Toxic workplace

[ThatChick2015]

Hi everyone,

 

I am very stressed out here and need help. I guess you can say that I'm not a "street smart" person. I guess I still haven't learned how to handle certain people/situations.

 

A few years ago, I came from a toxic workplace where the "Queen B" and her minions turned the office into a cest-pool of harassment, lawsuits/complaints - yet Queen B and her minions are there and the people who have filed complaints/lawsuits were destroyed. Mind you, you'd think they'd get rid of Queen B who costs them all these lawsuits/complaints. Nope, they protect her and the minions and get rid of the complainers. I always asked myself if she "knew where the dead bodies were" cuz for some reason they protect(ed) her.

 

Anywho,

 

I have been working for this govt agency for a few years now. I hate the place, but need this horrible job. They constantly change team managers and I'm on my latest manager. She is either evil, ignorant, or stupid. This is what she does:

 

-She's all about the "image" of her and her team. She's even admitted that she is "competitive". We had a food drive and she said she "wanted to win" so, instead of just asking people to spend stuff, she spent, spent, and spent until our team came in 2nd place (in other words, it's not about giving food to others - but showing how much "her team" gave).

 

-She claims she's a religious person, wears crosses all the time, yet is so fake. When we bring in food, she makes us "pray" over the food and she does not give a non-denominational prayer. She says "In Jesus' name we pray".

 

Recently, we were discussing what to do for Xmas (i.e. Secret Santa) and someone on our team said she didn't want to do it because she was 'bad with picking gifts, and to just allow her to sort of give a gift to herself' and Minion Y and my manager started tearing into her instead of having half a brain and figuring it out that probably the woman doesn't do Xmas and shouldn't have to tell anyone that (like "don't ask/don't tell" the military had at one time). I got upset and told them that not everyone is a Christian or Catholic and to let it go. And manager has been giving me the stink eye ever since. They are so lucky they don't have an Atheist on the team cuz everywhere you look now a days Atheist are filing complaints/lawsuits/etc. for behaviors like that of Minion Y and my manager when it comes to religious issues.

 

-Also, she made it mandatory that we pay into a monthly birthday club, yet we have no say in how the money is wasted. At first I was in charge of the club, but her minions bullied me out of it. Minion X, the first month I had to set it up, was yelling at me on how I wasn't setting it up on time, etc. I ignored him and just did my thing and it came out great.

 

-However, Minion X got with Minion Y, and insisted that I use the birthday club money to buy this manager an expensive gift. Mind you, for the birthday club we did not agree to buy gifts - the team agreed to just get the person a cake and refreshments, card, ballon. If people wanted, they could bring food and stuff - but not mandatory. In other words, they bullied me into using the team's money to do something that the team didn't agree on.

 

The day I agreed to meet Minion Y at the gift place where she worked, I bought what Minion Y suggested I buy and brought it in her check out line and she literally walked away when I was one person in front of her. Mind you, she saw me and walked away. Monday, Minion Y came in, spent her money on a more expensive gift and was showing Minion X. I got mad and told Minion Y that she saw me and blew me off then had the nerve to show up with another gift and Minion Y pretended like she was clueless as to what I was talking about. So, I went and returned what I bought just to "keep the peace" and e-mailed my manager and told her that I no longer wanted to manage the birthday club.

 

-Mind you, on top of manager setting up this mandatory birthday club, two months went by without her giving me her money. I politely asked her for her part, and she literally "threw" $3.00 to me and said she'll get me the rest later. So, I had to come out of my pocket to make up one of the birthday events and on the day of the event, she's chasing me down (as I'm trying to set up) and gives me $20.00 (after I came out of my pocket). I have everyone sign for what they gave me (to keep accountability and protect myself) and she got mad with me when I asked her to sign for the money she gave me.

 

-This manager, I don't know, has issues with me I guess. I'm very thin and she is overweight. She'll say things to me about how 'she has to steal my dress from me', how I 'have lovely hair'...but there's something insincere about it. It's like she's complimenting me, but at the same time if she could rip out my hair she'd do it. Lately she takes walks around the building I guess in some attempt to lose weight?

 

I also got a vehicle with some stuff on it, and she went and put it on her vehicle. She parked her vehicle near mine when she got it done and I pretended like I didn't see it.

 

-I've resolved to ignore her and her Minions and just stay out of their way, but unfortunately, they are coming to me. I stay to myself and don't talk much with others, but one chick I talk to about them, she told me that Minion X filed a complaint against her saying that she is turning everyone against him. I don't talk to Minion X because of him bullying me with Minion Y - not because of that chick or anyone else!!! So I'm so upset that he's blaming this chick from him alienating himself from anyone. Also, what is a legitimate ground for a complaint cuz someone doesn't talk to you?

 

Unfortunately, my manager - who stirrs the pot - is entertaining this nonsense. And I'm scared they are going to come after me. Mind you Minion X, put on his Facebook the govt agency we work for and he put a picture of a drink and said that 'these B's and H's drive him to this'...and Minion Y, "liked" his comment...They are like silly kids from high school. Who, in this day/age puts what govt agency they work for on their personal Facebook and talks smack about co-workers and the public we serve?

 

So, these are the two people whom my manager wants us to worship because according to "her" they do so much to keep this team motivated and happy. She, a few months ago, gave Minion X in front of us a $25.00 gift certificate because she said he's such a great guy and makes this team a great place to be...and she bought him his birthday cake and stuff.

 

Last time I looked, as a manager, if you're going to do something for one team member - you have to do it for everyone and/or allow equal opportunity for us to compete for it. Also, $25.00 is above the ethical rules for gift giving. OH, and the gift Minion X and Y bullied me into using the team's birthday club money to buy for her also exceeded the ethical rules for gift giving.

 

I also thought that people were getting disciplined and/or fired for going on social media, announcing they worked for our agency, and posting certain things - yet, Minion X and Y remain employed.

 

- Also, Minion X and other employees were under investigation because they lied about needing time off to go and do a volunteer event. See, that's what scares me about Minion X and my manager coming after me. Minion X asked me to come with them to the volunteer event to get away from doing our work. I told Minion X "NO THANKS". Minion X told me to 'don't worry, all you do is sign your name on the list and leave and go home'. Well, just like Minion X is dumb enough to go on Facebook and talk about his job, he's stupid enough to pull a stunt like this, not me.

 

So, I'm afraid that now since Minion X is going after the one girl I talk to and I'm next in line...even though I TOLD NO ONE that he lied about going to that volunteer event to get off of doing work.

 

-This manager also demands that we be "thankful" to Minion Y, because she goes out and uses her car, gas, and money to bring food to work for us. Well, Minion X and Y only volunteer for all of this cuz it gets them away from the crappy work we do. They do not do it for anyone else except for brownie points with management and to get away from work...They also are gonna get good marks on their evals too - so they're not doing this for "us" or out of the "goodness of their hearts".

 

I mean, they're on Facebook calling us B's and H's....they are lying about going to volunteer work and going home on government time. They're always in my manager's office joking, laughing, etc - instead of working and my manager is telling them to clock it as "administrative time". They also come in late, leave early and get to clock it as "administrative time". I think someone said something, because now manager is walking around and asking people to PLEEEEASE tell her if they got stuck in traffic so she can grant them admin time (I guess to make it look like she's not giving favoritism to Minion X and Y). But, it's still an abuse of the timecards cuz the other day I passed Minion Y on the way to work, and I "somehow" arrived on time and "Minion Y" just took her sweet time and strolled in whenever she felt like cuz she knew my manager will tell her to clock it in as "administrative time".

 

-Recently, Minion Y went and purchased some things to decorate the office and the team did not agree on it, and again, instead of my manager telling her not to do so, manager told us that "someone" paid for the decorations and if anyone would like to pitch in, to give the money to her. Wait one sec? How can you put it on us to "volunteer" to pitch in for something we didn't agree to purchase?

 

Not the first time Minion Y goes to meetings to "represent" us and come up with all these things we're supposed to pay for. And if you don't "pay" they make an example of you. Minion Y will call you out in front of the whole team and demand you raise your hand if you don't want to and then manager gives you the stink eye and you're labeled as a not wanting to participate - when you can't afford it.

 

We're seasonal employees - so we get laid off a lot and you're trying to catch up with your bills - yet Minion Y and my manager want to set up things where we gotta eat together at places where you gotta spend as a minimum like $10.00 and that's not cool when you're still trying to catch up with your bills from the lay-off.

 

-My manager also waits for opportunities to "stick it to me" when she can. When I first came to her team and requested leave, it was approved within a day or so. Now, she doesn't approve it, time goes by and as it gets closer to the day I requested, I have to keep on asking, asking, and asking and last time I had to escalate it to the dept manager who yelled at me like I'm a child who didn't ask in time for the leave when that wasn't the case. My manager sat on it for weeks/days.

 

She also put me to perform some duties when the system was down - instead of delegating it to others. I needed her to give me access to certain things to do my job and she said "she'll get to it when she has time". I had to call IT and it took me a day or so to resolve it because she wouldn't do it. How are you going to assign me a task and when you're the only person who can give me access to systems, refuse to do so cuz you're "busy"?

 

Yet, she gives Minion X a pass. The other day our systems were down and I exceeded our daily goal of processing work - yet Minion X put he could not work and she got upset with me and was demanding I put that I could not work because the system was down instead of giving me congrats on exceeding the goals - despite the system being down.

 

Sorry for the long story here, but I'm stressed and believe you need to hear the whole story here....

 

I went to my manager and told her I want out of her team and she escalated it and instead of them simply moving me, the dept manager wants to know why. I don't want drama, but I want to get away from drama....

 

I spoke to my dept manager and am awaiting a decision to be moved but think that now a bullseye is going to be on my back and I'm gonna lose my job.

 

Did I do right/wrong here? Is there a way I can/should have handled it better? I tried ignoring it, but Minion X is going after people on the team by filing false complaints of harassment/bullying so I felt I had no choice but to ask for a move.

[mrldii]

...the dept manager wants to know why...Did I do right/wrong here? Is there a way I can/should have handled it better?...

 

Since you work for a government agency, any mention of "Christmas" or Christmas-related themes ("Secret Santa") is strictly forbidden; any mention of anything that smacks of a specific holiday is, as well. Aside from the illegalities of *making* someone contribute money to ANYthing, they can't have "birthday clubs", as Jehovah's Witnesses (for one) don't recognize/celebrate birthdays.

 

Remind the Dept. Manager (and his/her supervisor and so on, up the food chain) AND remind them that government workers (such as you, including temp/seasonal help) are protected under "Whistle-blower" provisions.

 

Keep going up that food chain 'til you find someone who IS familiar with the laws under which they operate.

 

If that's too taxing for you, screw the FB and social media wars; go straight to the press. They're always looking for a good government screw-up story.

 

 

Best of luck to you, OP...

[ThatChick2015]

Since you work for a government agency, any mention of "Christmas" or Christmas-related themes ("Secret Santa") is strictly forbidden; any mention of anything that smacks of a specific holiday is, as well. Aside from the illegalities of *making* someone contribute money to ANYthing, they can't have "birthday clubs", as Jehovah's Witnesses (for one) don't recognize/celebrate birthdays.

 

Remind the Dept. Manager (and his/her supervisor and so on, up the food chain) AND remind them that government workers (such as you, including temp/seasonal help) are protected under "Whistle-blower" provisions.

 

Keep going up that food chain 'til you find someone who IS familiar with the laws under which they operate.

 

If that's too taxing for you, screw the FB and social media wars; go straight to the press. They're always looking for a good government screw-up story.

 

 

Best of luck to you, OP...

 

Thank you for your suggestions and kind words

 

I know about the "so-called whistleblower rights", but read/know of too many horror stories. The recent changes in whistleblower rights/laws (specifically in 2012) don't give much hope when the entity to enforce it (the Merit Systems Protection Board and Office of Special Counsel) still have a rate of over 90% denial of complaints/appeals and still are not submitting reports of how they are reaching these denials when the new/latest laws were requiring them to do so.

 

I do agree with the media/press suggestion. Unfortunately it often takes shinning a light on the cockroaches for them to scatter.

 

I'm just hoping to just get away from them and their nonsense without having to go with a formal complaint and/or media. I really do just want to get away from them, I think that will be best.

[whichwayisup]

Why do you 'need' this particular job?

 

You should start looking elsewhere quietly and put resume's together. Your mental health is so important and if staying there is making you feel sick, the people there are toxic and causing problems, it's time to leave.

[ThatChick2015]

Why do you 'need' this particular job?

 

You should start looking elsewhere quietly and put resume's together. Your mental health is so important and if staying there is making you feel sick, the people there are toxic and causing problems, it's time to leave.

 

And that's why I'm stressed out...

 

I'm at rock and a hard place. Without me going into details, I've been trying to get out of there from day one. But other things are preventing me from making at/better than this...especially where I live at.

 

I've even tried to move within the agency - but suspect the stuff that's affecting my ability to move out of there is what's preventing me from moving within there. I suspect that I'm being set up cuz they can't fire me.

[pink_sugar]

Honestly, aside from the discrimination issues, it sounds like your office is full of cliques and drama. I would focus on finding another place to work. We do white elephant exchange at qoek the day before xmas and everyone usually brings a gift to participate, but no one can force you. Also people pick a name from a bowl for the company pot luck in regards to a dish to bring. It's a small office and no one has an issue with it.

[Captivating]

Hi, I agree with "Whichwayisup". The place you work at is highly toxic.

This chronic stress can kill you. Please start looking for another job, it's not worth staying.

I wish you could transfer to another department within the agency, far from the current dept.,enabling you keeping your benefits. Regardless, I would get out of here.

Your quality of life will improve so much that you will never look back Do it !!!

Don't wait, things here will only get worse.

[fiatflux]

Tl;dr. Bottom line is you need to find a new job. What makes you so sure you can't be fired?

[mtnbiker3000]

2 words... Passive aggressive. I have coworker like this as well...

[pureinheart]

It's a seasonal job and you'll be gone, right? My .02 cents would be to keep your focus on your job and then yourself, it works better. The extra circulars are just that and I think you are tripping more than you need to.