Since the spring of this year I have dealt with a manager who felt it was ok to lie about my work and character.

Since the spring of this year I have dealt with a manager who felt it was ok to lie about my work and character. Even with documented proof showing this manager lied, Hr or even my VP still refuse to accept it and take a deep look at the documentation. I have been subjected to harassment and unfair treatment and with a stain on my end of the year review. It's no longer about winning but what can be done so they can't do this to another person again. More importantly, this particular VP feels the need to speak negatively to other management and it's not easy to come to work. I know I have to leave the company but what else can be done.

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33 Comments

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  1. Anonymous

    You could contact the EEOC or FEHA and file a formal complaint of hostile workplace.
    Before you do memorialize it in writing and cc your legal department, the CEO and HR. Let them know that as an employee of the company you don't feel safe. Doing so will likely trigger a defensive action by them but perhaps a package and smooth exit will soften things for you and then you can focus FT on finding a kinder gentler employer.

  2. Anonymous

    Try and sue.

  3. Anonymous

    Talk to an attorney - from experience, this can be a form of defamation, and it's a sue-able offense, not just of the individual but the company. If you have proof that they're allowing it to continue and happen in the first place. But you have to speak to an attorney, at the least as a subtle way to to tell HR to do their f*ing job. It also shifts the power back in your favor as you'll know if you can or can't sue and therefore, they'll need to leave you alone, otherwise it's to court.

  4. Anonymous

    Yes, I agree especially if it’s going to affect her ability to earn money in the future. I think, if libel or slander are even provable you really can only win if there’s loss of income associated. But I am not a lawyer, so that’s why I also suggest she go to one.

  5. Anonymous

    It's a feature, not a bug. They have chosen to be this way and you don't have the power to change them.

  6. Anonymous

    God has the power to change them. If you truly have faith and trust in God . You will be amazed at how quickly things will change in your favor if you are true about what you are saying. Never give up. They nailed Jesus to the cross with nails to die for all of our sins. We all suffer at times but I always believe in fighting for what is right .

  7. Anonymous

    Keep your insane religious ideology to yourself.

  8. Anonymous

    i don’t see this as insane. It’s giving hope to this person!

  9. Anonymous

    As someone who’s studied psychology and, specifically studying the damage of toxic positivity, this kind of commentary isn’t appropriate. It doesn’t give hope, it’s dismissive and subtly abusive.

  10. Anonymous

    Not the place for this.

  11. Suzanne Strickland

    That’s rude

  12. Suzanne Strickland

    Bless you

  13. Anonymous

    You’re a nut job.

  14. Suzanne Strickland

    What??

  15. Tiffany Drake

    It's really hard to sue a company in a right-to-work (right to fire) state. I support any effort to do so.

  16. Anonymous

    I would protect my energy and mental health first. They are likely never to change and it’s not worth your time and precious resources to try. My priority would be a new job while doing the bare minimum for the current one. They don’t deserve your best.

  17. Suzanne Strickland

    I feel for you, and I’m honestly really sad to be hearing this story time and time again.
    It infuriates me! Bullies can win, even when they are supposedly “adults.” I really hope there’s karma coming. I gotta believe there is. Keep us posted.

  18. Anonymous

    this might be an unpopular opinion but seek legal help… I think you should sue !

    In the meantime also look for new employment. I think most will tell u to move on but I think if we all continue to sue companies within reason perhaps they will start to become more accountable. Just my thought.

  19. Anonymous

    They want you gone but hope you’ll quit first. Go brush up your resume and start looking but in the meantime:

    1- document everything

    2- be the bigger person and never let them get the best of you - always keep a positive attitude.

    3- do the bare min

    4- always ask to help (document) - but since they won’t give you the work anyway - ask every chance you get

    they are waiting for you to slip up to “fire you” - if they can’t actually fire you - they can eliminate your position or lay you off due to availability of workload to give - you’ll probably walk out with some severance and be able to collect unemployment then while you look for a new job.

  20. Wanda Shaw

    This response was spot on. Yes, they’re focusing on the minor minutiae so that they could justify letting you go.

  21. Anonymous

    I'm sorry you are going through this, I did as well at a company I was with for nearly 2 decades in which I had great connections and the quality of my work was well-known. All leadership is interested in is protecting what is theirs, not yours. It's much easier for them to look the other way than to do what's right. Suing is likely to get you nowhere. The only answer for you is to get out, and hopefully under the best circumstances for you - whether that's a new job, leaving with severance, or the ability to collect unemployment in your state. I wish you the very best, and remember, you will be ok! These people and this job do not define you.

  22. Anonymous

    Thank You. It's hasn't been easy but I have positive people around me from all over who are supporting me. Yes, I am working on getting out as soon as possible. Not a healthy place to be and I would not want anyone to go through this. I just wish there was a way to put them out in the open before I walk away to ensure they think twice before doing this to someone else.

  23. Anonymous

    You’re gross.

  24. Anonymous

    How on earth did you read that as that person praying for her? She was preaching AT her. We don’t need that here. Let’s leave this a secular space ok?

  25. Anonymous

    They will continue doing this to other people until either it affects the bottom line (the manager is a liability) or they never will. Sometimes assholes never get theirs and life isn't fair. Or maybe this person will get theirs in some other aspect of their life and you won't get to see. It's probably not worth the effort. Prioritize yourself first.

  26. Anonymous

    This is exactly what happened to me (among other nefarious things). Most sinister place I have ever worked. Unfortunately, it seems to me that you have had the misfortune of encountering truly evil people at work. I'm guessing that one of the managers tried to sleep with you, another one tried to pimp you out to him, and the rest of them decided to collude in punishing you for staying professional in the face of their entitlement? I am now too unwell as a result of what an organisation like this did to me. You may want to consider defamation of character, but make sure a job offer loss can be proven in connection with something they said about you.

  27. Anonymous

    Accept the fact that you were not put on this earth to fix a company that supports a problematic executive. They know and are OK with it. Stop focusing on fighting your manager. Work to attain the highest mark on each item of your performance evaluation.

  28. Loraine Sartan

    File a Title 5 EEOC harrassment suit against the company but plan on getting fired or leave before hand.

  29. Anonymous

    Thank You. Will do!

  30. Cathy Griffith

    This too has happened to me. So disappointing to know that these individuals can be so ruthless and get away with it. I ended up getting let go because of the lies. I've never experienced this type of behavior in my 20+ year career. Guess it's just a learning lesson that there are these types of people in the world. For some reason I had to experience it. We have to remember though that they have the issue not us. It's a projection of themselves. They have the issue.

  31. Ruth E. Rodriguez

    It was worse for me, my manager not only lied about me but documented most of those lies as his utmost opinion on my work. After 12 years of excellent performance I was let go to my managers satisfaction, ruined my reputation just to hide how much of a failure he is. Satisfaction is time will tell everybody the truth and maybe he will try to do it to some one who can really expose him to the world.

  32. Marian Davidson

    Sadly, there is little you can do except brush up your resume and find another job ASAP as it is only going to get worse.
    It's always easier to find a new job while you are still employed.

    In most states, you are an "at will" employee, so they can terminate you for no reason. However, the manager seems to be covering her tracks by "building a case" in case you are terminated and want to sue the company -- they will have a manager's records and bad review to support themselves, even if unwarranted.

    This is a tactic used by management to force an employee to resign rather than "fire" the employee, or lay the person off and then have difficulty when replacing that employee with another -- who may have less seniority and experience.

    You are made so miserable that you resign on your own and save them the trouble. First you are marginalized. Then the trash talk. You are left off of emails. You are not invited to meetings. You will find you are lacking information so made to look bad on tasks. Your fellow workers will begin to drift away as though you are made of kryptonite.

    The good thing is that, when interviewing elsewhere while still employed, you can tell the potential employer NOT to call your current yucky employer for a reference (or you will be fired) and omit that variable from your reference mix.

    FYI-this happened to me also:
    I had been in the business for 35 years, have taught classes at the university extension program in my field, and been recognized as a subject matter expert in my industry. I was at a company in a lower profile position, just enjoying the daily work instead of being at industry meetings and a "boss".

    A young new manager with about 6 years of relevant experience at much lower level positions, but armed with a newly minted law degree, was hired to "run" the department. Naturally she has never heard of me or knew any context to the scope of my experience. My previous manager left when Covid hit and we had been operating without a manager for over 20 months.

    Suddenly, within 6 weeks of her arrival, I find myself called on the carpet by an ancillary SVP (whom I have so little contact with, I'd only spoken with him twice in 2020) and given a write up and disciplinary warning that my work had suddenly been "sliding" and that I had to shape up. When I asked for specifics so I could take corrective action and improve, I was given "in general" and other meaningless statements, so I saw the handwriting on the wall: they were trying to get rid of me.

    (When the SVP initially contacted me for the meeting, I was expecting praise for the exceptional work I had been doing during Covid when we lost so many staffers and were doubled up on our work load. Imagine my surprise!)

    The new manager was young enough to be my daughter, and could have attended my classes and workshops had she been old enough, but I walked on egg shells for another couple of months.

    Naturally, I made a few phone calls and, even during Covid,I resigned and made the jump back into the marketplace and got another job immediately. I also made in initial $25,000 salary increase, and have since landed at an increase in salary of $54,000 in less than 2 years.

    If you feel afraid to make the move, remember this: These people have almost complete control over your professional and financial future. Do you want to delegate your future livelihood to these people?

    There is life after bad management, but you have to make your move now rather than later.

  33. Wanda Shaw

    It’s unfortunate that there are companies out there that would rather play and pretend that they’re all about operating in a fair and ethical manner when it comes to doing business and valuing their employees. But in reality they’re full of malarkey. ( I would replace the word malarkey with something more derogatory, if you know what I mean, but I’ll keep it clean). The fact that a manager has gone out of their way to lie about you tells me that one, they’re incompetent and don’t know what the heck they’re doing, and two, you’re a threat because you do know what you’re doing, and you’re a glaring reminder of their shortcomings. I don’t know if you have the mental capacity to deal with all the negativity staying in this place. But if I were you..I’d be planning on brushing up my resume and when the next job opportunity lands, be on the first thing smoking out the door. Best wishes.

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