HR Tells Worker The 21 Separate Complaints Against His Boss Are Due To 'Different Communication Styles' & She Won't Be Fired
He admitted that if the problem isn't fixed, he is no longer interested in staying at the company.
OPOLJA | Shutterstock An employee is questioning if he should stay in his current job after not feeling like his voice was being heard when it came to the problems he was having with his boss.
Posting to the subreddit r/antiwork, he claimed his boss had made every day a struggle, and when he brought it up with HR, they simply dismissed his complaints.
He was told by HR that the 21 separate complaints about his boss were due to a "difference in communication styles."
In his since-deleted Reddit post, he explained that he recently found out his manager was being paid a salary of $287,000 but didn't deserve it because she was verbally abusive and often embarrassed him at work. He eventually went to HR and admitted that he was at a loss of what to do and would be taking the day off due to his 21 complaints against his boss going unheard.
He admitted that three of his other co-workers were on medical leave due to their boss's abusive nature, and one of his work friends even had to receive outpatient treatment for anxiety and depression caused by their boss.
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Instead of listening to the complaints and doing something about it, HR simply told him that they were sorry he was experiencing this and it wasn't right that she was essentially bullying her employees — yet no action was taken.
"I told the company I WILL walk out. I said I’m done. I am sickened because I am a 20-year experienced employee who devotes a lot of time, effort, and help to everyone, and I’ve always been a high performer," he wrote. When he threatened to quit, people in the HR department seemed flabbergasted and nervous that he actually would.
They finally spoke with his boss and conveyed to him that it didn't seem as if they needed to fire her because her issues might just stem from a "communication problem," which could be worked out.
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However, after the meeting with HR, he noticed that nothing had changed, and his boss was still acting the exact same way.
"What’s the next course of action? She’s been causing havoc for months, and she still has a job? Maybe I should just start abusing people so I can get a raise and also have impenetrable immunity in the office," he continued.
Most people don't quit their jobs; they quit their bosses.
According to a survey from Culture Amp, a market-leading employee experience platform, the percentage of people whose decision to leave an organization was driven by a manager or pay was roughly even at 12% and 11%, respectively. Leadership was more than double that at 28%.
Similarly, one study found that 56% of American workers report having toxic managers, while another survey by the American Psychological Association found that 75% of Americans say their boss is the most stressful part of their workday.
More often than not, the best way to deal with a toxic, manipulative, and degrading boss is not to deal with them at all. For the sake of your professional and personal well-being, it's better and easier to simply look for a way out, whether that means applying and finding employment elsewhere or asking to be transferred to a different team or department with a healthier manager and work environment.
"Has anyone been in this situation, and can you lend some advice? I think the advice is most likely to leave. I could leave, but the job market is tough. However, I’m so mentally fried that I may have to just quit and live off of savings. Others said quiet quitting works," the Redditor added.
Most "quiet quitters" are people who aren't actively engaged at work, and according to a survey by Gallup, they make up at least 50% of the U.S. workforce.
No employee should have to endure such a toxic work environment, and the role of an HR department is to make sure it doesn't happen, which is why it's incredibly disheartening that this man's concerns were simply dismissed and not validated.
He can't be blamed for choosing to prioritize himself and his mental health over continuing to subject himself to such mistreatment.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.