Author: Karen Henry
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Agency Work Abuse
“My story took place over six months. I was on my old team for three years. My bully loved me until I made my mistake of speaking up. It’s astonishing to me that while we have protections for people based on their protected class or physical injuries, there’s nothing in place to protect against the kind…
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Neurodivergent In Higher Education
“I’ve worked as a laboratory employee in a public university for two decades, supporting research projects across various industries. My role was to process laboratory samples, assist researchers with projects, and ensure the smooth operation of advanced scientific instrumentation. Despite my naive beliefs that academia would be a more accepting environment for a neurodivergent individual…
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Discrimination of protected classes
“I worked in the information science profession. Did you know that libraries and archives are some of the most toxic working environments in the United States? I was a digital archivist at a corporate archive living with PTSD. I requested time to seek treatment after observing and having to intervene in several instances of workplace…
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Harassment from the top
“I’ve been cautioned that deliberate efforts will be made to prevent me from securing employment elsewhere for the next 10 years.” I worked at University Hospitals in the UK. Specifically, the IT&D Department and my role involved Project Support. The bullying began with an attempt to trick me into lower wages than originally anticipated taking…
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Surveillance and Retaliation
“I worked with a rehabilitation facility in the therapy departments at several large assisted-living facilities. The bullying first began at one of them under a manager. One day, the rehab tech hid my work bag with all my belongings. I wasn’t informed about it. As I was getting ready to leave, I couldn’t locate the bag.…
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Ad Agencies, Philippines
Employees and HR are usually just enablers of workplace bullies because it is normalized in ad agencies in the Philippines. I worked in an advertising agency in the Philippines. Ad agencies in this country have a reputation for being toxic. They say they are “not toxic” but once you are in it, it very much…
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Manipulation in medicine
“It’s been said the professions with the highest amount of workplace bullying are education, finance, and medicine. Yes — medicine. The science of healing others is also the space where harm is inflicted on the healer with impunity. Why don’t we hear about it more? Because our system isn’t built for physicians to speak out.…
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The Price of Speaking UP
“I have a story. An unbelievable one unless you know how workplace bullying works. I was too scared to share my story, but I am now ready because I’ve lost everything (career-wise) for speaking out. Today is the first day of no health insurance for me and my family. My savings run out soon. In…
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Educational Dark Side
“I was employed at a technical school under the Tennessee Board of Regents. The bullying began with snide comments from the president, my supervisor. In addition, a new VP was brought on, and the bullying intensified. Tactics included mocking me in front of my faculty and staff during meetings, withholding information pertinent to my job,…
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College Executive Abuser
“I worked in a private liberal arts college that promoted itself as affluent by the community. This perception was perpetuated by the administration. Legacy was very important. That’s how my immediate boss earned his title and status — something he thought was more important than people. The bullying began immediately after I was hired. The…