I was promoted and it wasn't received well in the workforce

40 Comments

1. AnonymousJanuary 22,2025 at 11:45PM UTC

   Just drama. Rise above it and enjoy your promotion. Jealousy is everywhere. You cannot escape it.

   In the professional world it's a given. You are lucky you haven't come across it before. Don't give it power.

2. AnonymousJanuary 23,2025 at 3:06AM UTC

   Yes. Early in my career, I was fast-tracked into senior management, and many thought I "slept" my way to the top. Unfortunately, when this happens, you will have as many who are angry as there are happy for you. All you can do is prove them wrong by continuing to be successful. Congratulations on your promotion.

3. AnonymousJanuary 23,2025 at 2:10PM UTC

   Climbing the ranks is lonely. The info you found about the timing of the IG account, the work related accusation, and the last 4 digits of the phone number sounds to pretty clearly identify who was behind it. Report your suspicion about the coworker to your boss and HR, then do you best to ignore the BS, continue doing the great work you do, and carry on.

   I will add that the general culture at your workplace doesn’t sound great if this kind of petty drama exists. Gain a little experience in your promoted role, and move on to someplace better.

4. Natalie FieldsJanuary 24,2025 at 3:12PM UTC

   I second this! I’ve dealt with workplace bullying but it was from my 1st line manager and my 3rd line manager who was a VP… and a coworker who was same level as I was, too. I know it can be miserable, I’m sorry OP is dealing with this.

5. AnonymousJanuary 23,2025 at 2:13PM UTC

   The fact the person(s) went to the length means they need to be stopped. Talk to HR. I read this has been happening to school teachers when the kids don’t like the teacher.

6. AnonymousJanuary 26,2025 at 1:19AM UTC

   I have a colleague who is an RN and she has been the center of an attack by others who resent her promotion. The attacker has goaded other employees into fabricating complaints against her to get her fired. She literally has committed no offense yet they continue to file actually ridiculous complaints regularly and the attacker marches them into the HR office to coach them. She has no reason to do this except jealousy. She has said she wants my friend fired or she will quit. HR and the Exec Director have informed her she is welcome to resign and that the will stop the unfounded complaining actions. Comments have been made about my colleague’s children and her husband to other employees. The attacker has made comments in front of her about her in Spanish as they did not realize she spoke Spanish.

   this has been going on for a year. HR is aware, the corporate officers are aware, legal is aware, and they have informed the attacker she is very welcome to leave. They just had to speak to her again about a new unfounded complaint. Yet every day there is some new issue to deal with as the attacker finds new ways to annoy and harass. I’m waiting for them to terminate her. They have plenty of evidence to show her coaching employees to say and do things against my colleague. She is competent and qualified - I guess there are still women who just can’t stand watching other women succeed.

7. AnonymousJanuary 24,2025 at 1:53PM UTC

   After reading the comments here, I learned much of the same on my career journey. While the "games" being played with you and the lack of professional maturity being exhibited is significant, elevating yourself above it to put yourself at a level where this behavior isn't tolerated or reacted to, is critical. If you engage directly, you're placing yourself at the level of the behavior. The more you focus on your job and what's in your personal control, the better. The people causing the drama are bitter and immature which will prevent them from growing.

   The comment about engaging HR so you can focus on more important things is a good suggestion. If an investigation can be opened, IT might be able to research whether company equipment/applications/time was used to create the accounts or to discuss the planning over email/chat, and that could be grounds for termination.

   Stay strong and focus on your family and future success. This situation has the potential to make you stronger!

8. AnonymousJanuary 25,2025 at 2:44PM UTC

   After reading the majority of these posts, this is solid advice, having worked in HR myself in the past. To the O.P. Stay above their behavior. Don't allow their immaturity to bring you down to their level. What their doing is harassment, whether they realize it or not. Hold your head high.

9. Celena BartonJanuary 24,2025 at 1:54PM UTC

   This needs to be reported to HR. However, you going back and looking at cameras of people in their cubicles? That could be a big source of resentment if that’s typical behavior for you.

10. AnonymousJanuary 24,2025 at 2:33PM UTC

    There's nothing wrong with a colleague not congratulating you on your promotion, and it doesn't prove anything about who created the Diss IG account.

    There's nothing wrong with your colleagues gathering in each other's cubicles, and it doesn't prove anything about who created the Diss IG account.

    There's nothing wrong with some colleagues not particularly liking you, as long as they don't do something that violates a law or your workplace policies.

    Unless part of your regular job duties requires you to monitor employee activity in their personal cubicles on the security cameras, the fact you're doing this feels a bit excessive and possibly creating a hostile workplace for them (if they were to complain about it).

    It sounds like the only valid problem here is the creation of the Diss IG account. Turn the info you have on that over to HR and your manager, tell HR and your manager you are filing an official complaint against that person for unprofessional conduct, and let them take care of it in accordance with your workplace Code of Conduct.

    If you have enough evidence of the person who contacted your husband with fake affair allegations, have your husband contact that person and tell them that they need to stop contacting him otherwise he'll go to the police and report it as cyberstalking/harassment. He may want to look up the local laws pertaining to this to ensure he follows the proper process. If the contact doesn't stop then he can file a police report.

11. GirlBossanova934974January 24,2025 at 3:17PM UTC

    Other than the Fake IG post, there is really NOTHING NEW here. Coworkers have been stabbing each in the back when promotions go to someone else since the times of Noah and the Ark. These days, the backstabbing starts long before the employee even gets hired when current employees think the applicant is too smart or smarter than they are. The big difference between years ago and today is that when managers didn't get the promotion, they walked to another company. These days, the petty childish behavior is accepted and condoned as EVERYONE is now a VICTIM of whatever.

12. AnonymousJanuary 24,2025 at 5:37PM UTC

    March right into HR with all of your evidence. Take the information as well and put it in writing and cc the legal department. Ask for an investigation into this and for HR to get the whole team together to discuss this. Check your employee handbook as well for social media behavior and ge the company or your manager to send out something reinforcing the rules. Don't sit silently about this. Don't confront anyone but let your company do the right thing. Congratulations on the promotion. What you are dealing with is professional jealousy here and the ones who feel you didn't deserve the promotion but think they did will learn the hard way that this is not acceptable. People being nasty is just their way of venting their displeasure, don't let that rain on your parade.

13. AnonymousJanuary 25,2025 at 1:21PM UTC

    Generally speaking I agree with you but I think this type of action (getting HR involved) is a bit preemptive until more tangible evidence is gathered. For now, with what she's shared, i think bringing it to her manager's attention is enough.

    Until such time OP should definitely begin documenting all this behavior if she hasn't already.

    Her promotion was last year. If the OP is in the US, a LOT of changes have happened since then and I fear the company could take the position shes not worth all this investigative effort (if left solely up to them and no solid inputs from OP) and decide to eliminate her instead.

    Sad, but something she should seriously consider. One saving grace would b if her manager is willing to go to HR with her to file a complaint, but I saw no mention of that. He's clearly displeased, but if he's not willing to take it there idk if she should either, not yet.

14. AnonymousJanuary 25,2025 at 5:10PM UTC

    OP above, sorry to disagree with you but I work in legal/HR and she should absolutely go to them now. She has to nip this in the bud and for every day she does not directly go to those departments she diminishes the impact of their making changes. This actually falls under sexual harassment from a legal standpoint and she definitely needs to take this above her direct line manager as she already brought it to their attention and they did nothing. She has to advocate for herself so as to mitigate this.

15. AnonymousJanuary 26,2025 at 1:11AM UTC

    I absolutely disagree with you. First - employment law had nothing to do with what is happening in our election so stop acting like the Democrats are the ones who give a darn about employees rights. That is ridiculous. The fact remains that the democrats only care about pretending to care about other people - so just stop with the veiled assertions about our President. He is doing a fine job and will be correcting the nonsense we have been subjected to for several years. As for the OP- she needs to go to HR and file a complaint immediately. No employee is allowed to create a fake social media profile to try to harass another employee. It is called creating a hostile workplace . Said employee is also not allowed to harass someone else’s family members or spread malicious gossip. Those are also contributors to a hostile work environment. If it were you would you be happy waiting for more of these types of actions to occur to hold a case? It must be dealt with right away. To delay taking an action like filing a complaint implies you are ok with it and don’t have the tenacity to take action. Absolutely go to HR and prepare them that a legal filing will follow. Put it in writing. Put the findings in - disclose the phone number you found and how you found it of the person who started the account. If HR and Legal do not act they will be named in the action you could bring as it will not be tolerated.

    this is exactly what has been happening in our country and it is time to put an end to the illegal conduct we are condoning.

    Also - her promotion was late last year and it’s only January so you also have misrepresented this issue of time. This is current. By stoking Fear that she would be let go for being a victim of malicious behavior is how this continues. Any employer who would allow this to continue faces serious consequences.

16. AnonymousJanuary 25,2025 at 1:43PM UTC

    It’s not hard at all to understand why they are like this: they are immature, jealous, cruel and never outgrew mean girl. And FWIW, they are demonstrating in real time why they should not be in leadership positions; they cannot manage open disagreement, conflict without resorting to HS bullying antics.

    Sometimes you will have to work with people who openly hate your guts and that’s life. Stop surveilling, you already know. It is absolutely not a stretch to match the phone numbers.

    With regard to the Fake IG account, please bring all of that to HR and legal. Specifically if there are references to the company and/or paint the company in a negative light, they could be doing something which would jeopardize their employment. They are likely violating your company’s social media and anti-bullying policies. At the very least, they should take it down (altho they may find other avenues).

    Because the fake IG account messaged your husband to claim you were having an affair, this person is wild and perhaps diagnosable. They wanted you to know and to cause conflict. I’m not a lawyer but there may be something in here for which you could get a restraining order or cease and desist.

17. AnonymousJanuary 25,2025 at 2:06PM UTC

    If they are doing it from the office or office equipment, IT can find out. Is totally fair for a person to question if they have been passed for a promotion, or they think someone less qualified got it, but there are professional ways to do that. This is harassment, and harassment can come from managers or fellow employees too, therefore the company has the responsibility to investigate the situation.

18. AnonymousJanuary 25,2025 at 3:30PM UTC

    I agree completely, the company is responsible for investigating and dealing out consequences to the person(s) involved in this harassment. I had a situation arise as a manager; one employee was posting derogatory comments about another employee on a company sponsored social platform. The person was told in no uncertain terms that harassment of other employees would not be tolerated and if it continued they would be terminated. I don't know how this differs from the OP's situation of a commercial social media site, but I would think harassment of coworkers is definitely an offense within the company's right to control.

19. AnonymousJanuary 25,2025 at 5:36PM UTC

    Exactly, I think since is a repeated and deliberate act, doesn’t need to be done in a company platform. If it was SH and the person is using their personal phone to make unwanted advances to the other person, would still affect the work environment. So I think ciber harassment should be considered the same way. Just the fact that they created a specific account for the situation, shows it goes beyond expressing discontent, is more trying to terrorize this employee and that is unacceptable, the company has to provide a safe environment for everybody.

20. Tiffany PittmanJanuary 25,2025 at 2:48PM UTC

    Sorry this is happening to you. I agree with previous posts that you should fight this. It might be possible to get an IP address and other details on the person who created the profile through the social media platform. That might be grounds for defamation or harassment. Here's some online research:

    While a social media platform usually cannot directly "confirm" the identity of the person behind a fake profile without a legal request, they can often gather information like IP addresses and other account details which, in conjunction with a proper investigation, could potentially lead to identifying the creator of a fake profile, especially if the platform receives a legal subpoena or warrant from law enforcement.

    Key points to remember:

    Limited access to personal information:

    Social media platforms typically do not readily share user details with individuals unless there is a legal reason to do so.

    Reporting fake profiles:

    Users can report suspicious profiles to the platform, which may trigger an internal review and investigation.

    IP address and other data:

    A fake profile's IP address, device information, and account activity can provide clues about the user's location and potential identity.

    What can you do if you suspect a fake profile?

    Report the profile: Most platforms have a reporting feature to flag suspicious accounts.

    Provide evidence: If possible, gather evidence like screenshots or other details that support your suspicion of a fake profile.

    Contact the platform directly: If the issue is serious, you can try reaching out to the platform's customer support for further assistance.

21. Alina FloreaJanuary 25,2025 at 3:11PM UTC

    Hi! Congratulations on your promotion!

    How will your state of mind or mood will change if you accept that why people can act as such is because they feel envy or jealosy.

    What is it that you need right now, to be able to move successfully further, and demonstrate performance in your new role?

22. AnonymousJanuary 25,2025 at 3:28PM UTC

    Report it to HR and they will determine if it needs to go to legal. Give them what you have. Do not continue to monitor the security cameras unless that is part of your job description. This could lead to issues with your employment as well.

    When I was promoted, a supervisor for another department acted just like those in your office. Fake accounts were set up and messages sent to our Facebook and Instagram accounts. I knew exactly who was doing it but due diligence had to be done. HR had IT put a keystroke reader placed on his computer.

    Within 2 weeks he was gone. They didn’t specify exactly what for but I know for certain my issue was only part of it.

    I said all of this to say, let HR and Legal do their due diligence.

23. AnonymousJanuary 25,2025 at 5:28PM UTC

    Wow I can’t believe some professionals choose to behave worst than teenagers. That is so wrong.

24. AnonymousJanuary 25,2025 at 4:16PM UTC

    This is serious defamation of character. Disruption of your marriage. We're in the zone of criminal behavior.

25. Cee HJanuary 25,2025 at 4:43PM UTC

    Speaking as one of a handful of people who felt that an unqualified coworker got special treatment & a promotion that she didn't earn or deserve, it has never once occurred to me to go out of my way to hurt this person or give them a hard time. I transferred to a different department and leave this person alone, and she in return leaves me alone.

    It's okay to be salty about a situation or to not like a person without resorting to bullying or character assassination.

26. Titra HamiltonJanuary 25,2025 at 5:42PM UTC

    I encountered haters when I got promoted, but not to this extent. Two of my direct reports made it clear that there were pissed that I was promoted instead of them and even stated that it my job was to enable them to get promoted to my level. The rest of the teams were delighted. To handle it, I explained the requirements to get promoted and held them to that standard. Any negativity was not acknowledged, affirmed or tolerated. You must be even more objective in dealing with them and cannot have any appearances of retaliation.

27. Mariia Owens, MBA, SPHRJanuary 25,2025 at 8:12PM UTC

    You did everything that's controllable. I would send them the "cease and desist" and document it with HR. And be done with the haters. You are giving them more power by worrying about it. Focus your energy on great performance, which in turn will prove that the promotion you got was the right decision for the company. I can't believe people nowadays!

28. AnonymousJanuary 26,2025 at 9:11AM UTC

    This is what HR is for. You can provide the insta proof, the conversations, the alleged jealousy. It’s all speculation and reach, but HR will ask them directly if they did it. You should report.

29. Jodie JohnsonJanuary 26,2025 at 5:43PM UTC

    I've dealt with similar workplace bullying. It was horrible and traumatizing. The lies. The rumors. The jealousy and hatred to the point where they would make things up on social media, threaten me, my family, my pets and even send the state police to my home. So, yeah, I get it. There truly are horrible people and I realized it wasn't worth it to be bothered with working in that type of environment ever again (in a gym which happens to be a national brand). After all that, I had new doors open and opportunities that not only provide me with inner peace & positivity, but if making $$$$ means more than making $ for someone, I got real lucky. Those haters did me a favor in the long run, but because it was so personal for me (fitness journey, helping others etc...) it has taken a long time to bounce back from the trauma they caused. Jealousy is one of the many roots of evil itself.

30. AnonymousJanuary 27,2025 at 8:51AM UTC

    As a victim of workplace harassment, really disappointed by the people here saying ignoring bullies will make them go away. Clearly they haven't been harassed by determined people, and sending simpathy your way for the hurt and isolation that causes, when you need to focus on the job most. It's true that you need to shut it out and not give it oxygen to allow yourself to work, but if they get away with it they're not likely to stop.

    Gossping about you having an affair with your boss is Sexual Harassment, because it's based on the nature of your gender -- illegal under EEOC. Tell HR you see it as such. Stalking could also be a crime in your state. Protect yourself, document everything and always go into a meeting with a partner. Prepare yourself that if you make it formal, your bosses may not have your back and you may need to leave, but know that you did your best. Definitely put feelers out for a place with better culture, now that you can add to your resume with this role.

31. VHJanuary 27,2025 at 2:10PM UTC

    If I were you, I would confront them both directly (privately first) and then publicly. This is very elementary school, bullying-type of behavior. The workplace is really NO place for this type of nonsense. I also think this is a good opportunity to show others your ability to stand up for yourself and what is right.

32. AnonymousJanuary 27,2025 at 2:18PM UTC

    Why is your workplace not addressing this directly? If they are logging into the IG account from their work computer, I am SURE your IT department could run it down. Not only are they doing this, but they are spreading rumors about an extramarital affair. That distracts EVERYONE in the workplace, and damages reputations beyond repair. Your HR department should be all over this.

33. AnonymousJanuary 27,2025 at 5:04PM UTC

    Lies an inuendo should not be tolerated at any level by anyone within a work organization. Something similar did occur at the place where I work. While the harassment wasn't leveled at me, it was directed toward a co-worker in my department and a few others within the organization. Our HR department handled it brilliantly - the individual was singled out, confronted by authorities and immediately terminated.

34. Leonard JonesJanuary 27,2025 at 6:34PM UTC

    Maybe they deserved the promotion, and really needed the money but you got it because the boss likes you better. That might piss them off!

35. AnonymousJanuary 27,2025 at 6:39PM UTC

    Sounds like you didn't get the promotion. Your answers says a lot about you.

36. AnonymousJanuary 28,2025 at 6:49PM UTC

    Gross.

    Being pissed off is valid, but perhaps they (and you!) should do some private reflection on why they didn’t get the promotion in the first place.

    Doing shit like this ensures not only will you not get the next promotion, you’ll also likely be out of a job, too.

37. AnonymousJanuary 27,2025 at 6:42PM UTC

    Get in contact with HR. Make a formal complaint. This is inappropriate, a hostile work environment and sexual harassment. If nothing gets done about it, than a lawsuit is in the making.

38. Milissa JacobsJanuary 27,2025 at 9:35PM UTC

    I'm sorry that you have to deal with petty, vindictive people. You are working in the very definition of a hostile work environment. Make this your employer's problem by filing a formal complaint and having a follow-up. Once your bosses realize they are on the hook for failing to control their employees, the problem will be solved quickly.

39. AnonymousJanuary 27,2025 at 10:01PM UTC

    I am sorry to hear about this situation.

    I never really had this situation at the work place. I had gotten hired to work full time at a company last year. Unfortunately, I became ill with severe stomach ache and acid reflux. The HR manager wasn't very understanding.

    I did face backlash from the HR manager who said I didn't deserve my college degree. Fortunately, the HR manager left shortly after I left the company.

40. Jennifer GriffithsJanuary 27,2025 at 11:54PM UTC

    From past experience its best to have an all hands meeting in the department with a neutral arbitrator to discuss the feelings and expectations of the department. Be open and address the accusations and have HR and upper management support you and state that this is absolutely not okay. If there is any disagreement then it should be openly discussed here and now. If the culprit is found they will be fired immediately.