RE-CLAIM YOUR POWER AFTER ABUSE AT WORK

When I worked at a well-known private university in Boston, I enjoyed my work, built relationships with professors, and received compliments on my work from staff members.

I made sure faculty and staff could trust me so they'd go to me with their news — their research, new programs, and awards — so I could do my job of spreading the word.

But a few months into the job, things started to go south quickly. An assistant dean turned my life upside down. 

She tried taking work away from me (with no communication of poor performance), excluded me, fabricated information, gave me contradictory directions, belittled me in meetings, and badmouthed me.

I had trouble sleeping, feared her next move, and felt bitter that MY character was brought into question to those not involved with the situation — not hers.

I met with the head dean about the problem, but he simply told me that issues “would work themselves out.”

That's when the abuser's revenge began. 

She gave me a formal written warning for not following procedures — that were never established — for swapping out a website news story. That's right — for simply changing content that was never before an issue or communicated to be one, my entire livelihood was on the line. I was at the mercy of her power trip.

This time I met with Human Resources, who defended her. The head dean then responded via e-mail that someone would be hired under her to complete the project not based on my competence but as a way to resolve issues.

One month before I left the job, I notified the Provost's office of the mistreatment. The issue went ignored. I felt disrespected, worn out, useless, and humiliated. I worried about when I'd lose my job. I was walking on thin ice with my career, health, and financial well-being. I was miserable.

I worked my tail off, but her insecurities and thirst for power won. Was it really happening? How could it possibly be that someone who walked from office to office gossiping about employees and who showed little knowledge of how to manage had more protections than someone who cared about performing well and the organization's success?

Something wasn't adding up. 

So I researched until I finally discovered the term "workplace abuse." It was exactly what was happening to me. An incompetent, unethical abuser was given full reign to abuse a competent, ethical employee: me. 

That experience more than a decade ago led me to a key discovery that helped me go from self-blame to no shame to put me on the road to take back my life.

I want to share that discovery with you.