I was given a 5-page document as an FYI. It was written by four of my coworkers at the card shop and submitted to corporate HR. These young women wanted to go on the record about how unpleasant the work environment has become because of the alliance between our store manager (Helena) and a new shift manager (Caroline).
The girls showed me the doc because they wanted me to know they were submitting it and because they were showing their support for me. I appreciate that but ...
The first two bullets were devoted to me. How Caroline repeatedly commented that my age makes me "incompetent" and how critical she has been of my "personal taste." According to the document's authors, Caroline's "discriminatory and inappropriate remarks contribute to discomfort and a hostile workplace."
Now to put this in perspective, the content regarding me only accounts for a portion of one page of a 5-page submission. But seeing it there embarrassed me. I choose to concentrate on the support the four authors have shown me. Still, it hurt to read.
There is much in the document that was new to me. For example, Caroline is derisive about the panhandlers on the street outside and refers to them by their race. At a time when ICE is terrorizing Chicagoland, this kind of talk is especially insensitive. On two separate occasions, Caroline scolded an employee in front of customers so loudly and harshly that customers commented on it. She complains that specific employees leave early, even though their timecards don't reflect this.
I could go on, but it's depressing.
HR called me at home on Wednesday. The rep asked me open-ended questions about the "workplace environment" at our little store. Oh, for fuck's sake! This is not what I wanted to do on my day off, away from the place.
I pretended that I thought this was spurred by the conversation I had with Helena about Caroline. (After all, I didn't sign the document so I have plausible deniability there.) I emphasized that I did not want to see anyone get in trouble (not true), and I never wanted to talk to HR (true). I mentioned positive things about both Caroline and Helena, saying that I thought they were simply unprepared for their management roles. (I did this to sound balanced.) I also said I worried about retaliation – like being assigned fewer hours and worse shifts. (OK, that was just manipulative. I know how HR's ears perk up when they hear the word "retaliation." I truly don't much care if I never get another shift, since working there reminds me of Lord of the Flies. I just couldn't resist pressing the HR rep's buttons.)
This drama is taking up too much of my time and concentration. If I wasn't on my time off and a week away from Christmas, I'd just quit. It's too bad because, not that long ago, I was quite happy at the card shop.
Photo by Siora on Unsplash
Sounds like Caroline needs to go.
ReplyDeleteToxic environments are everywhere, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry things have degenerated to this point. But, you're fighting to make this better for your other coworkers. Yeah, you can just go. But what about them?
ReplyDeleteI hear you, but I don't know your comment is an accurate reflection of my reality. The store is open 60 hours/week. I work between 4 and 8 hours/week ... and not at all between now and January 9. It would be a massive exaggeration to imply I make any real difference to the bottom line. Also, these are not children and this is not a family. It's not my responsibility to teach life lessons. It's a business. In business, the consequence of bad management is high turnover. Maybe it's time for Helena – and the corporate overlords who put her in this position with inadequate training – to take responsibility for their actions. Lastly, I matter in this. I deserve to enjoy my day-to-day life without worrying about this. $16/hour is not worth the emotional toll this situation has taken. My peace of mind and dignity are important, too.
DeleteWell, that went south in a hurry. I'm glad, on the one hand, that you have support from coworkers who have seen that this Caroline person is problematic, but I also see your point about not being involved in the drama. You did your thing when you sat down with your manager the other week. I have a feeling you won't be going back to this job and I think that's ok, too. You did like it and enjoy it at first, I remember being so pleased for you that'd you found this nifty little space, but it seems to be taking a toll on you now, and you deserve your peace of mind. Some of your recent posts (T13) have seemed to me to be advertising oriented and I suspect that you could freelance in your old field and make more money with less stress, if you wanted to do that. I mean, you could probably pull in $500 a month with just one good freelance consultant job that wouldn't even take you 4 hours a week.
ReplyDelete