“I have worked with the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) for five years. I have two issues: (1) workplace harassment and bullying and (2) failure to follow protocols related to the Americans with Disabilities Act and reasonable accommodation.
On my first day, the director commented, “Oh, you are the highest paid here,” which she later repeated. She has frequently mentioned my salary during supervision, which I find inappropriate.
I was later assigned to supervisor J and checked on the residents. While speaking with one in the office, four others tried to enter simultaneously. I told them to approach one at a time. One became upset, used profanity, and said he “dared” me to return, then stormed out with a cup of water that he nearly threw at me until someone intervened. As I prepared to leave, the YDS asked me to wait because the angry individual was still nearby. The other residents were also agitated, making the situation tense. While waiting outside the office, I called the director for assistance. After she arrived and advised me to leave, I did so without filing an incident report. During my next supervision session, I was blamed for the incident; she claimed I stayed to challenge him when in fact I had been instructed to wait and defuse the situation.
Since I started, I was moved from J to C, overseeing the travelers. I’ve handled intake, scheduling visits, and greeting residents. When I see someone alone, I invite them to join the group to keep them included. Despite this, the director claims I lack rapport with the children, even though they often come to me for help. I’m unsure what she means by rapport; they know I’m here for them. The director compares me unfavorably with another supervisor who connects easily with kids and questions my adequacy for the job. During a team meeting, my colleagues giggled when it was my turn to speak. The director noticed but questioned me about having an attitude instead of addressing their laughter. Despite her ongoing criticism due to my higher pay, I’ve consistently performed well without acknowledgment from her; she even said “the kids don’t like me.”
The director keeps directing me to someone else. That individual has made false complaints about me being dismissive despite not having asked me to do anything. In another incident, after I finished interacting with the children and was wrote notes, he claimed I hadn’t interacted with them, although he wasn’t present for most of that time.
The director does not respect my medical situation. I have taken intermittent family medical leave, promptly following procedures and providing a medical note each time, which she comments on negatively. She suggested I visit urgent care only to obtain notes and claimed HR is unaware of my condition, which is untrue as I provided documentation.
During supervision, she issues veiled threats about my probation status. Now whenever I pass a certain employee, he loudly says, “Here comes the money lady.”
Early September 2024, my evaluation was done while I was out for illness. The director did the evaluation and gave me a one in each category. She could not find a single positive thing to say about my work. I wrote to the union to ask for a meeting to discuss my evaluation. The director cancelled the meeting and did not reschedule it, and then during supervision, tried to circumvent the union by asking if I would like to discuss it with her. I told her I would like to discuss it with a union representative present.
The director does not respect my medical situation.
Later that month, I came back from lunch and tried to get to my desk. The supervisor’s desk is near mine. When I came back, he was talking with two other workers. It is a small space, so they were standing by my desk and blocking my path to my desk. I said excuse me once. I was ignored. I said excuse me a second time and then just squeezed through and went to my desk. Then they looked at each other and started laughing. They left the room leaving the door open, and the laughter trailed down the hall. There are two other empty desks where they could’ve had their conversation without impeding my path to my desk.
That morning, when I arrived to the office, I saw a brown bag with cream cheese next to it on my desk. I put it aside and didn’t complain. Then my supervisor got up and moved it to the empty desk. I noticed there was a cloth behind my chair. When I was about to remove it, the supervisor quickly removed it. They respect each other’s spaces. No one touches or moves the secretary’s things. I am the one being targeted.
While at ACS, I received accommodations starting May 2023, expired May 2024. I asked for them to continue in my new position but received no response despite several emails back and forth. My doctor’s letter clearly states, “She may also require episodic time off when symptoms flare up.” The department has not requested follow-up medical verification or provided any explanation for their lack of response.
In August, I submitted my medical verification for reasonable accommodations. As of September 26, 2024, I have not received a response. I have faced harassment at work whenever I leave due to symptoms, as indicated by my doctor. Additionally, my request for intermittent FMLA during flare-ups was denied without explanation regarding the 1,250 hours worked requirement, despite being employed at ACS for five years.”