Worker Worries That Her 'Bitter' Boss Will Sabotage Her New Job Offer
Bullying doesn't just happen in high school.
Tima Miroshnichenko / Pexels Having a job means that most of our time is spent with co-workers. Even if we work from the comfort of our own couch, most of our interaction during the week is centered around our colleagues.
While the proverbial water cooler may be a thing of the past, getting along with the rest of the office is still hugely important.
Office politics play a role in whether or not people advance in their careers, which means that a toxic work atmosphere can hold people back from reaching their goals.
A worker worried that her ‘bitter’ boss would sabotage her new job offer.
She wrote to the English online forum Mumsnet, concerned about her ability to move on from a job where she’s miserable, all due to her “awful” boss.
The woman shared that she had years of showing “a positive track record” at work before this particular boss joined the team, yet their presence has made her time at work unbearable.
“Whenever it’s been raised, it’s just come back at me harder,” she said, highlighting the pitfalls of being on the lower end of a power imbalance.
The woman has her sights set on what the future holds, explaining that she was offered a new role. Yet the possibility of a new position has left her with extremely mixed emotions.
She’s “elated but also terrified” that her boss will damage her reputation and her chance for bigger and better things.
The worker described how precarious the situation with her boss felt, as she’s seen “how underhanded they can be while coming across as a gem to the wider organization.”
‘I’m so, so, so worried they’ll try to sabotage things, either with a bad reference or some other scheming tactics,’ she said.
The worried employee wasn’t sure what avenue to take, as she was dealing with ‘a very bitter person.’
Employment law attorney Craig Levy gave his perspective on what to do when dealing with toxic supervisors at work, saying, “First, keep detailed notes for your records.”
“These are notes of everything the supervisor has done or said that is inappropriate,” he said. “That way, if you need to complain to HR at a later date, you’ve got your records, or if there’s a lawsuit in the future, you have your detailed notes.”
Levy also advised keeping on top of your workload by meeting deadlines and “doing good, substantive work,” which can offer some amount of on-the-job protection.
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Being sabotaged in the workplace is sadly more common than it should be. Bullying can continue well past high school, following people into adulthood and negatively affecting their sense of fulfillment and safety at work.
Career consultant Jennifer Brick shared small yet impactful examples of how bosses sabotage their employees, noting that the behavior is often rooted in feeling threatened by someone else’s strength, success, and capabilities.
Brick explained that burying people with busy work and tasks that don’t pertain to their specific role is a form of workplace sabotage because it keeps people from making true progress and keeps them stuck in a role that doesn't help them move up the corporate ladder.
“Next, they’re going to gatekeep you from senior leadership,” she said. “No matter what you do, they are never going to promote you.”
“They’re going to elevate team members that they don’t feel threatened by,” she continued.
An HR content creator and corporate mentor gave her guidance on what to do when faced with unfair treatment at work, noting that not all bullying falls under the label of discrimination, sexual harassment, or retaliation.
Her advice was clear and simple: Report the bullying behavior immediately.
“You have to report it,” she said. “And I want you to do it in writing.”
She revealed the first move an aggrieved worker should take, is to look at their employee handbook to find out what the grievance procedures and policies are.
“Usually, the grievance procedure will tell you step by step the chain of command, who you need to go to, what this form needs to look like… You want to make sure you follow it to a T,” she said.
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Even if no such policy is in place, workers should still record and report what’s going on in writing to create a paper trail and a sense of accountability.
Our job satisfaction has a very real impact on our quality of life. Spending 40-plus hours a week with people who mistreat you is a direct pathway to feeling burnt out, overwhelmed and unhappy.
Advocating for yourself in a tense work environment isn’t easy, but it is essential. Hopefully, the worried worker knows her rights and is able to escape her boss’s mistreatment unscathed.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers social issues, pop culture, and all things to do with the entertainment industry.