Ever been shunned at work by your boss? (employees, apply, percentage)

[HappyDogToday]

I work in a small health care setting. It is composed of about 10 staff. There is a professionally licensed manager, 7 workers directly under her, and then myself and another professional licensed person on a par with myself.

We are both 20 years older than the
manager, which may play a part here.

She and I are both part-time, which keeps us out of the ''daily loop'' just by that fact. When we do our hours we have to quiz the manager about what has been going on with clients that we also serve and we both get vague responses, if that.

I've been there a few months and I feel invisible. Communication and collaboration are non-existent on this ''team''. Complaining to the level above me will do me no good as there is cohesion among the professions and mine is not in charge in the upper echelon regionally.

Without a lot of details, this situation is such that I am looking around for other jobs to apply to. I cannot do my professional role in a ''vacuum'' and asking, sharing ideas, emailing, nothing has changed this situation. I just get ignored over and over.

Also, in this setting the manager is like the ''queen'' in that she controls everything and is responsible for how the workplace performs. Hence a ''control freak paradise'' which suits this woman to a tee as she tries to ''do it all'' anyway.

The best way I can describe working there is that I feel as if I and the other professional are more or less ''shunned'' and ignored and treated dismissively.

Anybody else had this in the worplace? What did you do?

[veuvegirl]

I had a similar work situation a few years back. It turned into an awful mess. At first I thought it was my imagination, it wasn't. Keep your head down and do your job well!

[HappyDogToday]

No one else? Really?

[I'm Retired Now]

Because of my outspoken personality I have been shunned by a number of bosses. They would just stop talking to me. Considering we would need each other to get the work done in our department it impacted the company. I complained to his or her bosses but it just made it worse.

[LaCelestina]

Well, my advice would be to do it via email and include several people besides your boss. Is there another dept involved in your projects? CC them in. Keep a paper trail if you ever need to prove that you tried to get engaged. I know you don't want to go to your bosses' boss, but if this is a company big enough, I'd just go straight to the top. Sadly, most of the time, companies do not know of these queens because nobody will escalate the issue or bring an issue. Many will be happy to get rid of them, while others, not so much.

Of course, keep looking for a job and I hope you find one soon, but I would definitely try to escalate it. Does your company have an open-up policy for handling complaints in a confidential manner? HR staff? Yes, it could be as you said and they're all stuck together like glue and don't care much for the beginners, but it doesn't mean you should just sit and put up with it. If, as you say, you firmly believe your job would be in jeopardy due to discrimination... then double your searches. It doesn't sound to be a highly toxic environment... yet, but it's not long before it becomes so.

[HappyDogToday]

Yea, at first I thought it was my imagination too. Now after multiple incidents I know it is not.

There is no recourse here in terms of going to anyone beyond her. The sense of this experience is so vague, yet ''concrete'' that I would look like ''the town fool'' even talking about it.

It could be a prelude to lay-offs or a ploy to get me to quit and move on. There are financial issues in the company in terms of future revenue losses, etc..

No matter what the reasons, I don't feel welcome and it has gotten to the point that I dread going in and hope for an interview somewhere else asap.

[cindersslipper]

I've had more than one experience like this and you know what? You care too much.

It is the reason why I swore I would never work for someone again and am in the process of starting a fledgling business.

Ugh I hate workplaces....they're like families. Some are more dysfunctional than others, and a small percentage are downright abusive.

Yours is somewhere in the "dysfunctional" range and nothing will ever change while the current management is in place.

The other thing is, even if you leave, you may well end up somewhere worse.

I would stop bothering to please anybody, clock in clock out. Lose the care factor re. improvements and suggestions, it isn't going to happen.

If you blend into the background you will survive.

As a boss once famously told me "you're not paid to have opinions". He's right. We're not. We're just paid to do the work.



It is what it is.

[HappyDogToday]

True and I've worked for myself and aspire to do so again. This job is just ''side money'' and I do take the philosophy to just ''come and go'' and ignore this. I try to do that whenever I can.

Problem is in this role my ability to do much of my job is dependent on communication from a ''team'', which in this case is non-existent.

I also have no expectations that this will ever change in this situation. It sucks because I like the kind of work that I do when I am allowed to do it.

I know in spite of that if I got an offer tomorrow I'd be gone instantly. That's how low my tolerance level has become.

[LaCelestina]

Originally Posted by FeelinLow

I know in spite of that if I got an offer tomorrow I'd be gone instantly. That's how low my tolerance level has become.

As they say, it's never good to burn bridges... at least give them a week or 2 weeks' notice.

Though I can bet money cinder has plenty of reasons to think as he does, not all workplaces are dysfunctional... nor are all families dysfunctional. I myself come from a highly dysfunctional family, but I know of many that are good </trail off topic>. Same with workplaces. Some are great, a lot seem to suck.

A place that doesn't pay you for your opinions... I can't think of any besides crude, hard labor work in an industrial setting. And those full of awful people. It's hard to be on the employer side sometimes around these forums... we're not all horrible hounds.

[ccm123]

It's a terrible feeling to be excluded, but it could be that there are "layoff" plans or other plans to reduce the workforce. It's a red flag obviously. In your case, it sounds like your manager is a "control freak", who does this to control her employees.

Keep circulating your resume confidentially.