bbyblues
06-09-2005, 08:34 PM
I work in an environment that is mostly female. Normal gossip aside I have experienced some things that have effected my professional performance and personal life. I hold a leadership positon and expect to experience negative reactions and gossip when addressing an employee over performance issues so I do take this in stride as part of my position.
About 2 years ago I had a subordinate approach me and let me know that because of their respect for me they wanted me to know that a supervisor had told many members of my team that I used to be a stripper and prostitute by nature. At the time I did not do much about it but laugh it off and said to myself, thats women for you. Since then there have been several things that have happend that have caused me great stress. My team members are insubordinate to me and openly hostile at times. This supervisor keeps it going by adding more gossip to the fire, in turn this has caused many of my team-members to make untrue alligations to my department director about me. Last year my company had a lay-off in which the middle management team was let go and 4 of my peer group were also terminated. As this paticular supervisor was on the verge of retirement they let her stay. At a company function she stated to many members of my team and peer group that a fellow supervisor, who happend to be a long time friend of mine,was having an affair with the division vice president and because of this affair I was not layed off even though I had less senority then other members of my peer group. Needless to say, this has created a very chilly enviornment for me. I find it hard to perform my job when my peer group is openly hostile to the point that they will sabatoge my work.
Recently my division vice president (who moved from out of state) son came home from college. My DVP is trying to get him to transfer to a college in the area. He conversationaly asked a few subordinates if they would show him around the campus and introduce him to some people in hopes that the transfer would happen. One of these team mates is now stating that he sexually harrassed her by asking her "What are you doing Thursday night?" This rep (who is my subordinate) was told not to come to me with this by a fellow peer member as this DVP has a history of this behavior and I had a relationship with him and would protect him.
I hate to see a good person hurt from gossip and false claims. I am also being hurt as now I am being accused of having an affair with this person. I feel that the environment that I work in is becomming very hostile due to this false informaiton and have experienced a management team that will not address the severity of the situaiton as they feel like it is "he said she said" I have having problems sleeping, I am now on anti depressents, and have experienced anxiety attacks before work. I cannot afford to quit my job and feel that I am not in the wrong. Why should I be forced out of a position that I am gaining so much valuable experience in? Is my manager not addressing this as she hoping that I will quit because she has no basis for terminating me for performance reasons? Any advice on what actions that I may be able to take, or should I just update my resume and hope for the best? I am really starting to think that I may break with some kind of nervous breakdown and my husband is getting worried. I am in MO.
About 2 years ago I had a subordinate approach me and let me know that because of their respect for me they wanted me to know that a supervisor had told many members of my team that I used to be a stripper and prostitute by nature. At the time I did not do much about it but laugh it off and said to myself, thats women for you. Since then there have been several things that have happend that have caused me great stress. My team members are insubordinate to me and openly hostile at times. This supervisor keeps it going by adding more gossip to the fire, in turn this has caused many of my team-members to make untrue alligations to my department director about me. Last year my company had a lay-off in which the middle management team was let go and 4 of my peer group were also terminated. As this paticular supervisor was on the verge of retirement they let her stay. At a company function she stated to many members of my team and peer group that a fellow supervisor, who happend to be a long time friend of mine,was having an affair with the division vice president and because of this affair I was not layed off even though I had less senority then other members of my peer group. Needless to say, this has created a very chilly enviornment for me. I find it hard to perform my job when my peer group is openly hostile to the point that they will sabatoge my work.
Recently my division vice president (who moved from out of state) son came home from college. My DVP is trying to get him to transfer to a college in the area. He conversationaly asked a few subordinates if they would show him around the campus and introduce him to some people in hopes that the transfer would happen. One of these team mates is now stating that he sexually harrassed her by asking her "What are you doing Thursday night?" This rep (who is my subordinate) was told not to come to me with this by a fellow peer member as this DVP has a history of this behavior and I had a relationship with him and would protect him.
I hate to see a good person hurt from gossip and false claims. I am also being hurt as now I am being accused of having an affair with this person. I feel that the environment that I work in is becomming very hostile due to this false informaiton and have experienced a management team that will not address the severity of the situaiton as they feel like it is "he said she said" I have having problems sleeping, I am now on anti depressents, and have experienced anxiety attacks before work. I cannot afford to quit my job and feel that I am not in the wrong. Why should I be forced out of a position that I am gaining so much valuable experience in? Is my manager not addressing this as she hoping that I will quit because she has no basis for terminating me for performance reasons? Any advice on what actions that I may be able to take, or should I just update my resume and hope for the best? I am really starting to think that I may break with some kind of nervous breakdown and my husband is getting worried. I am in MO.
