A READER WRITES:
Hey. I’m writing this to you because you’re the only one who can help me out in the situation I’m in. I am a fresher who was hired by this company through a campus selection process a year ago. I am an IT graduate. I’ve gone through too many training and workshops programs. I love programming and coding because I’m quite good at it. The first few days of working were good. I used to enjoy it. My colleagues and boss were quite supportive. They used to help me out in case I got stuck in some programming error. My workload was manageable. In other words, everything was fine until my boss resigned and we were headed by a new boss. Unlike my previous boss who used to understand me, my current boss leaves no chance to humiliate me.
Previously, I used to think it was a one-time thing, but I was wrong. He humiliates me whenever and wherever he wants. Being subjected to the constant humiliation has led me to feel that it’s high time I should resign. The idea of resignation was not even on my list because I used to love this job, but now I cannot even think of any other option. Due to my boss shouting at me in front of other colleagues, everyone I know in the office has started laughing at me behind my back.
Whenever I’m with them they give me a look of pity, which simply breaks me further. I think I’m done with this. I’ve started planning my resignation. But I just wanted to take your opinion before I take this crucial step. I don’t want to regret later. It’s surely not a decision taken in the moment of heat. I’ve been going through this right from the next day my new boss arrived. I don’t even know what the reason behind such behavior is. Please help me.
– A Frustrated Guy, 21
ANSWER
Dear reader. The first thing I would like to suggest is that you should calm down. I understand the reason behind your frustration. As I read your problem, I myself feel obliged to sympathize with you, so if your co-workers are offering you pity, I wouldn’t take it as a wrong thing.
Coming back to your original question, did you ever try to discuss this issue with your boss up front? You should’ve done that. Resignation should be the last option always. As an employee, it’s your right to know where you’re going wrong. Sure, your boss has no rights to humiliate you in front of the people, but he’s doing it, so I would say you should talk to him. Tell him how you feel about being insulted without even knowing what the matter is. I’m sure once you sit down with your boss and address this issue, he will understand that he has been doing wrong.
If your boss doesn’t wish to discuss the issue with you at all, you must approach your HR head and address the situation to him/her. The HR managers are employed by the company to take care of such issue. Harassment is absolutely not acceptable in a workplace environment. In the first place, I would like to make this thing very clear to you that everyone has gone through such incident some or the other time. If you think that stress resorts your boss to bullying, try to minimize the factors causing stress from your side.
You’re requested to take note of certain points, which I’ve listed below:
Learn Setting Limits: You’re not a martyr. Stop working for unreasonable work hours and learn to stand up against discourteous manners. By accepting bullying and humiliation, you aren’t doing any good to yourself or company either. You’re simply losing your productivity, self-respect, and focus.
Discuss The Issue With Co-workers: Address the situation to the co-workers who are close to you and ask them if they’ve been subjected to such instance before. However, if it turns out you’re the only one then you should try to find out the reason. Are you not working properly or are there any personal grudges involved? Try to find the reason. Take suggestions from your co-workers on how to handle such situation.
Contact Your Human Resource Department: Like I mentioned above, contact HR department if everything else fails. Sure, talking to them won’t mean that their decision might arrive in your favor. They are likely to overlook the bullying tactics if your boss is one of the championing performers.
In case your boss continues with such practice, it’s a high time you leave. This company is not fit for you. It’s time you plan you resignation. Not only you’ll waste your time if you torture yourself by working there, but you’ll be emotionally drained and your productivity will eventually start degrading. I hope you find my answer satisfactory and take the right decision ahead. Good luck!