We know that when employers abuse workers, it's only a matter of time before the employer uses constructive discharge (managing an employee out) or termination to maintain their power and disregard employees' power. Afterall, with Montana being the only state to ban at-will employment, employers don't need just cause to push out or fire an employee so long as their motivation isn't (blatantly) discriminatory (and even then... well, that's another story).
When employees lack adequate time to find new jobs, they either take a pay cut in their haste to escape the abusive environments or simply leave without the safety net of another job and the health insurance that goes along with it.
Granted when choosing between their health and a paycheck, choosing their health and any paycheck can often be the best outcome. As often highly ethical and competent employees, targets' energy and time are better spent with employers who deserve them.
Still, it's the targets — not the abusers — who end up suffering at all after unwelcome abuse, even if simply in the form of a pay cut. Add on health expenses, and the loss is even worse.
But there's hope. Some targets do move on to higher earnings on the next job, giving them some positive outcome to an otherwise damaging situation.
Take Your Dignity Back
If you feel like you’re stuck in a big rut that’s destroying your life, learn how to reverse the damage.
Right now, you wish you could just tell your bully at work to knock it off, report the problem to management, and show the bully how childish he or she’s behaving. At best, the bully’s sidetracking the goals of the organization. At worst, the bully’s threatening or maybe even destroying your life by abusing you: your health, your family, your career, your finances, and your happiness.
You know it’s not a personality conflict. You’re not too sensitive. You’re not thin-skinned. It’s downright abuse. You expected your work environment to support you to do the work you were hired to do. You expected to be treated with dignity and respect.
The organization doesn’t care. They think it’s in their best interest to ignore the problem — meaning you — and make you go away. When you speak up, you’re the problem. You’re treasonous. If you fight them, they’ll fight harder.
Meanwhile, you’re stressed out and angry, and it gets worse the longer the bullying goes on, making you an easier target for the bully. Your physical and mental health are depleted. You consider or take stress leave.
Find out what workplace bullying is, why it happens, what's worked — and what hasn't worked — for hundreds of other workplace bullying targets, and how to start the path to healing in this comprehensive online course drawing from the greatest minds in workplace bullying.