After quitting to escape an abusive workplace, Tracey is forced to leave the state to try to find another job.
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After quitting to escape an abusive workplace, Tracey is forced to leave the state to try to find another job.
you did it, you are brilliant!
I’m glad you shared your experience. I’m sorry that your life was so affected by this treatment. I’m studying to become an Organizational Psychologist right now, and this is one area that I’m starting to become more interested in. Hopefully, people will start to be able to see the impact that tyrannical supervision and injustice can have on employees’ well-being and health. Once again, thanks for sharing.
I am currently the President of a Labor Union that has successfully negotiated language into our Contract Bargaining Agreement with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for “Mutual Respect”. I happen to be a licensed Social Worker in Mass. My background is in Child Abuse/Neglect, Domestic Violence and Substance Abuse. I notice the dynamics of power and control, and abuse thereof, far too often in my current role representing working people. We have introduced legislation to help educate and put an end to workplace abuse here in Massachusetts. Let us all hope that our work together will bring about a more enlightened work environment in this great country.
Thank you so much for sharing this experience & working for legislation! I am watching this in tears because I am in a similar situation with my boss. Co-workers scurry away when she comes near & she seems to loom constantly. I feel isolated & alone. I start to have anxiety attacks on Saturday night because Monday I have to return to work. I am nauseous every morning driving in & have several moments everyday when I want to just run out the door. She yells, breaks pens, punches walls, points her finger in your face, jumps up & down, punches counter tops, throws things. And you don’t know when it’s coming. The littlest thing (or nothing) can set her off. I can do the same work now as I did 5 minutes ago (when it was correct) & it will set her off. Anyway, I am ranting, but please know that my prayers are with you in this fight!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
I have 7 shifts left at a place where I was bullied. At one point, I was clinically depressed and another time, with 10 weeks left, I was asked if “I had a plan to kill myself”. That scared me that I was conveying that image of myself to others. It shook me into thinking no job is worth considering suicide over. The bullies are happy I am leaving. I gave a 6 week notice. With that said, 5 days after I had given my notice, one of the bullies took my picture off the wall that we have of all the employees. I had approached upper management with a plan of saving our department roughly $32,000/year. Naively, I opened a can of worms and thus, the bullying began. It has been an extremely painful experience but I can say I am taking my life and putting it back in my hands. I will never work in a situation like that again. Thank you for this video.
These bosses are very common in government offices and the civil service, where it’s much harder to be fired. Same goes for public schools. I hope you examine those areas in future episodes.
Actually I’m glad you brought that up since I am planning to include that. Marlene Braun was an employee of BLM but I didn’t have the time to go in depth into the implications of being a public employee in that short amount of time. I have heard from numerous teachers and professors in academia and gov’t employees who have experienced this abuse. NY recently passed a Workplace Violence law that addresses Type 3 Worker on Worker violence and it’s prevention for public employees as do some other states. And, I am setting up interviews about that as I write this. Thank you so much for writing.
Beverly,
thank you so much for sending this to me – I’m late in finding it but it’s being posted on the facebook page. Are you just exploring bullying in the States? I am from the UK and have experienced bullying within the teaching profession. Unfortunately it appears to be rife and (as stated in the above comments) people are too afraid to stand up to it and those of us who are brave enough to put ourselves on the line are often condemned further for trying to show integrity and stand up for what is right.
Something is seriously wrong.
Please keep up your fantastic work, if you ever need a contact from across the pond…
Bully Buster
I myself have been a victim of bullying and currently am still in a job with a corporate bully which believe it or not …is a old lady who has such high status that nobody talks back or disrespects her or questions her decisions. She writes me up and never gave me a raise nor acknowledges me as a good worker plus has humiliated me in front of other coworkers. What laws in Kansas are here can give me some legal muscle to get her back to reality and so I can enjoy working?
I have been documenting workplace mobbing in my work place for the last 17 months. you see my boss needs to manipulate the employees and I am not easily manipulated. I am friendly and professional but I am no ones lapdog. Well she has picked up on that and she and her friends which constitute much of the workplace set about a plan to ostracize and isolate me completely. So it can not just be a boss, but all her friends as well. When my alarm goes off in the morning its like a punch in the gut that I have to go back to that office again and feel their collective disdain and hostility as I sit there totally alone. I have all the documentation a person could want, I had different (less) training, extreme hostility, songs sung about me my weight my appearance, and the whole room laughs. It could drive a person to end it all. But there is no legislation in new york yet to protect me. So what help is there for me?
I am so sorry to hear from all of you about the abuse you are experiencing. While there are many sites on the Internet offering advice it is important to remember to seek expert counseling to address your own individual for both legal advice and counseling.
Hello Bully Buster! Glad to see that you are out there fighting for others in the UK. I attended the 2008 International Conference on Workplace Bullying and Harassment and my eyes were opened to the International scope of this abuse. I’ll be presenting my work at the next conference in Wales this summer. – Bev
Horrified…
I am sorry and know what you are going through. Until we get a law passed, there is nothing you can do. Depending on the size of the workplace, does your supervisor have a supervisor? Is there an HR/Labor Relations person you can talk to? I know what it feels like to feel that everybody is against you. They are afraid NOT to. I am not saying that is acceptable or even an excuse.. it’s simply survival of the weakest.
Find a great therapist to work with. Seek legal advice asap. Begin looking for new employment. Be sure to document everything and stay strong. – Tracey
Dave: The bullying you are experiencing happens in every city of every state and there are now laws intact right now. There are many of us working towards legislation to prevent the workplace bullying/psychological harassment and it just can’t happen soon enough.
If you are working in a large corporation, you should follow the chain of command set up by your corporation to deal with problems. Be sure to have plenty of documentation which will include dates, times, and names of people who have witnessed these oppressive/hostile behaviors towards you.
Experiencing this type of behavior at work really beats up your self esteem and sense of work. Find a great therapist to talk to. Go online and find sites on workplace bullying and harassment so that you don’t feel so alone. There are many of us out there who are currently in similar situations or have been subjected to it. You are not alone.
You can seek legal advice, talk to HR/Labor Relations. In the meantime, prepare your resume and look for new employment. Know that you are not alone. Tracey
People, Document EVERYTHING. Dates, times , people present, what was said and by whom. You may also set up a hidden camera, where it won’t be found although if you don’t have consent this evidence may be inadmissible, talk to a good labor lawyer/litigator.
Then make an off handed remark about recording these activities ( the camera will record any “bullied response” most times it will either be threat which is bad for the bully, or a snide remark….) the statements can either be used as Consent for the latter and leverage for the former. Even if found inadmissible and a court will not use the evidence, I’m almost certain the MEDIA will.
Leave the camera on every time you are at work. Save the video files, and take them to a Lawyer.
There are laws not only against harassment like this in MANY STATES but Federal laws, and possibly even Civil Rights Violations as well, there may also be CRIMINAL charges if there are any threats of violence, or you have reason to fear for your safety just to name a few. You will need proof of such things to successfully proceed.
I am not at liberty to discuss what they may be and am contractually obligated not to discuss the terms of my settlement, but if you have documented proof of such behavior, you can go after compensation for any loss. If your employer is foolish enough to try and sue for Defamation, or Libel, you will have evidence for defense and also set them up for a rather nasty counter suit. Do NOT PUT UP WITH THIS KIND OF TREATMENT, you deserve to be treated professionally, and with respect.
This is really good info! Thanks!
I very much enjoyed your site. Excellent posts! Please continue posting such good cotent.
Wow Tracey, you are one strong person and I am glad to know that I am not alone when it comes to this. I wish these support groups could have been there for me back in 2003, but I am now grateful for many things thanks to health professionals. I know you have been through alot for I have as well. Your story brought chills of empathy, compassion, frustration etc….No human being should have to be put through this and I am glad to hear that laws are being drawn up. I have stood up to this behaviour and was left to fend for myself in the workplace. Today I am glad to say that a precedent has been set and that workers advocates are using my case as support for the cause of innapropriate management in the workplace causing disabling stress. That is putting it in a nice way. I am glad to have met groups and people on facebook that have either been through it or believe in this cause. It has helped me in so many ways to help feel not alone. I wish you nothing but health, wellness and lots of happiness through the journey. Don’t ever look back and keep going straight ahead. Good on you and shame on them. Peace, Marc
Bless you for allowing your case to become a precedent for change. That’s a sacrifice that is rarely noticed but helps many, many people who may never have the privilege of meeting you. – Bev
Marc…. It is people like you that keep people like us moving forward. The journey has been hard, but gets easier. I appreciate your thoughts and encouragement. Thanks so much!