A
female
age
41-50,
anonymous
writes:Hi everyone, I'm interested to hear from anyone who does or has ever worked in the corporate office environment. I am feeling miserable and really need some advice :(I'm 25 years old and for my entire working life I have been bullied at work. I have had a huge number of jobs, mostly contractual jobs on a temporary basis.. but the MAJORITY of the time.. the results have been the same. See... I work in Admin.... and for some reason.. it seems to be home to a million workplace bullies.My very first job was absolutely horrific. I had been in the position in this insurance firm for a year and knew my job inside and out. Suddenly, when my new boss started, everything began to go wrong. I was pulled into meetings about anything my boss could think of... drying my hands on the towel in the toilet too 'roughly' and 'messing up the towel'... not going to the company Christmas party (I was pulled into a disciplinary meeting for this).. meeting a workmate for lunch and talking to them about how I feel resulted in a disciplinary meeting... the list goes on and on. I put up with this for a year.. until one day I went into some kind of traumatic shock during my lunchbreak.. and couldn't physically walk back into the building and take any more.This particular experience left a huge scar, but luckily I moved on to a job in a corporate environment, where none of this sort of thing went on.. and I started to once again, come out of my shell and regain my confidence. A year later, my contract was finished and I was back looking for work. Ever since then.. it's been a string of the same type of office jobs, with the same kind of bully.Usually an older woman, unattractive, incompetent at her job.. has trouble even stringing a sentence together.. LOVES to make orders and control control control!!! No management abilities except to bark out random orders for the sake of it... ABSOLUTELY LOVES meetings where she can pick trivial faults.. and this is only because she never has any idea of what I actually DO for a job.. so she can't attack me over work-related problems. I could honestly write a BOOK about my experiences!!Anyway, because of my previous experiences, I'm feeling paranoid about what's happening to me now. It feels like dejavu all over again.I have recently moved into a new devision in the big corporate company I currently work in. The woman supposed to be training me has not shown me through ONE process.. and I have been in this job for a month. She will leave a collection of menial jobs on my desk - like filling out a job costing sheet.. or finding a file from admin. When I filled out the wrong address on the job costing sheet recently (the client's address), the bully ran to my boss to tell her what I'd done. She literally told my boss she was upset when I attended a Defensive Driving Course that my boss actually arranged for me to go on, that I had informed my trainer of prior. I can just NEVER DO ANYTHING RIGHT.. and I'm SO SICK OF IT! It seems the harder you try, the more you are set up to fail.It's November, coming to the end of the year, and I really can't picture myself happily starting the new year in this job. I am keen to just walk out and do that Journalism course I've always wanted to do. But life outside the office is foreign to me. I have no idea what any other type of work is like compared to this. I can't imagine you'd have to go through the same kind of hell in waitressing? Which is what I would probably do while I'm studying to supplement my income.It WILL be hard saying goodbye to good money.. but if I continue in a positiion like this, my health will begin to suffer. I am already having panic attacks, openly crying in front of other people at work.. it's only a matter of time before I'm 'reprimanded' over this as well.. which causes me MORE worry. I really feel like I can't handle another experience like this again. For me, it feels like someone's opened up that big scar that had only just healed! I really don't have the strength to go through this again - because I know from experience it'll always be a losing situation.Has anyone ever been in the same situation as me? I consider myself to be a fantastic worker. I'm honest, loyal, always keen to help others, and have never had problems relating to any other staff wherever I have worked - only the ONE bully in the office.I would be keen to hear your experiences and thoughts.. and whether a change of career helps to avoid this kind of thing happening?Thanks
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Fancy yourself as an agony aunt? Add your answer to this question! A
female
reader, anonymous, writes (7 November 2008): Thank you everyone for your honest advice! You've really helped me realise it's not WRONG to want a change. It's sad to know you've been through similar ordeals, or heard of people who have.
It's helped make the decision for me. I'll start the Journalism course next year! Time to look after myself.
Thanks everybody!
A
male
reader, anonymous, writes (6 November 2008): I have worked in an office environment before (it was a summer job, admin stuff) and boy the bullying and backchatting was beyond belief. I would definitely recommend a career move. Grab yourself that journalism course and get out there, its way more fun.The summer before I finished university I could've worked in finance or at a small engineering firm. The money was incredible at the finance job for three months but I decided to go with engineering cos the corporate thing just really bugs me with all the crazy unnecessary stress. It was great, doing what you love, being a somebody, never having to wear a crazy uncomfortable suit :-DMoney's good stuff to have but if you have to put up with a lotta crap to get it, then definitely follow your heart, its so much more fun. Unless you're earning 500k at a job you hate, then the money would cover it but in your case, seriously get out of the office and into the journalism field
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A
female
reader, Reebe  +, writes (6 November 2008):
 I agree with cowboy, it really as a dog eat dog industry.
Try not to compete with her.
It sounds like she feels threatened by you.
My advice would be too keep your head down, work hard and try to be nice to everyone. It's hard to stay stong when you think that someone is constantly picking faults at you and everything else around you. She sounds a bitter woman. This is her problem not yours, you could try confonting her ask her what her problem is, but to be honest I think she'd just try to make you look foolish.
Whether you should change jobs depends on how much you enjoy it, if you don't enjoy it that much and if it's effecting you every day then maybe you should look for something else? If you do enjoy your job then honestly just try and ride it out and don't let it seep into your home life.
Good luck.
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A
male
reader, Cowboy +, writes (6 November 2008):
I haven't worked in this type of environment, but most of my friends do.
I had to reply to say that your description of the type of bully, ie. older unattractive woman who is incompetent and controlling is EXACTLY the same description that I have heard from my friends throughout the years.
It seems that every office has one of these women, and I'm constantly astounded that this type of person is ever given a management role.
You should see through these people. They obviously feel threatened by you because you represent what they wish they were like, or even what they used to be like when they were younger.
Just be careful that you don't end up as one of these vile women in the future!
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