Making No Apologizes

I realize that this article isn’t going to land me many friends, nor future lady bosses without a grudge but something needs to be said about this epidemic of women in the workplace who socially abuse their employees and even other superior’s subordinates. Where this hits the hardest is middle aged women who feel insecure in their position, whether it be how they obtained it or that they need to feel on equal playing field with a man; but their lashing out is evident, damaging and psychologically abusive. Younger women in the work place know what it feels like to work for a woman who constantly nitpicks, questions their judgement calls, denies opportunities for training or travel and passes them over for other "preferred" co-workers who in their view takes a kicking and keeps on going; even asking for seconds. This isn't me, nor is it a quality that has landed me many great bosses in the eyes of my superiors. 

We all hear of bullying from children at school and while that is entirely serious, so is bullying in the workplace. Take the case of the VA Magazine Editor who was accused of bullying her subordinate so badly that she took her own life. If you are one of the ones who suffer in silence taking this b.s. from your bosses or know someone who is, the best way to defeat a bully is to take a stand and do what's right. It may cost you your job, but it puts the bully back at the level they really are - low and insecure. 

I would be lying to you if I didn't admit that my failure to put up with the false rumors of sexual harassment from my own female boss about a male co-worker didn't fire up a heat in  me that put a target on my back and is most likely responsible for me being unemployed today. But I'll tell you something, no matter what she threw at me or her partner in crime, I took it gave it back to her even harder. She went so far as to praise me to my face and bash me to my peers until I publicly called her out for her, which naturally she lied about. I'm the kind of person in general, forget employee that if you have something you want to say, say it but be prepared and I mean fully prepared for the consequences to follow. While I was let go less than a week later on trumped up charges, I'm free and happy following my true passion of writing and what I want to do. I'm certain I'll still get back into the work force at some point but I wont be changing my attitude any time soon towards bullies or their protagonists, I make no apologizes for doing the right thing. Funny thing about karma is that I'm going to have a book come out this Fall which hopefully will be mildly successful while she's still having literal emotional breakouts in her office each week and admitting to abusing psychiatric meds. Ah karma :)  So I implore all of you where you see or hear workplace bullying going on, to stand up, say something and stop it. While adult suicide statistics due to bullying haven't been conclusive and are rare, that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Be the bigger person and never make any apologizes for that.