Another Victim of Workplace Bullying
Here is a victim who reached out to me to share her story. I do not edit anything when someone shares their story, I copy and paste what they tell me. Please share your stories and share by blog with others. There are too many victims of workplace bullying. Please read her story and provide support. She actually had to stop typing because she was full of emotion. Contact me at inhumane_resources@aol.com or Inhumane Resources on Facebook.
Good morning:
I saw your blog on fb and I would like to comment on this issue.
I am a native woman and I worked in a native organization. I worked there for 13 years and 3 months.
I loved working there and I thought I was going to retire from there, I am 55 years old.
My previous boss, a native woman left for early retirement. I believe she was overworked because the ED traveled a lot and left her to run the organization.
A white woman was hired to take her place in office. She was employed part time at first for years until 5 years ago when she was hired full time.
After she got hired, things changed in the office drastically. I thought I was going to learn new things from her and make a new friend but it did not happen like that.
I knew it was going to be difficult the first month. She made my life a living hell in the workplace. She was constantly belittling me, badgering me, putting me down, and very condescending towards me
And other employees. It’s like I was a stupid indian and didn’t know anything. She said to me, “for the amount of money you make, you should know something” and “I remember you, I used to hear stories about
You.” What does stories have to do with at the work place. That was about 30 35 years ago. My gosh, why is she bringing that up? I graduated from Band Management training in 2004 and I received my high school diploma
June 17, 2010. How can she I don’t know anything? I worked very hard to get where I am today. It seemed like I was forever doing things wrong. Always, when she came into my office, she would start haranguing about
Work and work habits. She would embarrass me in front of co-workers, yell at me, she would pull open my desk drawer hard looking for a key without asking me first, she would not ask just do. If I was turned to my computer, she would go into my desk behind me and just go in there looking for a key cabinet. It’s like I didn’t exist. Everything was her way or not at all. She took most of my way away. I did payroll and accounts payable.
It got to the point where I had to ask for work from others, just to have something to do. She started coding on invoices, initialing it, and putting the date on it. She says all auditors want to see that. She took the payables just to do that. She took purchase orders away when I used to enter them in a spreadsheet and I used to do cash receipts and bank deposits. She took all that away and got her assistant and trained her to do that. Her assistant was another native woman. My filing she tore apart that was used for years. She said she could print out reports, we don’t need program files for filing, that’s what adagio is used for. She would say other businesses don’t file the way you do. Always putting me down about everything.
When she first got hired as senior finance officer, she wanted to change employees status right away. One was my job, she said she could do all the finance. She wanted the receptionist job out too. But the ED said you need Pauline to help you, you can ‘t do it all yourself and I need a receptionist. I believe she wanted the finance position all to herself and her assistant to be the receptionist. She wanted us out of there. She favored her assistant over us.
Executive director tried a mediation between us but it didn’t go well. My abuser sat there with her red face, swinging her leg, and smiling so evil like there was nothing wrong. That was all wrong to me.
In May 2014, ED was told to do a mediation with an outsider. It got to the point where my mental health well-being was being compromised. I was hospitalized twice. They thought I was having a heart attack. I even had an angiogram done but they found nothing. Now I am on antidepressants and sleeping pills. I was diagnosed with Cardiac Syndrome X, stress related.
When I came back in August from my month medical leave, again she attacked me right away. I ended up hospital again. When I came back to work, I asked the ED when the mediation was going to happen. She says Oh yeah, I will get on it. Finally I get a call in October 2014 and we meet with each other in November separately. Then she scheduled a meeting December 30, 2014 between the three of us. Again that did not work out, she defended her actions towards me. She said she knew that what she said to me was going to come back to haunt her. We were supposed to meet again February 7, 2015 but it did not happen because I told the mediator that things haven’t changed. Mediator said she was going to send an email to ED. I asked the ED if she received an email from the mediator? She says yes but I haven’t read it yet. I knew she was not going to do anything so I resigned, gave my two weeks notice. I had a lawyer to help me get my severance pay and 9 days holidays owing to me. I tried to sue them but lawyer did not help me out. Maybe because she knew I had no money.
I was so scared of my abuser. I even had my co-worker stay in the office with me when she came downstairs. I was scared of her claws, her red cheeks and I knew I was going to get it.
After I left I happened to be in the same store as her. It must have been two months after I left the office. When I saw her, my blood pressure must of went up. My heart and my head just started pounding and I thought I was going to pass out but I di dn’t. She was strutting around like she was a queen, looking so happy, being friendly to everyone. I just stood there and looked at her. I didn’t do anything. I was scared just seeing her there.
I drive by her place when I go through town, I feel so much anger, hatred, and hurt.
I can say more but. I still feel so much emotion writing this all down.
