Pushed Out
Seniority means nothing
NOTE: The following is a rant that swings between calm facts and intense emotions.
Dear Boss,
I know there’ve been several occasions when I’ve told you about my depression and anxiety issues and specifically how they affect me at work. I’ve particularly expressed the need to have office space away from the classroom where I can control the light and noise exposure to reduce the sensory input, which is why I’ve been so glad to have an office for the last several years. Your predecessor comprehended that and fiercely defended my right to keep an office. He had my back on that. You threw me under the bus and tossed me out of the office space.
My complaints and comments on this are many.
1. You are a mental health professional, yet you ignored my mental health needs when kicking me out of my office space.
2. You knew weeks before it took place, told some of my coworkers it was going to happen, but didn’t tell me until two workdays before the new occupant arrived. Having never been to my office, you had no idea how much effort was required to move. If you had told me before you told my coworkers, I would have had time to make a more orderly, less stressful transition.
3. You said I could have “a cubicle,” but you neglected to ensure that they had electrical power and an Internet connection. Now I am in a cubicle less than ½ the size of my previous office with no control over the amount of light and noise, and no electricity or computer connection for my work computer. Your lack of planning puts me “out in the cold” unnecessarily.
4. When you said I had to leave the office, there was an open cubicle outside of another staffer’s office, with windows to the outside (an issue you and I have discussed before that would be good for me), with full electricity and work network connected, and when the building manager asked you if I could move there, you turned him (me) down flat. I’d like to know why an employee who’s been here for 13 years gets treated like this versus someone who is brand new to the facility. Yes, seniority should play into this.
5. I’m of a mind to file a grievance against you for this treatment.
6. When your predecessor had to move me multiple times in the same year, he had the decency to speak directly with me, explain the reasons for the moves, accommodate me as best as possible with my next destination, and seek to improve my understanding of the situation. To say that I am disappointed that you’ve made no such attempt, even when I’ve expressed my frustrations to you (and gotten nothing from you that acknowledges my frustration as understandable), is a massive understatement.
7. I’m not allowed to turn off the lights in my classroom when no students are present. I’m not even allowed to use just a lamp in there. There are windows to the hall and to housing, so it’s not as if I’m hiding in there. It’s just being able to minimize the sensory load. But, no. Can’t do that. Thus, the importance of the office. Now, you’ve taken that away, too. You’d better figure something out quickly, Boss. This isn’t going in the right direction.
8. I have contacted my doctor. We’ll be having a conversation about this.
9. Even my therapist is weighing in. I should not have to see a therapist over your boneheaded decisions, Boss. Give me a flocking good justification for giving a first-time employee my office space, you blooming dingbat, especially when there were cubicles she could have used! That whole freaking part of the building is named for my department, and you’re taking it over for your precious pet projects, you traitor.
10. I rooted for you to get the job, Boss, and I’m finding out the bitter truth of “be careful what you ask for.” I’ve had ONE good female boss since graduating college, and you AIN’T she.
About the Creator
Mack D. Ames
Tongue-in-cheek humor. Educator & hobbyist writer in Maine, USA. Mid50s. Emotional. Forgiven. Thankful. One wife, 2 adult sons, 1 dog. Novel: Lost My Way in the Darkness: Jack's Journey. https://a.co/d/6UE59OY. Not pen name Bill M, partly.
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Comments (1)
I am so sorry to hear you are going through this, Bill. It all seems terribly unfair and uncaring. Thankfully, bosses like her don't usually last long. Hang in there, my friend!