivity competition and those who met their daily production goals got a $25 gift card and those who exceeded by 25% or more got $50.  This employee invariably got the $50 incentive every shift. At the lunch the head of my Maintenance team and other maintenance techs saw the star producer get snooty about their incentive with others on the team.  So the maintenance lead pokes one of his techs in the ribs with an elbow and proceeds to sightly loudly say "What are you all going to do with your $200 bonus?".  It was game on at that point.  $50 incentive employee every shift lost their shit.   I attempted to calm them down and explain that there was no $200 bonus. They started throwing chairs in the break room, screaming and demanding $200, en an extended rant.  I had the cell lead bring them to my office, took their badge and had the cell lead walk them out with instructions to call HR the next day (Monday) to discuss getting their badge back. I did not want them having access to the plant while they were out of control when only the production staff was present.

That individual called their mother who was a Union shop steward in the NE.  Mommy advised her to immediately go to a minor emergency and get an Rx for an anti anxiety med and laid out a bullshit strategy to push back on me confiscating their badge.  The next AM my boss and I met with the HR director. HR interviewed several people on the shift, the chair throwing ranting was clearly recounted by everyone in the break room (40 or so people) including my attempt to de-escalate and get them out of the room. HR clearly outlined the path forward, documenting a reprimand.  The next AM my boss, me, the HR director and the ranting chair throwing nut case met. Nutcase went through mommies anxiety med strategy, threatened legal action if terminated, etc... HR director then lectured whack job and me about getting along. I called an immediate stop to that, highlighted the facts, and instructed the chair throwing falsely medicated zombie to leave the room then I notified my boss that I was making a formal complaint against the HR director for unprofessionalism and undermining management.  My boss agreed, shut the HR director down, and I made sure that the reprimand on chair hurler was permanently in her file. That company had an unofficial policy that reprimands would be pulled after some period of time. Invariably the idiot with the reprimand would behave for the 30, 60, or 90 days of the reprimand then the reprimand was removed from the final. Chair hurler was the second  reprimand I wrote .  In every reprimand I wrote while managing at that company it was clearly stated that any further reprimand would result in additional disciplinary steps up to and including termination.  They ended up officially updating the reprimand policy with the stipulation that any reprimand was a permanent part of the employee's employment record with company.   Suddenly, historical problems were dealt with rather than passed on to the next manager to get stuck with that problem employee.

I had several longer term employees in my organization with performance issue histories.  When I was developing a disciplinary step when they pulled crap while in my team I called their previous managers who all had reprimanded them. Nothing in their file. That is when I ended the disappearing reprimand crap.

A year later I got promoted into a job that I hated .  I left 9mos after that.

I had never been on the other end of the HR process until a couple of years ago.  I was railroaded though fortunately the company went belly up a week or so later.... No problem for me. HR with zero stated justification pulled my badge.  The client overstepped in a co-employment event so ... One call, outlining the issue, and .... I got a great reference.  IT did not hurt that the CEO and I had worked with a company together 5yrs before. 

My trust for HR is minimal on both sides of the employee line. Individual contributor, or leader.  I can partner with them readily, but with shaky trust.

Evil4's picture

Thank you, Grannyd!

Luckily it won't be HR. in my organization it isn't HR that deals with bullying. HR is bloody useless. I have no idea what they do all day. They don't even handle the personnel stuff. That's also separate. HR is as useless as tits on a boar. 

I'm already starting to see some differences. New Head Hauncho has been requiring documented analysis on decisions made by the jerks and has informed them that they are no longer allowed to make the decisions. The documents will go the NHH and then up higher and someone else makes the decisions. I think I'm starting to like NHH. She didn't waste any time coming up with ways to take decision-making that impacts employees out of the culprits' hands. Things are looking very interesting already. 

grannyd's picture

All RIGHT! ..documented analysis on decisions.. is the only way to go, in order to achieve a modicum of even-handedness. Like Rags often says, 'Document, document, document!' Anything less is just hearsay. 

I'm liking your NHH as well, she sounds like a solid, intelligent pragmatist. I was very fortunate to have a boss like NHH during most of my employment with the Canadian government; he was a kind, supportive and ethical manager whom we all liked and respected. Just the luck of the draw, yeah?

Hon, I’m excited about your upcoming interview and can’t wait to hear the outcome! Please, oh please, keep us posted. 

Thumper's picture

You are in B.C.right?

Here in the states we have the EEOC. Below  is a copy paste of what it does. Equal Employment Oppertunity Commission.

 The EEOC is responsible for investigating workplace discrimination and harassment complaints of any kind. This can include harassment or discrimination based on race, sex, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, age, or medical status.

Do you have anything similar where you are?

Here in the states you can be awarded damages.

 

Evil4's picture

Yes, I'm a public servant and they are very careful about equality. I have concrete evidence of how BB has treated me and has denied me equal treatment and opportunities. I can't wait until my meeting.