End Workplace Abuse

The workplace abuse playbook: 1. Workplace abuse typically begins when one employee, who is generally insecure and/or jealous, is threatened by the competence or demeanor of another employee. They try to convince both the target and others in the workplace that the target is incompetent by minimizing them and their work. 2. In toxic work environments, when employees report psychological abuse to HR or higher-ups, those authorities willfully ignore the complaints. Employers are not liable for psychological abuse nor do they want to be. The employer misleads the unsuspecting employee to believe they have a legitimate complaint process to remedy the problem. 3. The employer fails to alter the employee’s work environment. The employer doesn’t remove the stressor (bully) and prolongs the complaint process. The emboldened bully continues to harass and abuse the target without consequence or deterrent. The employee is further victimized. The unsuspecting employee voluntarily leaves because of the health harm, is fired due to the health harm, or dies, succumbing to the silent killer stress of the work environment. There is significant physical, mental, and emotional injury as well as severe economic harm. 4. The abuser wins. Their perceived competition is gone. The employer wins. Their perceived threat of liability is gone. The unsuspecting employee had done nothing to provoke either. 5. Trauma occurs. When the employee realizes the full perpetration and institutional complicity of tampering with their health and livelihood, forcing them off the payroll to avoid liability, and that there’s no legal recourse for any of it, trauma upon trauma occurs. Join us to #Endworkplaceabuse #HoldEmployersAccountable and #StopBullyingandMobbing: WPSAct.org

Today is my birthday and while I am optimistic for the year ahead, I can’t shake the sadness I feel when I think about my last two birthdays and how bleak the future felt at the time. 2023: ?????? ???????? ???? ???????????????? I went to HR, raising concerns about bias impacting not just me, but other women in the upcoming promotion cycle. It didn’t matter. Two days before my birthday, I found out I wasn’t getting promoted despite an outstanding performance in a very chaotic year. Worse? I learned that the reason all my other peers had already received title changes was because they were already in the higher compensation bucket, while I was not. This meant I wasn’t just going to be paid less going forward, but that I had always been paid less. I spent that birthday weekend crying. The next week I asked for feedback and was told it was because I am "high-strung." And while I guess I can’t know for sure, I suspect HR never did anything about the concerns I raised, because I have to imagine they would have at least advised my director to come up with a better excuse if they had looked into it. ?A few weeks later, I retained legal counsel. 2024: ?????? ???????? ???? ?????????????????????? A new director seemed sympathetic, but the day before my birthday, he still pressured me to attend an on-site meeting with two leaders actively retaliating against me. I pathetically kept trying to engage with these men for business purposes, while they continued to ignore my messages, auto-decline my meetings and in general act like I didn’t exist. After 18 months of fighting, staying polite, and doing everything "the right way," I finally hit my limit and I told my director I wouldn’t be attending the onsite explaining, "I'm tired of being retaliated against and pretending everything is fine. I won't do it anymore." His response? "I realize you haven’t gotten the desired response, but this (attending the onsite) may help a bit." I was crushed. No accountability? No consequences for those causing harm? Just more expectations for me to rise above it all while anyone who wanted a shot at me continued kicking me down. Salt was rubbed in the wound a few weeks later when I learned my overdue promotion would be paired with an abnormally low salary increase. It was my breaking point and a few days later I submitted my resignation and scheduled the LinkedIn message that would eventually go viral. 2025: ?????? ???????? ???? ?????????????? For 18 birthdays, I put my career above everything else. For 2 birthdays, I felt helpless as my dreams were being ripped away. But today I have new bigger, dreams as I turn my sadness and rage into a mission to empower every employee with the knowledge and tools to protect themselves from discrimination. So for those in this fight today, just know it does get better and you do still have the power to turn even the worst period of your life into a positive! You are more than this experience. ??

Note: I believe a clarification needs to be made on this post. The intention of the post is not to promote black-or-white thinking in this space. Rather, it is to provide examples of people moving throughout the world, behaving as if everything is normal and believing that their rights will be protected on the backs of others, people who are already often marginalized. Too often in my own life, I see people engage in "normal" activities like going to a winery and refraining from using their voice, positionality, or privilege to protect the more vulnerable in their communities. I am one of millions of people living with uncertainty every day that I can't opt out of. This is my lived experience. *Back to the post* What are you willing to give up? Something that always confounds me is when people who have benefitted from rights secured through the sacrifice of others act like life is totally normal right now. While people are literally being plucked off the street in unmarked vans, I see people: - Tralalalaing in wineries - Showing off their latest shopping haul - Acting like the world is the same as 2024 Intellectually, I can identify reasons why they might do these things, to maintain some sense of normalcy in their world. But the reality is that the world isn’t normal for us right now. And to act like it is, is the epitome of privilege. - Some of us are scared to be in public - Some of us are fearful to send our kids to school - Some of us are unsure of what our future holds in this country So if you know that your neighbor is suffering, why do you continue to center only yourself? If that’s where you stand now, then you don’t stand with many of us. But you need to, because they’re not just stopping with us. So I’ll ask again: What are you willing to give up? ?? ?? fredtjoseph on IG ________________________ ?? Repost to share this message Active Allies: https://lnkd.in/dJgy89pA

If work has made you question your worth, you need to see this. You've been trying so hard to make it work. But no amount of effort can fix a toxic manager: 1. They feel threatened by your growth ? They dim your light to protect their ego 2. They use 'culture fit' as an excuse for bias ? Diverse candidates are unfairly rejected 3. They refuse to address toxic team behaviour ? Workplace bullies thrive while victims are silenced 4. They use 'we're like a family here' to justify unpaid overtime ? Guilt-tripping replaces fair compensation 5. They dismiss fresh ideas as acts of rebellion ? Their favourite phrase: 'That's how we've always done it' 6. They treat rest and boundaries as signs of weakness ? Your well-being gets sacrificed 7. They disguise overwork as a 'growth opportunity' ? Extra tasks are wrapped in false promises of advancement 8. They play favourites based on personal loyalty ? Agreement is preferred over hard work 9. They schedule meetings to discuss other meetings ? Productivity drowns in pointless discussions 10. They demand approval for tasks you've mastered years ago ? Micromanagement takes precedence over trust 11. They praise loyalty over performance ? Silent compliance outweighs actual results 12. They push for innovation but hate change ? Progress stops outside of their comfort zone 13. They never take vacation, and neither can you ? Their burnout culture feels like a prison 14. They don't trust the experts they hired ? Your expertise gets buried under their insecurity 15. They're too scared to defend the team to senior leadership ? Your team takes the fall while they protect themselves You deserve a workplace that sees your worth. Don’t settle for anything less. ?? Repost to help your network ? Follow Dora Vanourek for more

Some workplaces aren’t broken—they’re built this way. When burnout is normalized and underpayment is strategic, it’s not mismanagement. It’s greed. Swipe through if you’ve ever felt like your exhaustion was part of the plan. ?? Repost to help others. ?? Follow Phillip Holmes for more.

Is workplace abuse a symptom of our views of masculinity? Pioneering anti-violence educator and cultural theorist Jackson Katz argues that the ongoing epidemic of men's violence in America is rooted in our inability as a society to move beyond outmoded ideals of manhood. In a sweeping analysis that cuts across racial, ethnic, and class lines, Katz examines our culture that has normalized violent and regressive forms of masculinity in the face of challenges to traditional male power and authority. The film provides a stunning look at the violent, sexist, and homophobic messages boys and young men routinely receive from virtually every corner of the culture, from television, movies, video games, and advertising to pornography, the sports culture, and U.S. political culture. Tough Guise 2 empowers us to challenge the myth that being a real man means putting up a false front and engaging in violent and self-destructive behavior — including aggressive and dismissive behaviors that maintain men in power positions at work 60 years after anti-discrimination law was enacted. This virtual film screening will be followed by a 30-minute discussion. Tough Guise 2: Violence, Manhood & American Culture: Virtual Film Screening with Discussion Wednesday, April 30, 7-9pmET https://vimeo.com/75781134 Grab your ticket: https://lnkd.in/eaRZp9cJ

What led to success on The Apprentice? Not authoritarian leadership.

When lawmakers are put in a position to share power (what they see as giving up some power), we've seen historical change only through years of advocates building power to put on the pressure. Years of building power over the course of years is a movement, and that's what we're building so we can pass legislation with teeth to protect workers from workplace abuse. We're here to make sure employers have incentive to address workplace abuse rather than ignore it or retaliate against you for speaking up (what their lawyers tell them is admitting harm under their watch). We're growing rapidly, and we invite you to join us to pass protections for workers from abuse at work. We hope to get the Workplace Psychological Safety Act introduced in as many as 20 new states and cities in 2025. And we need your help to get there. If you'd like to join a state team or get the bill introduced in your state, visit https://lnkd.in/ep482UbT. Don't forget to sign our petition to say you've had enough: https://lnkd.in/eWjVpxEH

Incredibly grateful to End Workplace Abuse for hosting last night's webinar on how employers sidestep accountability—and what workers can do to protect themselves in toxic environments. During the session, we explored the many ways companies deflect responsibility—from backdoor legal strategies to corporate cultures that silence those who speak up. But we also focused on empowerment: how employees can navigate these systems, safeguard their rights, and push for real change. This is where the F.E.A.R. N.O.T. Framework comes in. If you’re facing abuse or witnessing harm in your workplace, this seven-step approach can help you stay grounded and take action: ? Manage Fear – Acknowledge the fear and use mindfulness and support systems to stay centered. ? Evidence – Document everything. Journals, emails, and records can become your strongest allies. ? Articulate Your Case – Present a clear, evidence-based narrative to get management’s attention. ? Showing Resolve – Stay composed and demonstrate a firm commitment to seeing the issue through. ? Navigating an Investigation – Know your rights, your responsibilities, and what to expect. ? Outcomes – Push for a just resolution, even when the organization is reluctant to respond. ? Telling Your Story – Share your experience to build awareness and inspire change. This framework isn’t just about surviving workplace abuse—it’s about reclaiming your power. To everyone who attended the webinar, thank you for showing up and refusing to stay silent. Your voices are shaping the future of workplace psychological safety. Together, we’re not just writing a new chapter. We’re rewriting the narrative. #EndWorkplaceAbuse #FEARNOT #WorkplaceSafety #Advocacy #Accountability #PsychologicalSafety #Leadership #HR

Sign the petition: https://lnkd.in/eWjVpxEH