One advocate's story of a sham investigation

Florida is an at will-state, but I was fired after submitting a harassment claim. When I was interviewed by the "independent investigator," I stated, "How bad was the abuse for me to give up $85,000 salary, excellent benefits, FRS, six weeks PTO time, and nine years invested into the city and residents?"
 
The independent investigator was protected by the city. He was not objective. I knew I was screwed when the city attorney asked, "Are you submitting the claim because you do not want to work with the new City Manager?" and the independent investigator stated, "I will decide who I will interview." The independent investigator only interviewed the HR Director and Deputy City Manager. The HR Director targeted me for nine years, and Deputy City Manager was not going to speak up because she does not have a college degree, and she would never find another job at the salary she is making now. Here is my story.
 
I worked for a city in Miami Dade County, South Florida, for nine...
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How one #JusticeForEvan organizer can relate to Evan's pain

 

By Sharon Campbell

I’m a survivor of being targeted at work. A 15-year veteran, impeccable record and reputation, and I absolutely loved my job in special education. I can honestly say I never dreaded or hated going to work. In fact, I looked forward to it. My students were like my own.

But that all changed when I became a target. When a new administration took over, the targeting began.

In September, after I made a report as a mandated reporter (it’s my job to report suspected abuse or neglect), my union rep told me “whether intentional or unintentional, and I don’t believe in coincidences, you have a target on your back.” He then said “you didn’t hear this from me, but you might want to consider a constructive discharge.” I’d never heard of that. He explained what it was. I was a single mother raising two sons. Quitting a job I love with somewhat decent pay was not an option. I, like Evan, put in for a transfer. It was...

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Why one organizer is fighting for Justice for Evan

By Vicki Courtemanche

When I first read Evan Seyfried's story, it brought me back to March 9, 2018. It was the day I realized my supervisor was trying to fire me.

Like Evan, I had been targeted by a bully.
Like Evan, I reported the abusive, deviant behavior to the proper authorities.
Like Evan, I never retaliated or acted unprofessionally.
Like Evan, I hadn’t done anything wrong.
Like Evan, my performance reviews were stellar.
Like Evan, I did all the right things.
Like Evan, I waited patiently for my employer to intercede.

Like Evan’s employer/its representative employees, my employer/its representative employees were fully aware of the bully’s cunning activities.
Like Evan’s employer, my employer was fully aware of my deteriorating health.
Like Evan’s employer, my employer did nothing to intercede.
Like Evan’s employer, my employer falsified documents.
Like Evan’s employer, my employer waited for me to snap under the stress. I obliged....

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We start today! Check out today’s lineup for the Re-Define Virtual Summit!

Today's the day! The first presentation for the Re-Define Virtual Summit kicks off in 2 hours, and I am SO excited!

Today we're going to learn about:

  • Workplace bullying 101
  • What we’re struggling with when it comes to workplace abuse
  • Inner tools to survive workplace bullying and mobbing
  • Legislating against workplace bullying
  • Stress: what it is and how to manage it
  • What does recovery look like? Rebuilding trust

It's all going to be so good!

Get your free ticket and join us for Day 1!

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Find support and validation after abuse at work. Get your free ticket. We start next week!

Have you ever attended an online event where the advice was so general that it was only helpful to those who are new to the topic? (And "helpful" might be putting it strongly.) 

I’ve seen my fair share of these, and each one left me frustrated and feeling like I’d wasted my time. 

You need more than general advice if you want to recover from abuse at work. Which is exactly why I made a free event JUST for targets like you.

I know as targets we struggle with things like:

  • Understanding why the abuse happened
  • Knowing what the normal parts of the abnormal situation are
  • Wondering what we’ll do if we experience similar issues
  • Feeling better
  • Living our best lives

Even others who experience trauma don't process the same issues unique to abuse at work. And that's why this free event is just for you.

Over two days, you'll hear from 11 speakers about everything from coping tools to recovery.

And you can get your free ticket!

The summit is completely free to...

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3 ways to take your life back after abuse at work

While it may feel impossible to get back up emotionally and mentally, you deserve your attention in rising again and giving life a big HECK yes. Here’s how you can get there:

Know you’re not the problem

I want you for a minute to replay a toxic scenario at work in your head like a film reel. Watch the tactics the bully uses: what the bully says, how the bully says it, and how it makes you feel.

Now replay the scenario with how you wanted the bully to communicate instead and how you wanted to feel. Were better approaches options? Were better outcomes possible?

You see, once we realize what healthy leadership looks like, we realize the toxic behaviors have nothing to do with us and everything to do with the insecurity and need for power and control from the bully (and the employer enabling this behavior).

Learn skills to put yourself first

Once we’ve been abused at work, we realize just how much our needs matter. We realize that it matters less that others approve of...

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Get help with navigating and healing from workplace abuse with this FREE 2-day event

Once we learn that the nightmare at work is called “workplace abuse” or “workplace bullying,” we often feel relieved it’s a thing (and not us). 

But then what? How do we navigate the landmines so the problem — and our health — doesn’t get worse? And once we’re out of the toxic mess, how do we heal? How do we trust again, feel ourselves again, and laugh again so we can live the lives we deserve?

After my own journey and research, I’ve realized how much I love helping targets of abuse at work take their lives back.

And this time, I have 10 experts with me. I'm so excited to bring this free 2-day event to you.

You can learn absolutely everything you’d ever want to know about the Re-Define Virtual Summit on the Re-Define website, but as a quick overview:

  • The summit will run from Saturday, April 17-Sunday, April 18.
  • Each day will be packed with amazing speakers who are ready to help you focus on yourself during and...
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We have a fundamental right to dignity at work

The Workplace Psychological Safety Act is about granting our fundamental human right to dignity at work. Workplace abuse (or workplace bullying) often involves a person in power, such as a manager or supervisor, taking advantage of a less powerful employee. 

What workplace abuse is

Abuse of power is too often a symptom of implicit bias — a problem discrimination law stopped helping since the 1980s when courts moved from focusing on impact to intent. Intent is a high threshold that makes the law mostly ineffective at addressing bias and disrupting hierarchies at work that create haves and have-nots when those in power “other” people. More than 50 years after Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, white men still occupy the vast majority of power positions in the U.S. workforce.

Abuse may take the form of public ridicule, disrespect, overwork, and overcontrol, including put-downs, screaming, excessive criticism, destructive gossip, false accusations,...

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How one manager pushed out a competent medical insurance analyst — and the company did nothing

The late Congressman John Lewis talked about the importance of saying and doing something when you see something that's not right — getting into good trouble. “I fought too long and too hard against discrimination based on race and color not to fight against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity,” he said. “He (President Obama) is sending a powerful message that discrimination in any form has no place in a democratic society. It also gives hope to the 9 million LBGT Americans and their loved ones who have had to bear the pain and sorrow of rejection, loss, and shame with limited means to make their voices heard.”

 

 


In 2007, a healthcare organization hired me as a military medical insurance analyst, a position I would stay in for 12 years. (I had the same position for 20 years in a different healthcare organization.) For those 12 years, I received excellent job evaluations year after year from my previous...

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Study finds working conditions are more grim than experts expected

Through their in-depth American Working Conditions Survey (AWCS) of 3,066 U.S. workers, Rand Corp., Harvard Medical School, and the University of California, Los Angeles found that "the American workplace is very physically and emotionally taxing," CBS reports.

Before you say "I could've told you that," let's see how bad it really is:

  • 1 in 5: the number who say they face "a hostile or threatening environment at work, which can include sexual harassment and bullying."
  • 1 in 2: the number who say they face "unpleasant and potentially hazardous" conditions.
  • 3 in 4: the number who say they "spend at least a fourth of their time on the job in 'intense or repetitive physical' labor."
  • 4 in 5: the number who say they're required to be present at work rather than telecommute.
  • 2 in 5: the number who say "their jobs offer good prospects for advancement. And the older they get, the less optimistic they become."
  • 1 in 2: the number who say they "work on their own time to meet the...
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