The relationships employees have with their bosses can often be complicated, but they should always be based on mutual respect. A California employee recently shared her experience after starting a new job a year ago. Initially, her boss claimed he was looking out for her. However, things began to take a turn when he frequently mentioned promotions in her presence but never followed through on them. The situation worsened when she discovered that her boss had created a secret group chat with other employees from which she was excluded. In this group chat, her boss referred to her using a sexual and degrading nickname.
In addition to this, another employee mentioned in the group that they wanted to get her fired simply because they didn’t like her. Guess what? Her boss didn’t defend her, which can only indicate that he and other people in the group were okay with what was being said. He would even tell her to try to get along with the employee hating her, without directing the same advice toward him. Plus, the California employee wasn’t the only one who had a gross nickname, too. Another employee was treated the same, and they also weren’t in the group chat. Imagine trusting your boss only to find out that he didn’t really care about you.
People Reacting to the California Boss’ Actions
Everyone sympathized with the California employee and what she was going through. Of course, no sane person would think that what was happening was okay. This made one person write, “Start looking for another job. This is obviously a toxic environment. You deserve better!” Someone then asked about the nature of the nickname, which made OP reply and say, “Mine is sexual in nature – it refers me to an STD.” This additional detail made the same person add their own advice on what the innocent woman should do next. “Document what you can (screenshots of the group text, promises/offers your supervisor has made and not followed through on, etc) and go to HR. If they decide to not do anything (or decide to punish or fire you) then you would have a good case for harassment and/or a hostile workplace,” they wrote.
Another person had different advice as they said, “Consult an attorney before you consult HR. HR is for the company’s benefit, not yours.” This might be the case because another person agreed and said, “I wouldn’t say anything to HR or anyone in the company without having legal counsel. HR are not your friends. They’re following corporate orders.” Since the California employee didn’t mention how she got to know about the secret group chat, one person asked, “How did you become aware of any of this?” Someone then answered by saying, “My guess is not everybody in that group chat is comfortable with that level of bigotry and backstabbing.” At least there was one person decent enough to try and put an end to this. It’s terrible what the employee is going through. I really hope she manages to do something.
